Patent ID: 6374362
Filing Date: 2002-04-16
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A shared process control device for a computer system comprising:a plurality of nodes; and a shared memory to which each of the nodes is accessible and on which at least a shared process is located, the shared memory storing a shared process control table containing a process control block of the shared process and a node flag for indicating one of the nodes that presently occupies the shared process, wherein each of the nodes comprises a shared process dispatcher in which when a service request is issued from a request source to the shared process in a corresponding node, a decision is made based on the node flag as to whether the shared process is occupied by other nodes, other than the node corresponding to the shared process dispatcher within the plurality of nodes, or not, so that if the shared process is occupied by the other nodes, the shared process dispatcher forces its corresponding node to wait for issuance of the service request, while if the shared process is not occupied by the other nodes, the shared process dispatcher controls the node flag to represent an event that its corresponding node presently occupies the shared process so as to instruct the shared process to process the service request, and a node failure recovery unit, activated when a failure occurs on one of the other nodes, for if the shared process is occupied by one of the other nodes, clearing the node flag and for placing the process control block in a state to receive a service request.