International Business Machines Corporation

Edmond A Pruul

Mary E Vendryes

Andrew Coleman

James M Showalter

Barbara A Maslak

Thomas J Szczygielski

John A Henry

Richard L Stone

Robert Bradley Bennett

Cherie C Barnes

Michael K Ainsworth

Amos S Tanner

Dietrich O Wood

Mark Zielenski

In a computer system or process, sync point managers are distributed throughout each real machine for a plurality of execution environments, but all of the execution environments and sync point managers within one real machine share a common recovery facility and recovery log. A common recovery log is used by the recovery facility for all of the execution environments in the system. Different systems are interconnected by a communication facility and each has its own recovery facility and recovery log. A protected conversation can be initiated between the first and second execution environments in the same real machine, and the sync point managers within the respective execution environments coordinate the two-phase commit procedures associated with the protected conversations. A conversation manager within each real machine assists in routing the conversation between the first and second execution environments. Each resource manager, whether residing inside or outside of the real machine, has its own recovery log, but uses the recovery facility of the real machine that accesses the resource.

Coordinated sync point management of protected resources

A computer system provides registration of resource for synchronization point processing. Resources include file systems, data bases, and protected conversations. A resource becomes protected by the system when it is registered in the application's execution environment. The execution environment includes but is not exclusive to the interactive environment. Accordingly the invention provides an efficient and uniform method for identification of protected resources. The registration facility is separate from the application. Thus, the users of applications, application program developers, system administrators and operators need not have to consider or design a registration facility but only involve the one provided. A protected resource manager, through its adapter, can modify, at any time, the registration information, either by adding missing information or by changing the existing information. A resource registers only for the work unit in which it wishes to participate. An application could have several work units. A resource can register for two work units in the application or two resources can register for a single work unit or both.

Registration of resources for commit procedures

A computer operating system selects a one or two-phase commit procedure for resources to optimize the overall commit process. The optimization utilizes the more efficient one-phase commit procedure when possible and reserves the less efficient two-phase commit procedure for situations where the two-phase commit procedure is required to protect critical resources. If the resources include a protected conversation or two or more resources in the update mode then the two-phase commit procedure is utilized for these resources. Read-only resources or a single resource in the update mode that support one-phase commit are subject to the one-phase commit procedure. To further optimize the overall process, a plurality of resources are registered in a table, which table may reside in the operating system. The registrations include information about the resources and/or work requests which indicate what type of commit procedure is required. Thus, the operating system need not waste time consulting with resource managers after the registrations are made, before deciding what type of commit procedure is required.

Optimization of commit procedures by utilizing a two-phase commit

A computer system coordinates the handling of error codes and information describing errors in a commit procedure. The system supports a first resource manager of a first type and a second resource manager of a second type. An application is coupled to a sync point manager and initiates a two-phase commit procedure. The sync point manager is coupled to the first and second resource managers and coordinates the two-phase commit procedure involving the first and second resource managers. The sync point manager receives notification of a failure or failures relating to the first and second resource managers that prevent completion of the commit procedure and identification of the resource manager or resource managers associated with the failure or failures. The sync point manager sends to the application a failure notification after receipt of the notification of a failure or failures relating to either or both of the resource managers, and upon request, also sends to the application the identification of the resource manager or resource managers associated with the failure or failures. The sync point manager also receives cause of failure information for each failure, and sends the cause of failure information to the application upon request.

Coordinated handling of error codes and information describing errors in

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Afton, NY, United States of America

Edmond A Pruul