EP0300516B1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Digital data processing system
Assignee: EMC Corp
•
Filing: 1982-05-21
•
Granted: 1993-11-24
•
Expires: 2002-05-21
Abstract
Abstract The system has a flexible internal structure, protected from and effectively invisible to users, with multilevel control and stack mechanisms and the capability of performing multiple, concurrent operations, and providing a flexible, simplified interface to users. The system comprises a plurality of separate, independent job processors (10114) and a memory (10112). Each processor includes a fetch unit (10120) and an execute unit (10122) and the fetch unit structures operands and instructions into objects. The fetch unit includes a register address generator generating unique and permanent identifier codes for the objects. The memory (10112) includes sections storing procedure objects, including a name table providing the operand addresses in the memory. The memory (10112) also includes protection tables for preventing a user obtaining access to objects private to others. The protection tables operate in association with a protection cache in the fetch unit (10120) and an active subject number register which stores a currently active number identifying the user, the procedure he is using and the type of operation instructed. The protection tables store an access control list establishing the access rights of the subjects and the protection cache in the fetch unit (10120) controls access to the objects by comparing the currently active subject number with the requested object. The fetch unit includes a descriptor processor performing the operations required by the instructions and first and second microcode control means storing first and second sequences of microinstructions for controlling the descriptor processor, the first sequences being S-language instructions which have a uniform, fixed format in an intermediate level language.
Inventors
- 👤 Richard Glenn Bratt
- 👤 Gerald F. Clancy
- 👤 Edward S. Gavrin
- 👤 Ronald Hans Gruner
- 👤 Craig James Mundie
- 👤 Stephen I. Schleimer
- 👤 Steven J. Wallach
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 12:02
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F11/00; G06F11/07; G06F11/0703; G06F11/0793; G01; G01R; G01R31/00; G01R31/28; G01R31/317; G01R31/3181; G01R31/3185; G01R31/318505; G06F11/0706; G06F11/0721; G06F11/073; G06F12/00; G06F12/02; G06F12/08; G06F12/0802; G06F12/0875; G06F12/14; G06F12/1458; G06F12/1483; G06F7/00; G06F7/38; G06F7/48; G06F7/483; G06F9/00; G06F9/06; G06F9/22; G06F9/223; G06F9/226; G06F9/26; G06F9/262; G06F9/268; G06F9/30; G06F9/34; G06F9/35; G06F9/44; G06F9/448; G06F9/4488; G06F9/46; G06F9/468; G06F9/48; G06F9/4806; G06F9/4843; G06F9/54; G06F7/499; G06F7/49905; G06F7/4991; G06F7/49926
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
429 words
A digital computer system (CS 10110) including processor means (JP 10114) for performing operations on operands, and memory means (MEM 10112) for storing instructions for controlling the processor means, wherein the operands and instructions are structured into objects (10213), characterized by means for uniquely identifying the objects, comprising processor means (JP 10114, KOS) responsive to first of the instructions for structuring operands and instructions into the objects (10213), including procedure objects for use in implementing user program procedures, and for generating unique identifier codes (UID), each of which is permanently associated with a corresponding one of the objects generated by the processor means (JP 10114, KOS), and protection means (10230, FU 10120) for preventing a user who is currently using the digital computer system to execute a program comprising at least one procedure object from obtaining unauthorised access to certain of the objects, the protection means comprising subject number memory means (ASN REGISTER 10916) of the processor means (JP 10114, KOS) for storing a currently active subject number (ASN) of a plurality of subject numbers, each of which corresponds to one of a plurality of subjects, each of which is composed of a combination of (1) a user (1404) of the digital computer system, (2) a process (1405) of the digital computer system for executing a procedure of the user, and (3) the type (R, W, E) of operation to be performed by the digital computer system in response to an instruction of a procedure of the user's program, and the currently active subject number identifying the user currently utilizing the digital computer system, a process currently executing the said procedure of the user's program and the type of operation to be performed by the digital computer system on response to a present instruction of a procedure of the user's program, protection memory means (10232) for storing at least one access control list (ACL 1412), each access control list corresponding to an object and comprising at least one access control entry (ACLE 1414), each access control entry corresponding to a subject having access rights to the corresponding object and containing the access rights of that subject to the corresponding object, and access right means (ASNHT 10912, AST 10914, PC 10234) responsive to a currently active subject number and to operation of the processor means (JP 10114, KOS) for indexing the protection means in response to a procedure of the user's program when a current instruction requests access to one of the objects and for comparing the access rights of a corresponding active subject to that one of the objects.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
429 words
A digital computer system (CS 10110) including processor means (JP 10114) for performing operations on operands, and memory means (MEM 10112) for storing instructions for controlling the processor means, wherein the operands and instructions are structured into objects (10213), characterized by means for uniquely identifying the objects, comprising processor means (JP 10114, KOS) responsive to first of the instructions for structuring operands and instructions into the objects (10213), including procedure objects for use in implementing user program procedures, and for generating unique identifier codes (UID), each of which is permanently associated with a corresponding one of the objects generated by the processor means (JP 10114, KOS), and protection means (10230, FU 10120) for preventing a user who is currently using the digital computer system to execute a program comprising at least one procedure object from obtaining unauthorised access to certain of the objects, the protection means comprising subject number memory means (ASN REGISTER 10916) of the processor means (JP 10114, KOS) for storing a currently active subject number (ASN) of a plurality of subject numbers, each of which corresponds to one of a plurality of subjects, each of which is composed of a combination of (1) a user (1404) of the digital computer system, (2) a process (1405) of the digital computer system for executing a procedure of the user, and (3) the type (R, W, E) of operation to be performed by the digital computer system in response to an instruction of a procedure of the user's program, and the currently active subject number identifying the user currently utilizing the digital computer system, a process currently executing the said procedure of the user's program and the type of operation to be performed by the digital computer system on response to a present instruction of a procedure of the user's program, protection memory means (10232) for storing at least one access control list (ACL 1412), each access control list corresponding to an object and comprising at least one access control entry (ACLE 1414), each access control entry corresponding to a subject having access rights to the corresponding object and containing the access rights of that subject to the corresponding object, and access right means (ASNHT 10912, AST 10914, PC 10234) responsive to a currently active subject number and to operation of the processor means (JP 10114, KOS) for indexing the protection means in response to a procedure of the user's program when a current instruction requests access to one of the objects and for comparing the access rights of a corresponding active subject to that one of the objects.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
89 words
A digital computer system according to claim 1, characterized in that the unique identifier codes (UID) include first fields (LAUID) for uniquely identifying the digital computer system and second fields (OSN) for uniquely identifying each of the objects generated by the processor means (JP 10114, KOS), the means generating the unique identifier codes being responsive to second of the instructions to combine one of the first fields and one of the second fields to provide one of the unique identifier codes (UID) to the processor means (JP 10114, KOS).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
61 words
A digital computer system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by protection cache means (PC 1934) responsive to operation of the processor means (JP 10114, KOS) and to the currently active subject number (ASN) for storing access rights read from the protection memory means (10232) and for comparing access rights of the currently active subject to certain of the objects.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
A digital computer system according to claim 1, characterized in that the objects include data objects containing data.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
A digital computer system according to claim 1, characterized in that the objects include procedure objects (e.g. 10312, 10318) containing at least the instructions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
61 words
A digital computer system according to claim 1, characterized in that the processor means (JP 10114, KOS) and memory means (MEM 10112) further comprise stack means (410) for storing information relating to the current state of execution of the instructions and in that the objects include stack objects containing the information relating to the current state of execution of the instructions.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
35 words
A digital computer system according to claim 1, characterized in that the memory means (MEM 10112) stores at least the unique identifier codes (UID) of active objects currently being used in the digital computer system.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
50 words
A digital computer system according to claim 2, characterized in that the first unique identifier code fields (LAUID) are composed of a group number sub-field (LAUGN 40605) and a selectable serial number sub-field (LAUSN 40607), at least one group number being uniquely and permanently assigned to the digital computer system.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
A digital computer system according to claim 8, characterized in that the group number sub-field (LAUGN 40605) and the serial number sub-field (LAUSN 40607) together contain 32 bits of information.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
43 words
A digital computer system according to claim 9, characterized in that the means for generating the first unique code identifier fields (LAUID) include memory means having outputs to combining means for providing the group number sub-field (LAUGN) and the serial number sub-field (LAUSN).
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
37 words
A digital computer system according to claim 2 or 8, characterized in that the second unique identifier fields (OSN) are composed of an architectural clock field containing binary information representing elapsed time from a selected initial time.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
29 words
A digital computer system according to claim 11, characterized in that the selected initial time is common to all digital computer systems of a plurality of digital computer systems.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
52 words
A digital computer system according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the means for generating the second unique identifier code fields (OSN) comprise clock means for generating architectural clock signals at predetermined intervals and counter means having outputs to the processor means (JP 10114, KOS) for counting the clock signals.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
26 words
A digital computer system according to claim 11, 12 or 13, characterized in that the second unique identifier code fields (OSN) contain 48 bits of information.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
58 words
A digital computer system according to claim 14, characterized in that the least significant bit of the second unique identifier code fields (OSN) represents elapsed time intervals of substantially no more than 600 picoseconds and the most significant bit of the second unique identifier code fields (OSN) represents elapsed time intervals of substantially no more than 127 years.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.