Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer data routing – Least weight routing
Reexamination Certificate
1997-09-30
2001-02-27
Oberley, Alvin E. (Department: 2755)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer data routing
Least weight routing
Reexamination Certificate
active
06195708
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer system which operates in accordance with a plurality of programs, and more specifically to technology for controlling the giving and receiving of data in memory between such programs.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, accompanying the opening up of computer systems, programs have been used which have the same functions in a variety of systems and a variety of platforms. The giving and receiving of data between programs is generally done by passing parameters. These parameters are passed from top to bottom between programs in a hierarchic structure. Data thus passed includes information which is system specific and information which is platform specific. For that reason, depending upon the system or the platform, data is included that is not absolutely necessary. That is, there are cases in which programs irrelevant to the passed data are involved in the propagation of the data. To prevent this situation, it is desirable to perform efficient giving and receiving of data between programs.
In the past, the method of passing data as parameters and the method of using a common area for use of a control table were known methods of giving and receiving data between programs.
In the method of passing data from top to bottom using parameters, for example in the case in which data is passed from program A to program C in a hierarchic structure of programs A to C, there are systems in which there will exist data not required at program B. In this type of situation, with methods of the past, the data to be passed from program A to program C must needlessly be passed via program B.
In contrast to this, in the method of using a control table, data giving and receiving is performed by using a common area which can be accessed by the related group of programs. When the data attributes and table format changes, it is necessary in this method to change the related programs (that is, to re-code them). Also, in cases in which a given data is expressed as a numerical value in one system but as a character string in another system, it is necessary to either use different control tables for the different systems, or to establish a memory area for the storage of each of he differing format data.
In the above-described method of passing data using parameters, if we consider the case in which, for example, data is to be passed from program A via program B to program C, program B, which is unrelated to the programs involved in the data exchange, must be involved in the propagation of the data, this causing a change in the program B interface, this subsequently requiring changes in programs related to program B. Essentially, arising from the involvement in the propagation of data of a program not required for the propagation of the data, there is the problem of having to change the common interfaces between programs.
In the method which uses a control table for the giving and receiving of data, the problem exist of, if the format of the control table changes, having to change all of the related programs, and in the case in which a given data has different formats in different systems, the problem exists having either to use a different control table between different systems, or to establish an area for the storage of each of data formats. In addition, when the hierarchic depth of the control table becomes great, a problem exists in that it becomes difficult to identify the location at which the desired information is stored, this subsequently increasing the time required to retrieve the information.
In such system as these of the past, in giving and receiving data between programs, there remained the problem of there being no means of providing a common interface between systems and between platforms which passes data without showing the data which is either system specific or platform specific, for use as a common interface between systems or platforms.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a computer system which enables the giving and receiving of data between programs without having to consider the differences between systems and without having to change the common interface between programs, thereby enabling the free use of data in free format between systems and between platforms.
To achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides a computer system which operates by means of a plurality of programs and which controls the giving and receiving of data between programs in memory, and which has an area for storage of data which includes data having differing data formats, such as numeric data or character strings and a data driver which controls the giving and receiving of data between the plurality of programs and the data storage area, in the case in which data is to be passed from a first program to a second program of the above-noted plurality of programs, the above-noted data driver storing data from the first program into the above-noted data storage area, and in accessing this stored data, converting it to a format specified by the second program and passing the data to the second program.
In the present invention, the control of giving and receiving of data is performed so that programs unrelated to the propagation of data being passed do not get involved in the propagation of data, so that the programs involved pass the data directly.
Therefore, it is possible to perform giving and receiving of system-specific or platform-specific data between differing systems or between differing platforms without changing the common interface between the programs, and without having to provide a specific areas in the control table as was required by methods of the past. It is also possible to have and use free-format data between differing systems and different platforms. In addition, it is possible to development programs that are not either system or platform specific.
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Armstrong, Westerman Hattori, McLeland & Naughton
Courtenay III St. John
Fujitsu Limited
Oberley Alvin E.
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