Method and a system for executing operating system functions, as well as an electronic device

• US 20030120706A1
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Harjula, Teemu
• Granted Patent: US 7,581,223 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for using resources in a system comprising at least one processor and at least a first set of resources and a second set of resources. At least a first operating system is processed in said at least one processor, and a second operating system is processed in said at least one processor, of which operating systems at least one is substantially a real-time operating system. Said first set of resources is controlled by resource services of the first operating system to be executed in the first operating system, and said second set of resources is controlled by resource services of the second operating system to be executed in the second operating system. In the system, to use a resource of said first set from the operating system, a function call comprising information about said resource of the first set is formed in the second operating system. Said function call is transferred to an interface block formed between the operating systems in the system, for forming a service call on the basis of the information included in said function call, to start the resource service of the first operating system. The invention also relates to a system and an electronic device, in which the method is applied, as well as to a computer program comprising program commands implementing the method.

Claims

1. A method for using resources in a system comprising at least one processor and at least a first set of resources and a second set of resources, wherein at least a first operating system is executed in said at least one processor and a second operating system is executed in said at least one processor, of which operating systems at least one is substantially a real-time operating system, said first set of resources is controlled by resource services of the first operating system to be executed in the first operating system, and said second set of resources is controlled by resource services of the second operating system to be executed in the second operating system,

wherein for using one of said first set of resources from the second operating system, a function call is formed in the second operating system, comprising information about said resource of the first set, and that said function call is transferred to an interface block formed between the operating systems in the system, in which on the basis of data included in said function call, a service call is formed to start the resource service of the first operating system.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first operating system, a first scheduler is executed for scheduling the execution of processes of the first operating system, and in the second operating system, a second scheduler is executed for scheduling the execution of processes of the second operating system, wherein the execution of said service call is started when it is scheduled by the first scheduler.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein substantially immediately after the function call formed in the second operating system has been transmitted to the interface block, the execution of the processes of the second operating system is continued, without waiting for a response to the function call from the first operating system.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the resource service to be started forms a response, and that the response is transferred via said interface block to the second operating system.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said interface block, a delayed function call is determined to be executed in the second operating system, in which delayed function call a response is transferred to the second operating system.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the operating systems, processes are executed, for which a run stage, ready stage or wait stage is determined as the functional state, that said function call is formed in a process of another operating system whose functional state is in the run stage, and that the process which made said function call is set in the wait stage, if a response to the function call is waited from the first operating system.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein as said function call, the same function call is used, irrespective of the resource service to be started.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein for using a resource of said second set from the first operating system, a function call is formed in the first operating system and transferred to the interface block formed between operating systems in the system, in which a service call is formed for starting the resource service of the second operating system.

9. A system comprising at least one processor and at least a first set of resources and a second set of resources, means for processing at least a first operating system in said at least one processor and means for processing a second operating system in said at least one processor, of which operating systems at least one is substantially a real-time operating system, and which system comprises means for controlling said first set of resources by resource services of the first operating system to be executed in the first operating system, and means for controlling said second set of resources by resource services of the second operating system to be executed in the second operating system,

wherein the system comprises an interface block between the operating systems, means for using a resource of said first set from the second operating system, which comprise means for forming a function call in the second operating system, which function call comprises information about said resource of the first set, and means for transferring said function call to said interface block between the operating systems, comprising means for forming a service call to start a resource service of the first operating system on the basis of information included in said function call.

10. The system according to claim 9, comprising means for processing a first scheduler in the first operating system for scheduling the execution of processes of the first operating system, and means for executing a second scheduler in the second operating system for scheduling the execution of processes of the second operating system, and means for starting the execution of said service call after its scheduling by the first scheduler.

11. The system according to claim 9, comprising means for forming a response in the started resource service, and means for transferring a response via said interface block to the second operating system.

12. The system according to claim 9, comprising means for using a resource of said second set from the first operating system, which comprise means (3a) for forming a function call in the first operating system, which function call comprises information about said resource of the second set, and means for transferring said function call to said interface block formed between the operating systems in the system, comprising means for forming a service call to start a resource service of the second operating system on the basis of information included in said function call.

13. An electronic device comprising at least one processor and at least a first set of resources and a second set of resources, means for executing at least a first operating system in said at least one processor and means for executing a second operating system in said at least one processor, of which operating systems at least one is substantially a real-time operating system, and which electronic device comprises means for controlling said first set of resources by resource services of the first operating system to be executed in the first operating system, and means for controlling said second set of resources by resource services of the second operating system to be executed in the second operating system,

wherein the electronic device comprises an interface block between the operating systems, means for using a resource of said first set from the second operating system, which comprise means for forming a function call in the second operating system, which function call comprises information about said resource of the first set, and means for transferring said function call to said interface block between the operating systems, comprising means for forming a service call to start a resource service of the first operating system on the basis of information included in said function call.

14. A mobile station comprising at least one processor and at least a first set of resources and a second set of resources, means for executing at least a first operating system in said at least one processor and means for executing a second operating system in said at least one processor, of which operating systems at least one is substantially a real-time operating system, and which electronic device comprises means for controlling said first set of resources by resource services of the first operating system to be executed in the first operating system, and means for controlling said second set of resources by resource services of the second operating system to be executed in the second operating system, the mobile station further comprising an interface block between the operating systems, means for using a resource of said first set from the second operating system, which comprise means for forming a function call in the second operating system, which function call comprises information about said resource of the first set, and means for transferring said function call to said interface block between the operating systems, comprising means for forming a service call to start a resource service of the first operating system on the basis of information included in said function call.

15. Computer software intended to be stored in the memory means of an electronic device for the execution of program commands of the computer software, which electronic device comprises at least one processor and at least a first set of resources and a second set of resources, means for executing at least a first operating system in said at least one processor and means for executing a second operating system in said at least one processor, of which operating systems at least one is substantially a real-time operating system, and which electronic device comprises means for controlling said first set of resources by resource services of the first operating system to be executed in the first operating system, and means for controlling said second set of resources by resource services of the second operating system to be executed in the second operating system,

wherein the computer software also includes program commands for using said resource of the first set from the second operating system by forming a function call in the second operating system, comprising information about said resource of the first set, program commands for transferring said function call to an interface block formed between the operating blocks in the system, and program commands for forming a service call to start the resource service of the first operating system on the basis of information included in said function call.