Method and apparatus for providing serialization support for a computer system

A computer system having serialization support, the computer system comprising:

• one or more components on which processes requiring serialization are run;
• a medium, accessible by the one or more components, on which a representation of an active process is created during running of the process, and from which the representation is deleted when the process is complete;
• means for creating the representation during running of a process and for deleting the representation when the process is complete;
• and
• means responsive to commencement of a further process requiring serialization for checking for the existence of the representation on said medium and, if said check is positive, for controlling serialization of said active process and said further process.

A computer program product stored on a computer readable storage medium, comprising computer readable program code means for performing the steps of a method for serializing processes, the method including:

• commencing one of a set of processes requiring serialization;
• creating a representation of the process, the representation including a serialization token for the process;
• providing the representation on a medium accessible by all components of the computer system to which the serialization requirement applies;
• deleting the representation when the process is complete;
• on commencement of a further one of the processes requiring serialization, checking for the existence of the representation on said accessible medium and, if said representation check is positive, controlling serialization of said processes with reference to said serialization token.

A method for providing serialization support for a computer system resource which includes processes requiring serialization, the method including:

• commencing one of the processes requiring serialization;
• creating a representation of the process and providing the representation on a medium accessible by all components of the computer system to which the serialization requirement applies;
• deleting the representation when the process is complete;
• on commencement of a further one of the processes requiring serialization, checking for the existence of the representation on said accessible medium and, if said representation check is positive, controlling serialization of said processes.