EP0466486A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Distributed computing system
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1991-07-11
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-07-11
Abstract
Abstract An operating system which is particularly adapted to heterogenous distributed systems. Entities available to a process running in the operating system are provided by services. Each service models its entity as a set of files. The entity is controlled by performing operations on the set of files provided by the entity. Services other than those provided by the operating system all employ the same protocol specifying operations on files. The only requirement placed on a service by the operating system is that it be able to accept and respond to messages employing the protocol. The files are named, and the operating system provides a plurality of name spaces, relates each process to one of the name spaces, and permits any process to modify its name space or to create a new name space. Services are disclosed which provide each process using the service with its own set of the service's files and which provide files belonging to one process's namespace to another process executing on a different processor.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert Charles Pike
- 👤 Kenneth L. Thompson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 12:28
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F9/00; G06F9/06; G06F9/46; G06F9/50; G06F16/00; G06F16/10; G06F3/00; G06F3/06; G06F3/0601; G06F3/0602; G06F3/061; G06F3/0613; G06F3/0628; G06F3/0638; G06F3/0643; G06F3/0668; G06F3/067
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
36 words
A multiprocess operating system (101) characterized in that: the operating system may provide more than one name space (115) and more than one process (102) may be associated with a given one of the name spaces.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
57 words
The multiprocess operating system set forth in claim 1 further characterized by: new name space creation means (827, 802) available to any process for ending the association of the process with its present name space and associating the process with a newly-created name space, the new name space creation means being distinct from any process creation means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
The multiprocess operating system set forth in claim 1 further characterized by: name space modification means (801) for changing the binding of any name in the name space associated with the process.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
39 words
The multiprocess operating system set forth in claim 3 further characterized in that: the name space modification means changes the binding of a first name in the name space by relating the first name to a set of names.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The multiprocess operating system set forth in claim 4 further characterized in that: the set of names is a set of names which is already in the name space.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
36 words
The multiprocess operating system set forth in claim 4 further characterized in that: the name space modification means changes the binding of the first name by relating the first name to a further set of names.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
61 words
The multiprocess operating system set forth in claim 6 further characterized in that: when the name space modification means relates the first name to the further set of names, the name space modification means may in the alternative replace the set of names with the further set of names and union the further set of names to the set of names.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
53 words
The multiprocess operating system set forth in claim 7 further characterized in that: when the name space modification means unions the further set of names to the set of names, it specifies an order as between the names originally in the set of names and the names in the further set of names.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
48 words
The multiprocess operating system of claim 2 further characterized in that: the new name space creation means is capable of either associating the process with a new name space which is a copy of the process's present name space or with a new name space which is empty.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
70 words
The multiprocess operating system of claim 2 further characterized in that: the names in the process's name space represent entities which may be made accessible to the process; the operating system further includes means for making any of the entities accessible to the process; and once one of the entities becomes accessible to the process, the accessibility is not affected by creation of a new name space for the process.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
63 words
A computing system of the type wherein a plurality of services (123) provide entities (125) to a plurality of clients (102), the computing system being characterized in that: each of the clients includes means (109) for providing requests (119, 121) from a fixed set thereof to at least one service; and each of the services responds to requests belonging to the fixed set.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
33 words
The computing system set forth in claim 11, further characterized in that: the entities provided by the services take the form of files; and the requests are requests for operations on the files.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
49 words
The computing system set forth in claim 12, further characterized in that: the requests include an attach request; and each of the services includes means for responding to the attach request by making instances of the files provided by the service available to the client making the attach request.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
61 words
The computing system set forth in claim 13, further characterized in that: each client has a name space ( 115) for locating named entities; each service provides a set of file names (1501); and in the course of ming an attach request, the client ming the request incorporates the file names in the set of file names into its name space.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
79 words
The computing system set forth in claim 14, further characterized in that: the requests include a walk request for locating a file by name, the walk request including a first identifier provided by the client for the named file and the name of the named file; and each service responds to the walk request by searching for the file by name and if the file is found, associating the first identifier with a second identifier provided by the service.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
51 words
The computing system set forth in claim 15, further characterized in that: the requests include a clunk request for disassociating the first identifier from the second identifier, the clunk request including the first identifier, and each service responds to the clunk request by disassociating the first identifier from the second identifier.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
59 words
The computing system set forth in any of claims 11 through 16, further characterized in that: first ones of the services are kernel services (203) to which requests are made in the form of operating system calls (217,219); and second ones of the services are protocol services (209) to which requests are made in the form of messages (205,207).
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
54 words
The computing system set forth in claim 17, further characterized in that: the kernel services include a mount service (203) which receives first ones of the requests in the form of operating system calls and translates the first ones of the requests into corresponding second ones of the requests in the form of messages.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
133 words
A method employed in a computer system for altering the manner in which input consisting of a sequence of character codes is sent to a recipient thereof, the method characterized by the steps of: receiving the input in a first mode such that receipt of a certain one of the character codes in the string causes characters in the sequence preceding the certain one of the character codes to be sent; setting a value in the entity receiving the input to indicate a second mode in which the certain one of the character codes is to be ignored; receiving the input without regard to the certain one of the character codes until the value is set to indicate the first mode; sending the entire received input; and again operating in the first mode.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
67 words
The method set forth in claim 19 further characterized in that the computer system includes display means and the steps further include: causing the display means to display the input according to a first display mode when the value does not indicate the second mode; and causing the display means to display the input according to a second display mode when the value indicates the second mode.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
55 words
The method set forth in any of claims 19 though 20 further characterized in that: the computer system includes a keyboard; the step of serving the value to indicate the second mode is performed by strinking a key on the keyboard; and the step of receiving the input continues until the key is next struck.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method set forth in claim 21 further characterized in that: the step of setting the value is alternatively performed under control of a program executing in the computer system.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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