International Business Machines Corporation

Assaf Marron

Kenneth J Oakes

Leslie W Wyman

Allan Samuel Meritt

Robert Edward Galbraith

Steven G Glassen

Roger E Hough

Marten J Halma

Charles E Shapley

Kenneth J Fredericks

David E Stucki

Richard Cwiakala

Francis E Johnson

Suzanne M John

James C Mazurowski

David W Hollar

Miriam P Brown

Execution of input/output operations is controlled by one or more suspend and/or resume mechanisms. Suspension of an input/output operation is accomplished by one of a number of mechanisms including, for instance, a START SUBCHANNEL instruction with execution limits, a SUSPEND SUBCHANNEL instruction with or without a suspension time limit, or a suspend subchannel channel command word with or without a suspension time limit. Subsequent to suspending execution of a channel program, execution can be resumed automatically or by issuing a RESUME SUBCHANNEL instruction with limits or a resume subchannel channel command word with limits.

Method and system for predefined suspension and resumption control over

Coupling execution of channel programs without central processing unit supervision controls data transfer between input/output devices through a main storage of a data processing system. In one embodiment, channel programs to be coupled are generated by a program running on a data processing system central processing unit. The channel program on the input subchannel includes channel commands referencing the output subchannel and operating to cause resumption of the output subchannel. The channel program on the output subchannel includes suspend channel commands directed to itself which correspond to the resume channel commands in the channel program on the input subchannel. In alternative embodiments values in channel commands can change values in, or reference, control blocks to effect execution of other channel programs.

System for coordinating execution of multiple concurrent channel

This invention involves reconfiguration support for shared I/O resources in a a computer electronic complex (CEC) supporting both shared and unshared I/O channels of the type described and claimed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/898,867 (PO9-92-016) filed on the same day as the subject application and assigned to the same assignee as the subject application. Prior channel subsystem call (CHSC) instructions cannot execute when a channel is to be configured as shareable by plural operating systems in a CEC.

Asynchronous command support for shared channels for a computer complex

A dynamic software update facility (DSUF) is installed in a data processing system for the purpose of non-disruptively replacing old operating system programs or modules with new updated versions thereof while providing continuous availability and operation of the system. The new versions are loaded into the system along with change instructions providing information controlling the update. Task or process control blocks contain markers indicating the corresponding tasks are safe or unsafe to run the new programs. The markers are set initially to unsafe. A change descriptor table is stored and contains control information derived from the change instructions. When the DSUF is activated, an interrupt handler is installed and traps are stored in the old programs at entry points and safety points therein. Entry point traps are tripped when a task or process enters the old program and interrupts are generated that are handled by the interrupt handler to route tasks which are unsafe to the old program and tasks which are safe to a new program. When all tasks are safe, the new programs replace the old programs. When safety point traps are tripped, a task or process may change its state from unsafe to safe when predetermined conditions are met.

Method of operating a data processing system having a dynamic software

Provides a method for measuring the busy utilization time for I/O channel used by any of plural operating systems (OSs) in a CEC. The measured utilization time for any OS excludes the time shared channels are utilized by other OSs during a measurement period. A channel measurement facility (CMF) is provided in the I/O subsystem hardware and microcode for each of the OSs in the I/O subsystem. The CMF is logically constructed because it uses only a small portion of I/O resources already existing in a CEC by adding microcode to control these resources to perform the time measurement function. The resources for a logical CMF including the partial use of: an I/O processor to store identifiers of an assigned OS, the partial use of channel processors controlling channels selected by the assigned OS during a measurement period, the local storage of each I/O processor, and OS storage needed for communicating the measurement data from the CMF to the OS. Any CPU can control a measurement by issuing 'set channel measurement' instructions for starting and stopping a measurement performed asynchronously by the CMF to release the CPU for other independent CPU operations during a measurement period. The instruction can also be used to test the status of any CMF.

Channel measurement method and means

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Poughkeepsie, NY, United States of America

Assaf Marron