Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that resolves references in an in-place execution file for a platform-independent virtual machine into physical addresses. During operation, the system receives an in-place execution file in which references have been replaced with in-place encoded metadata specifying attributes of the references. The system then resolves a reference by obtaining in-place encoded metadata for the reference from a location in the in-place execution file, using the in-place encoded metadata to determine an address of an associated referent, and then replacing the in-place encoded metadata at the location in the in-place execution file with the address of the referent.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates loading of an in-place executable file into a virtual machine. The system operates by loading the in-place executable file into the virtual machine, where the in-place executable file contains internal pointers that point to memory locations within the in-place executable file, and a target memory address that specifies a target location in memory where the in-place executable file is configured to be loaded. The system then determines an actual memory address at which the in-place executable file is actually loaded. If the actual memory address and the target memory address are different, the system generates an offset value, which is the difference between the actual memory address and the target memory address. Finally, the system adjusts each internal pointer within the in-place executable file by the offset value so that the internal pointers point to intended locations inside the in-place executable file.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates efficiently resolving symbolic references in a virtual machine to support in-place execution. During operation, the system loads an in-place executable file into the virtual machine, and receives a pointer that points to an unresolved symbol value in the in-place executable file. This unresolved symbol value includes an offset value that points to a subsequent unresolved symbol value in a chain of unresolved symbol values within the in-place executable file, and a token value that can be used to look up a corresponding resolved reference value in an unresolved symbol table. The system then uses the token value to look up the corresponding resolved reference in the unresolved symbol table, and replaces the unresolved symbol value with the corresponding resolved reference.

Abstract: A computer system includes a visual display device for displaying information to an operator, a common buffer such as the Microsoft Window™ clipboard, and a processor for processing an application program, the processor performing predetermined processing operations under control of the applications program. If selected conditions are detected during processing, the processor will enable generation of a message box including a message text item, an actuable copy enable facility, and an actuable message box removal facility, and enable the message box to be displayed by the visual display device. The processor, in response to actuation of the copy enable facility by the operator, will copy the message text item to the common buffer, thereby preserving it for future examination through, for example, a clipboard viewer or text editor, which may be enabled after the message box has been removed from the visual display device in response to actuation of the message box removal facility by the operator.

Abstract: A configuration parameter value access system used in connection with a computer system performs an access operation in connection with a configuration parameter in response to a configuration parameter access request from an applications program. Each configuration parameter access request includes a parameter class identifier, a filename and a parameter identifier. The configuration parameter value access system includes a plurality of configuration file path class lists, each of which has at least one entry, each entry defining a storage subsystem path in the computer system's storage subsystem. A file identifier generator tests successive entries of the configuration file path class list identified by the parameter class identifier to determine whether the storage subsystem contains a file which has the filename provided in the configuration parameter access request along a path defined by an entry.

Abstract: A configuration parameter value access system used in connection with a computer system performs an access operation in connection with a configuration parameter in response to a configuration parameter access request from an applications program. Each configuration parameter access request includes a parameter class identifier, a filename and a parameter identifier. The configuration parameter value access system includes a plurality of configuration file path class lists, each of which has at least one entry, each entry defining a storage subsystem path in the computer system's storage subsystem. A file identifier generator tests successive entries of the configuration file path class list identified by the parameter class identifier to determine whether the storage subsystem contains a file which has the filename provided in the configuration parameter access request along a path defined by an entry.

Abstract: A computer system includes a information type source file, an information value file and a dynamic dialog box processor. The information type source file includes a plurality of text entries in, for example, ASCII text form, which can be easily edited by an operator. The information value file includes a plurality of value entries each for storing a value used in other processing by the computer system. The dynamic dialog box processor uses the text entries from the information type source file to generate a dialog box for display to an operator, and receives information values provided by an operator in connection with respective information text entries to update the values in the value entries in the information value file. Since the ASCII text entries in the information type source file can be easily edited, the particular types of information to be provided through the dynamic dialog box can be easily modified by the operator with a minimum of programming and debugging effort.

Abstract: A dynamically configurable operating system is achieved by providing a module sub-system which intercepts requests by processes to access a module in the operating system and determines whether the module has been loaded in the kernel memory and linked the other modules located in the kernel memory and installed in the appropriate table. If the module has been into the kernel memory, and installed the module sub-system grants the requesting installed process access to the module and processing continues. If the module has not been loaded into the kernel memory, the module sub-system will retrieve a copy of the module stored and copy it into kernel memory. The module is then linked to the other modules located in the kernel and installed. Once the module is loaded and linked and installed, access is granted to the requesting process and normal processing continues.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for automatically generating device names in a computer system, wherein device names are generated to reflect the physical realities of system configuration. An existing device driver interface is employed, wherein a parent device driver's bus.sub.-- ctl function, along with a child device driver's probe and attach routines, are used to generate device names.

Abstract: In a computer system, a system boot prom having a bootstrap program is provided for booting the computer system from a boot device having a boot program and an operating system. The bootstrap program is designed to create a boot prom interface through which the boot program uses to locate the device driver for loading the operating system from the boot device. As a result, the device driver for the boot device may be provided in the system boot prom or a third party boot prom, thereby allowing the computer system to be booted from either a standard or a third party boot device without requiring rebuilding of the system boot prom.

Abstract: A relocatable segment list builder, a system image dump driver, and a system image dump saver are provided to a dynamically configurable operating system being executed on a computer system. The operating system includes a root executable segment and a number of pageable relocatable segments that are loaded on an as needed basis. The relocatable segment list builder maintains in memory a non-pageable relocatable segment list, which comprises names of the relocatable segments that are loaded in any particular point in time. The system image dump driver dumps an image of the operating system including the non-pageable relocatable segment list to a dump device at the time of a system crash. In addition, a system image saver is provided to the computer system. The system image saver builds a system image dump file, which comprises the relocatable segment list dumped using the operating system image dumped.