International Business Machines Corporation

John S Kapernick

David U Shorter

Andreas Maier

Wolfgang Reichert

William B Nettles

David Brush

Milos Lalovic

David M Shorter

The present invention provides facilities for tagging files or data with attribute information in the form of a file tag (TAGINFO) which contains an identifier for text information (TEXTFLAG) and an attribute (COSID) for identifying encoding schemes. TXTFLAG is an auto conversion flag. Furthermore, a runtime attribute (process CCSLD) is assigned to a process specifying the runtime encoding scheme. A conversion is done automatically by an auto conversion function if both CCSIDs allow a conversion. Files having no file tag are tagged with a virtual file tag by means of an automatic tagging (AUTOTAG) function using heuristic rules for determining whether the data or file contains text or binary information. Old applications must work with untagged files as before. Existing applications should be able to benefit from auto conversion and thereby to be enabled to process new, tagged files without code changes.

File tagging and automatic conversion of data or files

A method for processing distributed application programs in SNA type networks employing LU 6.2 protocols, including an information processing system having a host processor, a virtual machine type Operating System, and a plurality of Intelligent Work Stations (IWSs). The Operating System is provided with a Virtual Machine Pool Manager (VMPM). The function of the VMPM is to create and dynamically manage the assignment of a plurality of virtual machines in the pool to process requested individual LU 6.2 conversations, to permit the transfer of information between Parts A and B of a distributed Application, which parts are stored respectively at one IWS and the host processor. In response to a conversation request, an idle Virtual Machine (VM) in the pool is assigned by the VMPM to process one LU 6.2 conversation. At the termination of the conversation the VMPM returns the assigned VM to the pool with an idle status so that it can be assigned to process another conversation requested by the same IWS or a different IWS. An LU 6.2 'session' between Part A of a DAP executing on one IWS and Part B executing on the Host Processor, involving a plurality of sequential conversations spaced apart in time, involves only the assignment of VM resources from the pool at the host for the actual conversation time of the 'session', and not the total session time. As a result, VM resources at the host can service a larger number of IWSs.

Method to provide concurrent execution of distributed application

A method for processing distributed application programs in SNA type networks including a host system having a virtual machine type Operating System and an Intelligent Work Station (IWS) provided with an Operating System that is capable of running two distributed application programs concurrently, in which two idle virtual machines, from a pool of run ready virtual machines that are created and managed by a Virtual Machine Pool Manager (VMPM), are each assigned to process a different one of the two application programs concurrently to prevent the distributed application programs from being serialized on one virtual machine at the host even though both application programs are being invoked by requests at the IWS terminal involving the same USER ID.

Growing community of inventors

Brewster, NY, United States of America

John S Kapernick