Methods for efficient distribution of parallel tasks to slave processes in a multiprocessing system
US5257372A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 19, 1990 |
| Grant date | Oct 26, 1993 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 19, 2010 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/52
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Three new, efficient protocols for providing communications between a user's application program, a Multiprocessing Library, and the host Operating System is described. These new protocols are termed WAKEUP, GIVEUP, and CONTEXT-TO-USER-SPACE. They utilize the concept of a conduit through which the Operating System and the user application program can communicate without the need for expensive system calls. A primary use for the new protocols is the scheduling of multiple Central Processing Units (CPUs) into a single user program in a multi-CPU, multiprogramming, multi-tasking environment. WAKEUP allows a master process to quickly request the asynchronous scheduling of slave processes to help execute parallel tasks. GIVEUP allows a slave process time to finish a task before Operating System interruption. Once completed with its task, there is no need to save the context of the slave process. CONTEXT-TO-USE-SPACE allows other slave processes the opportunity to execute interrupted tasks that were not allowed to finish under GIVEUP.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.