Multiprocessing method and arrangement

Details Multiprocessing method and arrangement Multiprocessing method and arrangement

1987-02-06

1991-03-26

Chan, Eddie P.

Boots, shoes, and leggings

3642304, 3642645, 3642653, 3642656, G06F 0930, G06F 1100

Patent

active

050034669

ABSTRACT:
A master-slave multiprocessor (FIG. 1) is formed by connecting a slave processor (25) to an I/O slot of a uniprocessor, and by minimally modifying the uniprocessor's operating system. At initialization, one routine (FIG. 5) redirects slave interrupt vectors (200) to point to a common interrupt handler (FIG. 12). Before a process executes on the slave processor, another routine (FIGS. 9 and 10) corrupts execution stack bounds (217, 218) of the process. A non-interrupt operating system call during execution of the process causes an automatic firmware check (FIG. 3) of the execution stack pointer (203) against the stack bounds. Occurrence of an interrupt or encounter of a stack exception results in suspension of process execution and invocation of the interrupt handler or a slave stack exception handler (FIG. 11), respectively. Each handler calls a slave delete routine (FIG. 15) to restore the process' stack bounds to valid values and to transfer the process for execution to the master processor (12). On the master processor, process execution resumes at the point of suspension, and the operating system service required by the system call or interrupt is carried out.

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