System for reassigning a higher priority to an interrupted user by

Abstract

The arbitrating method is based on the classification of the users into different categories, and the assignment to all users in a category of an identical privilege level which characterizes the interruption capability of the users in the category. A task performed by a selected user in a category can only be interrupted for granting access to the resource to a user in a category having a higher privilege level. Also a normal preference level is assigned to each user within a category, which determines the selection order of the users in the category. The privilege level of a user category combined with the preference level of each user constitutes the priority level of the user. The access to the resource is granted to a selected user having the highest priority level. If at least one user having a privilege level higher than the privilege level of the selected user, makes a request for the resource, the task of the selected user is interrupted and the interrupted user is assigned an interruption preference level which is higher than the normal preference levels of all other users in the category. A new user having the highest priority level is then selected after the resource is released by the interrupting user.