Data structure describing logical data spaces

Abstract

A data structure is disclosed. The data structure includes a data descriptor record. In turn, the data descriptor record includes a type field, a base address field, an offset field, wherein the, and a length field. The type field may be configured, for example, to indicate a data structure type. The data structure type may be configured to assume a values indicating one of a contiguous buffer, a scatter-gather list and a linked list structure, among other such data structures. The base address field may be configured, for example, to store a base address, with the base address being a starting address of a secondary data structure associated with the data descriptor record. The offset field may be configured, for example, to indicate a starting address of data within a secondary data structure pointed to by a base address stored in the base address field. The length field is configured to indicate a length of data stored in a secondary data structure pointed to by a base address stored in the base address field.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is related to patent application Ser. No. (______ Attorney Docket Number SP-3695 US______), entitled “A SIMPLIFIED MICROKERNEL CONTROL BLOCK DESIGN,” filed herewith and having N. Shaylor as inventor; patent application Ser. No. (______ Attorney Docket Number SP-3696 US______), entitled “AN OPERATING SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE EMPLOYING SYNCHRONOUS TASKS,” filed herewith and having N. Shaylor as inventor; patent application Ser. No. 09 / 498,606, entitled “A SIMPLIFIED MICROKERNEL APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE,” filed Feb. 7, 2000, and having N. Shaylor as inventor; patent application Ser. No. (______ Attorney Docket Number SP-3871 US______), entitled “A MICROKERNEL APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE EMPLOYING HYBRID DIRECTIVES,” filed and having N. Shaylor as inventor; and patent application Ser. No. (______ Attorney Docket Number SP4521 US______), entitled “A NON-PREEMPTIBLE MICROKERNEL,” filed herewith and having N. Shaylo...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] A data structure and method according to the present invention avoids the shortcomings historically encountered in transferring data between a producer of such data and a consumer of that data by employing a technique for abstracting the data's description that provides an automatic and efficient way of converting from one data representation to another.

Problems solved by technology

For example, when such differences exist, a certain amount of time and effort must be expended in marshalling the requisite data due to the reformatting of the data thus necessitated.

Such marshalling is often inefficient both in terms of the time required by such operations and the memory space the operations consume.

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