Method for programmatic representation and enforcement of resource controls

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and computer program products are disclosed for a process of dynamically adding new software having resource controls to an operating system and having the resource controls added to various resource control files in the operating system. The process also allows for a resource control to have an arbitrary number of limit values before a highest limit value is reached. A method of dynamically checking a resource control associated with newly added software to an operating system is described. A process or other type of entity in the operating system encounters newly added software and its associated resource control. The operating system then determines whether the resource associated with the resource control is active. If so, the operating system then determines whether usage of the resource by the entity exceeds a limiting value stored in the resource control. If so, one or more actions related to the resource are triggered by the operating system. If the limiting value has not been exceeded, granting the resource to the process or entity. At this time, the operating system can reset the limiting value of the resource control to another threshold value. In this manner, the process can have an arbitrary number of limiting values associated with the resource control.