Sumisho Computer Systems Corporation

Curl Corporation

Benjamin R Harrison

Mathew J Hostetter

David A Kranz

Murray S Mazer

Spiro Michaylov

Carl A Soeder

Views for software atomization provide runtime transformations of existing atoms in atom databases to create new or virtual atom databases. Views provide for sharing of code and data atoms that are stored in an atom database, as well as providing sharing of code and data atoms that are loaded into memory. A view is a set of transformation operations, including insert a new atom, modify an existing atom, or delete an existing atom, which can be applied to an atom database. The transformation operations can be applied, either literally, to create a new atom database on disk, or virtually, to create, at runtime, a virtual atom database, without actually having to create an actual atom database on disk. Modifying an existing atom can be done in a variety of ways, including changing the atom bytes, or the atom references, or an attribute of the atom.

Views for software atomization

Software atomization provides a method of loading atomized computer program code and data on demand by loading, from an atom database, into a memory, an atom defining code or data in a fine-grained, individually addressable manner. Atoms comprise an atom identifier, computer program code or data information and computer program code or data reference information. The computer program code or data information is modified by transforming the reference information into memory addresses. The present invention provides for the lazy loading of data both implicitly and explicitly. Data is lazily loaded implicitly when it is referenced from code that is lazily loaded. Data is lazily loaded explicitly by encoding a referencing atom identifier such that the referenced data atom is not loaded until actually accessed at runtime.

Software atomization

Persistent data storage for client computer software programs is provided using a repository that enables client computer software programs to store data securely on a client computer system, subsequently retrieve that data, and optionally share the data in a controlled fashion with authorized client computer software programs. The present invention can be used by both trusted and untrusted client computer software programs that either reside locally on the client computer system or are downloaded from a server computer system. A benefit of the present invention is that it allows untrusted applets to have access to persistent storage without compromising the integrity of the client computer system. Since the present invention controls persistent storage space, not the programmer of the client computer software program, the burden of insuring storage integrity and security is removed from the programmer. In addition to basic integrity and security features, the present invention provides automatic data format conversion for client computer software programs reading/writing data in the data repository, a commit operation to force in-memory repository data to disk, and automatic expiration to delete the repository after a predetermined time period. The repository can be pre-limited to a maximum size and shared among multiple client computer software programs.

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Somerville, MA, United States of America

Benjamin R Harrison