Dynamic alteration of operating system kernel resource tables
AssigneeBMC Software, Inc.
InventorsBennie L. Shearer, Jr., Mark A. Carpenter
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Abstract
A method to dynamically alter the availability or characteristics of specified system resources (e.g. interprocess communications facilities or tuning variables that control operating efficiency) is described. The inventive method is unique in that it allows the modification of system resources without the need to rebuild and re-initialized (i.e., reboot) the operating system. If required by the specific alteration being performed, creation of new kernel control structures may require that one or more of a kernel's static-type data structures be converted to dynamic-type data structures.
Claims9
A computer executed method for dynamically altering one or more operating system kernel resource control tables for a specified subsystem in response to a request from an application program, said method comprising:
- (a) imposing a modification lock to said specified subsystem;
- (b) modifying said one or more kernel resource control tables associated with said specified subsystem;
- and
- (c) releasing said modification lock.
A method of imposing a modification-lock for a specified resource control data table, comprising:
- (a) creating a lock-structure having a held-indicator field and one or more defer queue data structures;
- (b) initializing said lock-structure;
- (c) acquiring ownership of said modification-lock in exclusive access mode;
- and
- (d) intercepting a function call directed to said specified resource control data table.
A computer executed method to convert a static type data structure used by an application program to a dynamic type data structure, said static type data structure having been created at compile time of said application program, said method comprising:
- (a) acquiring a synchronization lock to prevent another application program from accessing said static type data structure;
- (b) creating a new dynamic type data structure, said new dynamic type data structure having an address;
- (c) locating in said application program an instruction that provides an address to said static type data structure;
- (d) modifying said located instruction from an address-generating-instruction to a load-from-generated-address instruction;
- and
- (e) placing the address of the new dynamic type resource control table into the location specified by the modified instruction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.