Method for controlling the locking and unlocking of system resources in a shared resource distributed computing environment

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 wherein the requested access is exclusive access.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1 wherein the resource lock is an exclusive access resource lock.

Claim 5

The method of claim 1 wherein the resource is a pipe and the lock is a synchronization for communications.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1 wherein the resource is a byte range in a data file.

Claim 7

The method of claim 1 wherein the clients and server are within the same environment.

Claim 8

The method of claim 1 wherein the clients are virtual processors of a server processor.

Claim 9

The method of claim 1 wherein the clients and server are processes within the same environment.

Claim 10

The method of claim 1 wherein in queuing the first client's request for the locked resource the server stores in a control data structure the communications necessary for handling the response to the first client and releasing the lock of the second client upon the resource.

Claim 11

A client server shared resource environment having a server operating in a server environment, two or more clients each operating in client environments, said system having a plurality of system resources to be allocated and reallocated to said clients, and means for allocating said system resources in the distributed computer system, said clients having access to system resources and requesting access to individual ones of said system resources by issuing a lock request and surrendering access to the individual resource by issuing an unlock request, said means for allocating system resources comprising: a. means for a first client to issue a request to the server for a resource in use by a second client; b. means for the server to determine the existence of a resource lock indicating a resource conflict between the first and second clients; c. means for the server to initiate a first server process, operating on behalf of the first client, to enqueue the first client's request for the locked resource, and thereafter free the first server process; d. means for the second client to thereafter issue a request to unlock the resource; and e. means for the server to initiate a second server process, operating on behalf of the second client, said second server process having means to release the lock of the second client on the requested resource, to lock the resource on behalf of the first client, to send a response to the first client, to send a response to the second client, and to thereafter free the second server process.

Claim 12

A client server shared resource environment having a server operating in a server environment, two or more clients each operating in client environments, said system having a plurality of system resources to be allocated and reallocated to said clients, and means for allocating said system resources in the distributed computer system, said clients having access to system resources and requesting access to individual ones of said system resources by issuing a lock request and surrendering access to the individual resource by issuing an unlock request, said means for allocating system resources comprising: a. means for a first client to issue a request to the server for a resource in use by a second client; b. means for the server to determine the existence of a resource lock indicating a resource conflict between the first and second clients; c. means for the server to initiate a first server process, operating on behalf of the first client, to enqueue the first client's request for the locked resource, and thereafter free the first server process; d. means for the second client to thereafter issue a request to unlock the resource; and e. means for the server to initiate a second server process, operating on behalf of the second client, said second server process having means to release the lock of the second client on the requested resource, to lock the resource on behalf of the first client, to send a response to the first client, to send a response to the second client, and to thereafter free the second server process.

Claim 13

The system of claim 10 wherein the requested access is exclusive access.

Claim 14

The system of claim 10 wherein the resource lock is an exclusive access resource lock.

Claim 15

The system of claim 10 wherein the resource is a pipe and the lock is synchronization for communications.

Claim 16

The system of claim 10 wherein the resource is a byte range in a data file.

Claim 17

The system of claim 10 wherein the clients and server are within the same environment.

Claim 18

The system of claim 10 wherein the clients are virtual processors of a server processor.

Claim 19

The system of claim 10 wherein the clients and server are processes within the same environment.

Claim 20

The system of claim 10 wherein in queuing the first client's request for the locked resource the server stores in a control data structure the communications necessary for handling the response to the first client and releasing the lock of the second client upon the resource.

Claim 21

An article of manufacture comprising: a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for allocating resources in a distributed computing environment having a server operating in a server environment, two or more clients each operating in a client environment, said distributed computing environment having a plurality of system resources to be allocated and reallocated to said clients, said means for allocating the system resources in the distributed computer system among the clients by responding to client requests for access to individual ones of said system resources by issuing a lock request and to client requests for surrendering access to the individual resource by issuing an unlock request, comprising: a. computer readable program code means for a first client to issue a request to the server for a resource in use by a second client; b. computer readable program code means for the server to determine the existence of a resource lock indicating a resource conflict between the first and second clients; c. computer readable program code means for enqueuing the first server's request for the resource lock, and thereafter freeing the enqueuing process; d. computer readable program code means for the second client to thereafter issue a request to unlock the resource; and e. computer readable program code means for the server to unlock the lock of the second client on the requested resource and grant the request of the first client for a lock of the requested resource.

Claim 22

An article of manufacture comprising: a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for allocating resources in a distributed computing environment having a server operating in a server environment, two or more clients each operating in a client environment, said distributed computing environment having a plurality of system resources to be allocated and reallocated to said clients, said means for allocating the system resources in the distributed computer system among the clients by responding to client requests for access to individual ones of said system resources by issuing a lock request and to client requests for surrendering access to the individual resource by issuing an unlock request, comprising: a. computer readable program code means for a first client to issue a request to the server for a resource in use by a second client; b. computer readable program code means for the server to determine the existence of a resource lock indicating a resource conflict between the first and second clients; c. computer readable program code means for enqueuing the first server's request for the resource lock, and thereafter freeing the enqueuing process; d. computer readable program code means for the second client to thereafter issue a request to unlock the resource; and e. computer readable program code means for the server to unlock the lock of the second client on the requested resource and grant the request of the first client for a lock of the requested resource.

Claim 23

A computer program product for a distributed computing environment having a server operating in a server environment, two or more clients each operating in a client environment, said distributed computing environment having a plurality of system resources to be allocated and reallocated to said clients, said means for allocating the system resources in the distributed computer system among the clients by responding to client requests for access to individual ones of said system resources by issuing a lock request and surrendering access to the individual resource by issuing an unlock request, comprising: a. computer readable program code means for a first client to issue a request to the server for a resource in use by a second client; b. computer readable program code means for the server to determine the existence of a resource lock indicating a resource conflict between the first and second clients; c. computer readable program code means for enqueuing the first server's request for the resource lock, and thereafter freeing the enqueuing process; d. computer readable program code means for the second client to thereafter issue a request to unlock the resource; and e. computer readable program code means for the server to unlock the lock of the second client on the requested resource and grant the request of the first client for a lock of the requested resource.

Claim 24

A computer program product for a distributed computing environment having a server operating in a server environment, two or more clients each operating in a client environment, said distributed computing environment having a plurality of system resources to be allocated and reallocated to said clients, said means for allocating the system resources in the distributed computer system among the clients by responding to client requests for access to individual ones of said system resources by issuing a lock request and surrendering access to the individual resource by issuing an unlock request, comprising: a. computer readable program code means for a first client to issue a request to the server for a resource in use by a second client; b. computer readable program code means for the server to determine the existence of a resource lock indicating a resource conflict between the first and second clients; c. computer readable program code means for enqueuing the first server's request for the resource lock, and thereafter freeing the enqueuing process; d. computer readable program code means for the second client to thereafter issue a request to unlock the resource; and e. computer readable program code means for the server to unlock the lock of the second client on the requested resource and grant the request of the first client for a lock of the requested resource.