Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer data routing – Least weight routing
Reexamination Certificate
1997-09-02
2001-07-31
Banankhah, Majid A. (Department: 2151)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer data routing
Least weight routing
C709S241000, C709S241000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06269409
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and in particular to execution of operating systems in a data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for concurrent execution of operating systems within a data processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Virtual machine system (VMS)
100
is one architecture that makes it possible to apparently run simultaneously a number of operating systems (OS) on base machine (BM)
102
, as illustrated in
FIG. 1. A
specific control program, such as virtual machine monitor (VMM)
104
is employed to interface between operating systems
106
,
108
, and
110
in FIG.
1
. Instead of directly employing a base machine interface between base machine
102
and operating systems
106
,
108
, and
110
, interface
112
is the interface between virtual machine monitor
104
and base machine
102
. Interfaces
114
,
116
, and
118
, also referred to as virtual machines, provide interfaces between operating systems
106
,
108
, and
110
and virtual machine monitor
104
. Virtual machine monitor
104
provides interfaces
114
,
116
, and
118
to allow operating systems
106
,
108
, and
110
to appear to operate simultaneously. In reality, virtual machine monitor
104
provides a multiplexer function to correctly direct data flow between base machine
102
and operating systems
106
,
108
, and
110
. In
FIG. 1
, three operating systems are illustrated, but any arbitrary number of operating systems may be employed.
Operating systems
106
,
108
, and
110
each execute a number of tasks. In the depicted example, operating system
106
executes tasks
120
,
122
, and
124
while operating system
108
executes tasks
126
,
128
, and
130
. Operating system
110
executes tasks
132
,
134
, and
136
. In this manner, virtual machine system
100
allows a number of operating systems to appear to execute simultaneously on a single base machine. Virtual machine system
100
requires all computer software to be written to the same base machine interface.
In
FIG. 1B
, a known system for executing personal computer applications on another operating system is illustrated. Data processing system
140
includes a base machine
142
, which is connected to an interface
144
. Operating system
146
communicates with base machine
142
through interface
144
. Native task
148
and
150
are executing an operating system
146
. Additionally, personal computer (PC) emulator
152
also is executing within operating system
146
as a native task. PC emulator
152
emulate the central processing unit (CPU) and peripherals of a personal computer. In addition, interface
154
is provided to aid in emulating the entire PC to allow PC operating system
156
to run. In this manner, PC task
158
may be executed within data processing system
140
even though data processing system
140
is configured to normally execute data processing system
146
.
Turning now to
FIG. 1C
, a block diagram of a known system for executing UNIX applications along with PC applications is illustrated. Data processing system
160
contains a base machine with an interface
164
to PC operating system
166
, which has PC task
168
and
170
executing within it. Additionally, UNIX emulator
172
is executing within operating system
166
. Interface
174
is provided to execute UNIX task
176
within data processing system
160
. Such a system allows for UNIX applications to execute along with PC applications on a PC compatible data processing system.
This and other types of architectures employed to allow for execution for multiple operating systems depend on the emulation of one environment or the other. Such emulations can lead to significant performance losses and incapabilities. Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved method and apparatus for concurrently executing multiple operating systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an improved method and apparatus for concurrent execution of operating systems. A software abstraction layer provides an interface that allows a first operating system to run concurrently with a second operating system on the same data processing system, in which the first operating system is in communication with the base machine in the data processing system. Interaction between the second operating system and the base machine is handled by the software abstraction layer translating requests and calls from a format normally made by the second operating system to the base machine into a format that is processed by the first operating system. Request and data intended for the second operating system are received by the first operating system, sent to the software abstraction layer and translated by the software abstraction layer into a format usable by the first operating system.
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patent: 5408617 (1995-04-01), Yoshida
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Bollela et al. “Supporting Co-Resident Operating Systems” pp. 4-14, IEEE, 1995.*
Software Patent Institute Database of Software Technologies; How SoftPC Works; Jan., 1993; pp. 1-6.
Banankhah Majid A.
LSI Logic Corporation
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