Abstract: Two or more user applications executing on one or more processors, each controlled by an operating system, share use of a list and subsidiary list structure within a Structured External Storage (SES) facility to which each processor is connected. One of the applications registers interest in particular state transitions affecting one or more subsidiary lists within the list structure, causing a process within the SES to notify the appropriate processor when a list operation causes the particular state transition, without interrupting processing on the processor. The application receives notice of the state transition by periodically polling a vector within the processor, or by receiving control when a test by the operating system of a summary indicator for the vector causes an application exit to be driven.

Abstract: A method and system for capturing and controlling access to information in a data processing system are provided. The data processing system includes one or more operating systems coupled to a coupling facility. When one or more operating systems lose communication with the coupling facility, a surviving operating system captures some or all of the information in the coupling facility, including that information associated with the failed operating system(s). In order to capture the information when a system fails or at any other time, the information in the coupling facility is serialized, thereby preventing all access to the information except for those commands capturing the information. While the information is serialized, requests for the information are queued and then re-driven once serialization is released. If an operating system loses communication with the coupling facility during the creation of a dump, another operating system will continue the dump.

Abstract: A method and system for capturing and controlling access to information in a data processing system are provided. The data processing system includes one or more operating systems coupled to a coupling facility. When one or more operating systems lose communication with the coupling facility, a surviving operating system captures some or all of the information in the coupling facility, including that information associated with the failed operating system(s). In order to capture the information when a system fails or at any other time, the information in the coupling facility is serialized, thereby preventing all access to the information except for those commands capturing the information. While the information is serialized, requests for the information are queued and then re-driven once serialization is released. If an operating system loses communication with the coupling facility during the creation of a dump, another operating system will continue the dump.

Abstract: A dumping service facility for data processing systems, including single systems, multisystems and shared facilities. Information, such as control information, is captured and a storage dump is created. During the capturing process, the information is serialized such that mainline commands (i.e., commands other than dump commands) are not allowed to access the information thereby possibly destroying the information. The information is stored within the storage dump in such a manner that programs can understand the information. That is, the storage dump contains a logical representation of the information being captured. Subsequent to capturing the information, serialization is released and mainline commands can once again access the information.

Abstract: A Structured External Storage (SES) processor is linked by a communication means to one or more general purpose processors. Two or more applications executing on the one or more general purpose processors communicate function request messages to a message processor within the SES to effect serialized sharing of data within the SES. Within the message processor, a predicate function means executes unconditionally on receipt of one of the function request messages, and a data function means executes conditionally and atomically with respect to the predicate function means following a "successful" condition produced by the predicate function means.

Abstract: A dumping service facility for data processing systems, including single systems, multisystems and shared facilities. Information, such as control information, is captured and a storage dump is created. During the capturing process, the information is serialized such that mainline commands (i.e., commands other than dump commands) are not allowed to access the information thereby possibly destroying the information. The information is stored within the storage dump in such a manner that programs can understand the information. That is, the storage dump contains a logical representation of the information being captured. Subsequent to capturing the information, serialization is released and mainline commands can once again access the information.