Open platform architecture for shared resource access management

• US 20030014521A1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Published: 01/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quarterhill Inc. (f/k/a Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Iceberg Intellectual Property Limited
• Inventors: Kaiser, William J., Pottie, Gregory J., Girod, Lewis D., Elson, Jeremy, Rava, Guillaume Francois, Kriegl, Josef
• Granted Patent: US 7,207,041 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5014 Reservation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/535 based on resource usage policies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

An open platform architecture and methods for shared resource access management are provided. A redirection module in kernel space receives requests for access to resources from applications in user space. The redirection module routes signals representative of the received requests to a device driver interface in user space. Components of the device driver interface include resource management modules and device drivers that correspond to available resources. The resource management modules generate queries to the device drivers regarding availability of the requested resources. Upon receipt of resource status information from the device drivers, components of the device driver interface generate schedules for granting access to the requested resources. Further, the device driver interface components control access to the resources in accordance with the generated schedules including issuing responses to the requesting applications and the device drivers of the requested resources.

Claims

1. A method for providing shared resource access management, comprising:

receiving requests for access to resources from applications in user space, wherein the requests are received at a redirection module in kernel space;

routing signals representative of the received requests from the redirection module to a management suite in the user space, wherein the management suite includes at least one resource management module and device drivers corresponding to the resources;

generating queries on availability of the requested resources, and transferring the generated queries from the generating resource management module to device drivers of the requested resources;

receiving resource status information from the device drivers, wherein the resource status information is received at the generating resource management module;

generating schedules for granting access to the requested resources, wherein the schedules are generated by the generating resource management module in response to the resource status information; and

controlling access to the resources in accordance with the generated schedules, wherein the resource management module issues responses to the requesting applications and the device drivers of the requested resources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device drivers reside in the user space and couple to the management suite.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the redirection module includes at least one kernel module in the kernel space coupled via at least one control channel to at least one library in the user space.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one resource management module includes a plurality of application programming interfaces.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising validating each received request against at least one policy of the resource management module.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one policy is selected from among security policies, cost accounting policies, access policies, control policies, and timing policies.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the management suite is language-independent.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the resources reside on a telematics platform.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the applications reside on a portable platform that is remote to the platform hosting the resources.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising controlling access to the resources by the remote applications using Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) security protocols.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the resources and the applications reside on a platform hosting Java and a Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX).

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling access to the resources by performing access control checks on the resource requests, wherein the access control checks include analysis of user identification metadata.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling transfer of information among the applications by performing access control checks on information requests from requesting applications.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling access to the resources via at least one application running on at least one Java virtual machine (JVM), wherein the JVMs are coupled among the at least one resource management module and a shared memory pool from which the JVMs share memory.

19. The platform of claim 18, wherein the resources are distributed among a plurality of remote platforms.

20. The platform of claim 18, wherein the resources reside on the platform.

21. The platform of claim 18, wherein the generated queries are transmitted to the device drivers.

22. The platform of claim 18, wherein the generated queries are transmitted to the device drivers via at least one distributed proxy on at least one remote platform.

23. The platform of claim 18, wherein the device drivers are distributed among a plurality of remote platforms.

24. The platform of claim 18, wherein the device drivers reside on the platform.

25. The platform of claim 18, wherein the platform interface controls access to the resources by performing access control checks on the resource requests, wherein the access control checks include analysis of user identification metadata.

26. The platform of claim 18, further comprising at least one Java virtual machine (JVM) coupled among the platform interface and a shared memory pool from which the JVMs share memory, wherein at least one application running on the JVMs controls access to the resources.

15. A management suite for providing shared access among a plurality of applications and a plurality of resources hosted on a platform, wherein the management suite resides outside of platform kernel space and includes at least one resource management module and a plurality of device driver interfaces, wherein the management suite:

receives calls representative of resource requests from a kernel space module, wherein the kernel space module generates the calls in response to resource access requests from the applications;

generates queries to determine availability of the requested resources;

receives status information from the device drivers in response to the queries;

generates schedules for granting access to the requested resources in accordance with the status information; and

provides requesting applications with shared direct access among the resources in accordance with the generated schedules.

16. A system for providing shared resource access management among two or more applications, comprising:

a driver interface comprising components including at least one resource management module and two or more device drivers, wherein the driver interface resides in user space; and

a routing module in kernel space;

wherein the routing module receives resource access requests from the applications and generates and routes calls representative of the received requests to the driver interface;

wherein the driver interface, upon receipt of the calls, determines resource availability using resource status information received in response to queries transferred among the components;

wherein the driver interface generates schedules for granting access to the requested resources in accordance with the status information, and controls access to the resources by the applications in accordance with the generated schedules.

17. A method for providing shared resource access to multiple applications, comprising:

receiving resource access requests at a kernel space module from the applications, wherein the applications reside in user space;

generating and routing signals representative of the received requests from the kernel space module to components of a driver interface, wherein the driver interface resides in the user space, and wherein the components include at least one resource manager and a plurality of resource device drivers;

generating queries in the driver interface to determine availability of the requested resources, and transferring the queries to the corresponding resource device drivers;

receiving status information from the resource device drivers in response to the queries;

generating schedules for granting access to the requested resources, wherein the schedules are generated in the driver interface in accordance with the status information; and

providing shared access to the resources in accordance with the generated schedules via the driver interface.

18. A platform for providing shared secure access among a plurality of resources, comprising:

a routing module in kernel space of the platform; and

a platform interface that resides in user space of the platform, wherein the platform interface comprises components including at least one resource management module and at least one device driver interface, wherein the platform interface;

receives calls representative of resource requests from the routing module, wherein the routing module generates the calls in response to resource access requests from distributed applications of a plurality of remote platforms;

generates queries to determine availability of the requested resources;

receives status information from device drivers in response to the queries;

generates schedules for granting access to the requested resources in accordance with the status information; and

provides requesting distributed applications with shared direct access among the requested resources in accordance with the generated schedules.