Techniques for hybrid computer thread creation and management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9619276-B2
Application number	US-201615050555-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2016
Priority date	Jul 13, 2012
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

A technique for operating a computer system to support an application, a first application server environment, and a second application server environment includes intercepting a work request relating to the application issued to the first application server environment prior to execution of the work request. A thread adapted for execution in the first application server environment is created. A context is attached to the thread that non-disruptively modifies the thread into a hybrid thread that is additionally suitable for execution in the second application server environment. The hybrid thread is returned to the first application server environment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer system configured to support an application, a first application server environment, and a second application server environment, the system comprising:
a memory and a processor configured to:
intercept a work request relating to the application issued to the first application server environment prior to execution of the work request;
responsive to intercepting the work request, create a thread adapted for execution in the first application server environment;
responsive to creating the thread, attach a context to the thread to non-disruptively modify the thread into a hybrid thread that is additionally suitable for execution in the second application server environment;
wherein the context comprises transactional control data of one of the application server environments, security control data of one of the application server environments, monitoring control data of one of the application server environments, diagnostic tracing control data of one of the application server environments, and data enabling access to an application programming interface of one of the application server environments; and

responsive to attaching a context to the thread, return the hybrid thread to the first application server environment.

2. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the hybrid thread is operable to execute in the first application server environment and in the second application server environment without requiring modification of the first and second application server environments.

3. The computer system of claim 2 , wherein the hybrid thread comprises first data that is only visible to a server in the first application server environment and second data that is only visible to another server in the second application server environment.

4. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the first application server environment and the second application server environment are incompatible in their program execution models.

5. The computer system of claim 4 , wherein only one of the first application server environment or the second application server environment is a procedural program environment.

6. The computer system of claim 4 , wherein only one of the first application server environment or the second application server environment is an object-oriented program environment.

7. A method of operating a computer system to support an application, a first application server environment, and a second application server environment, the method comprising:
intercepting, by a request interceptor component executing on the computer system, a work request relating to the application issued to the first application server environment prior to execution of the work request;
responsive to the request interceptor component, creating, using the computer system, a thread adapted for execution in the first application server environment by an executor component;
responsive to the executor component, attaching to the thread, by a thread dispatcher component executing on the computer system, a context to non-disruptively modify the thread environment;
wherein the context comprises transactional control data of one of the application server environments, security control data of one of the application server environments, monitoring control data of one of the application server environments, diagnostic tracing control data of one of the application server environments, and data enabling access to an application programming interface of one of the application server environments; and

responsive to the thread dispatcher component, returning the hybrid thread to the first application server environment by a catcher component executing on the computer system.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the hybrid thread is operable to execute in the first application server environment and the second application server environment without requiring modification of the first and second application server environments.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the hybrid thread comprises first data visible to a server only in the first application server environment and second data visible to another server only in the second application server environment.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first application server environment and the second application server environment are incompatible in their program execution models.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein only one of the first application server environment or the second application server environment is a procedural program environment.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein only one of the first application server environment or the second application server environment is an object-oriented program environment.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Bohm Fraser
• Hargreaves Ivan D
• Horn Julian
• Mitchell Ian J

Classifications

• G06F9/45516 Primary

  Runtime code conversion or optimisation · CPC title

• G06F9/46 Primary

  Multiprogramming arrangements · CPC title

• G06F9/3836

  Instruction issuing, e.g. dynamic instruction scheduling or out of order instruction execution · CPC title

• G06F9/4843

  by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system · CPC title

• G06F9/5044

  considering hardware capabilities · CPC title