Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F9/00—Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units
  • G06F9/06—Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units using stored programs, i.e. using an internal store of processing equipment to receive or retain programs
  • G06F9/44—Arrangements for executing specific programs
  • G06F9/4401—Bootstrapping
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F17/00—Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F13/00—Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units
  • G06F13/14—Handling requests for interconnection or transfer
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F13/00—Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units
  • G06F13/14—Handling requests for interconnection or transfer
  • G06F13/16—Handling requests for interconnection or transfer for access to memory bus
  • G06F13/18—Handling requests for interconnection or transfer for access to memory bus based on priority control
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F9/00—Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units
  • G06F9/06—Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units using stored programs, i.e. using an internal store of processing equipment to receive or retain programs
  • G06F9/46—Multiprogramming arrangements
  • G06F9/50—Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
  • G06F9/5005—Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU] to service a request
  • G06F9/5027—Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU] to service a request the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
  • G06F9/505—Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU] to service a request the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals considering the load

Definitions

• a delay in starting up certain applications may result in improving the perceived performance of a system. This can be accomplished by delaying the time at which these processes are launched, and/or by reducing these processes' priorities for various system resources, such as processor, I/O, or memory resources. This allows these resources to be available to the user more quickly for whatever purposes the user desires, rather than having to wait for the startup applications to finish initializing.
• a user interface may be disclosed for allowing a user to adjust start-up priorities.
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computing system that may operate in accordance with the claims;
• Fig. 2 may be a high-level illustration of a method in accordance with the claims.
• Fig. 3 may illustrate another embodiment of a method in accordance with the claims. Description
• FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a suitable computing system environment 100 on which a system for the steps of the claimed method and apparatus may be implemented.
• the computing system environment 100 is only one example of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the method of apparatus of the claims. Neither should the computing environment 100 be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated in the exemplary operating environment 100.
• program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.
• the methods and apparatus may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network.
• program modules may be located in both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices.
• an exemplary system for implementing the steps of the claimed method and apparatus includes a general purpose computing device in the form of a computer 110.
• Components of computer 110 may include, but are not limited to, a processing unit 120, a system memory 130, and a system bus 121 that couples various system components including the system memory to the processing unit 120.
• the system bus 121 may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures.
• such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus also known as Mezzanine bus.
• ISA Industry Standard Architecture
• MCA Micro Channel Architecture
• EISA Enhanced ISA
• VESA Video Electronics Standards Association
• PCI Peripheral Component Interconnect
• Computer 110 typically includes a variety of computer readable media.
• Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by computer 110 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media.
• Computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media.
• Computer storage media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data.
• Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can accessed by computer 110.
• Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media.
• modulated data signal means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal.
• communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of the any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer readable media.
• the system memory 130 includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) 131 and random access memory (RAM) 132.
• ROM read only memory
• RAM random access memory
• BIOS basic input/output system
• RAM 132 typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit 120.
• Fig. 1 illustrates operating system 134, application programs 135, other program modules 136, and program data 137.
• the computer 110 may also include other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media.
• Fig. 1 illustrates a hard disk drive 140 that reads from or writes to non-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive 151 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk 152, and an optical disk drive 155 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile optical disk 156 such as a CD ROM or other optical media.
• removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like.
• the hard disk drive 141 is typically connected to the system bus 121 through a non-removable memory interface such as interface 140, and magnetic disk drive 151 and optical disk drive 155 are typically connected to the system bus 121 by a removable memory interface, such as interface 150.
• the drives and their associated computer storage media discussed above and illustrated in Fig. 1, provide storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computer 110.
• hard disk drive 141 is illustrated as storing operating system 144, application programs 145, other program modules 146, and program data 147. Note that these components can either be the same as or different from operating system 134, application programs 135, other program modules 136, and program data 137. Operating system 144, application programs 145, other program modules 146, and program data 147 are given different numbers here to illustrate that, at a minimum, they are different copies.
• a user may enter commands and information into the computer 20 through input devices such as a keyboard 162 and pointing device 161, commonly referred to as a mouse, trackball or touch pad.
• Other input devices may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like.
• These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 120 through a user input interface 160 that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB).
• a monitor 191 or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus 121 via an interface, such as a video interface 190.
• computers may also include other peripheral output devices such as speakers 197 and printer 196, which may be connected through an output peripheral interface 190.
• the computer 110 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer 180.
• the remote computer 180 may be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative to the computer 110, although only a memory storage device 181 has been illustrated in Fig. 1.
• the logical connections depicted in Fig. 1 include a local area network (LAN) 171 and a wide area network (WAN) 173, but may also include other networks.
• LAN local area network
• WAN wide area network
• Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet.
• the computer 110 When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 110 is connected to the LAN 171 through a network interface or adapter 1.70. When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 110 typically includes a modem 172 or other means for establishing communications over the WAN 173, such as the Internet.
• the modem 172 which may be internal or external, may be connected to the system bus 121 via the user input interface 160, or other appropriate mechanism.
• program modules depicted relative to the computer 110, or portions thereof may be stored in the remote memory storage device.
• Fig. 1 illustrates remote application programs 185 as residing on memory device 181. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used.
• a method of "delaying" startup applications allowing users to take back control of their computer at logon and not have to completely remove the startup applications from startup is one solution and is described below.
• the impact of startup applications on a user's system may be reduced by limiting these processes' CPU, I/O, and memory consumption by lowering their respective priorities for these types of system resources.
• the method may lower their CPU, I/O, and page priorities, and place them in some tracking object. This method is referred to as "boxing". After a configurable period, the method may restore their priorities to the original settings.
• Fig. 2 may be a high-level illustration of a method in accordance with the claims.
• a user may use a user interface to set a certain application to be delayed.
• the method may store the selected application to be stored in a memory.
• the operating system may begin.
• the method may launch start-up applications.
• the method may determine if a particular application has been stored at block 210 as a process to be delayed. If the determination is no, at block 225, the method may be launched as normal and the method may end. If the determination at block 220 is yes, the method may suspend the create process for the particular application 230.
• the method may add the particular application to be delayed to a job container object.
• the method may lower the process priorities for the particular application and the method may limit a working set.
• a timer may be started and at block 250, the timer may expire.
• the priorities of the particular application may be restored and the method may un-limit the working set.
• a protected key in the system registry contains an exception list that allows boxing to be turned on or off on a per-image path basis. For example, all applications that are not listed on the exception list may be boxed or placed in a container object.
• the operating system needs to track the initial and derived processes being boxed. For example, if a startup application is being boxed, and the given application process launches a child process, that child process should also be boxed, and should also be unboxed when the parent (initial) process is unboxed. In Microsoft Windows, Job objects can be used to accomplish this task.
• Job objects can be used to impose priority restrictions on processes that the processes cannot escape from, unless the original creator of the Job object (i.e. the box, and therefore, the operating system), actively decides to lift the restrictions, such as when unboxing the given applications.
• the method may use the system registry to store a per-image file name setting as to whether a process (via the name of its executable image file) should be boxed if it is run as a startup application.
• a per-image file name setting as to whether a process (via the name of its executable image file) should be boxed if it is run as a startup application.
• special care may need to be taken for universal mechanisms like "rundll32.exe” that can execute many different features, and therefore, the user's intentions may be best reflected if there is finer-grained control over these features than, a blanket restriction on "rundll32.exe”.
• the method may need to access control limit ("ACL") the key such that the common startup application would not be able to modify its own settings in that key.
• ACL access control limit
• the method may set the box object to release the job (i.e. release the processes from their restrictions and restore their priorities) after a certain configurable timeout (e.g. 30 seconds).
• a certain configurable timeout e.g. 30 seconds
• the method may also tie in with other parts of the operating system to detect whether a user is interacting with a boxed application, and use that information to unbox the given application before its boxing timeout has expired. This allows the operating system to reduce the cost of unwanted startup applications in the common case, but also to dynamically detect when an application becomes wanted by the user, at which point the priority restrictions would be harmful to the user's experience with the system.
• the method of detecting user activity for these applications should prevent spoofing of activity by the applications, as this would subvert the usefulness of the method.
• the knowledge that a startup application is being used interactively may also be kept as historical data, and be used to prevent it from being boxed in the future, which would likely improve the user's experience.
• One simple example approach to determining when a user is interacting with a startup application is to check repeatedly whether any of the startup applications' windows has become a foreground window, and whether the mouse cursor is located within that window.
• Fig. 3 may illustrate another embodiment of a method in accordance with the claims.
• the method may allow priorities to be assigned to one of a process' priority class, I/O priority, priority page, working set and networking capabilities.
• the method may place the process in a job object in order that the process and dependent processes may be tracked.
• the method may allow the priorities to be adjusted lower at startup and at block 315, the method may allow the priorities to be adjusted higher after a period of delay after start-up.
• the method may allow the priorities to be adjusted lower during periods of high use.
• the method after the periods of high use, may allow the priorities to be adjusted higher.
• the method may create a session wide job object that all start-up applications will be joined.
• the method may box processes as a group and not allow a single process to be unboxed alone.
• the method may use thread level storage to convey information to the system that boxing is requested. This may be accomplished by creating a (CBox) object in a "Run Startup Apps Thread" and reserving a thread level storage pointer to the (CBox) adjacent.
• the method may use a modified API stack to convey information to the system that boxing is requested.
• the method may at process creation, issue the (CBox) object from thread level storage and determine whether to box or not to box the process.
• the method may use a pointer that is a ref- counted pointer.
• the method may increment the ref counter to the box object pointed to by the thread level storage slot.
• the method may set to release the job from the box object after a configurable time period.
• the method may use the registry to store a per-image viewer setting as to whether that image should be boxed if it is run as a start-up application.
• the method may subject the key to the registry to an access control list such that a common start up application would not be able to modify its own settings in the key.
• the method may place the processes in a restrictive job object as the processes are launched such that the boxed applications cannot break the priority settings, that the association with a job cannot be broken until the job object is destroyed and that the restrictions set by the job object cannot be overwritten by the boxed processes.
• the method may create a job object limitation structure that controls I/O and page priority limits.

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• 2005
  • 2005-11-30 US US11/290,105 patent/US7500091B2/en active Active
• 2006
  • 2006-11-29 KR KR1020087013251A patent/KR101312819B1/ko not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2006-11-29 CN CN2006800447593A patent/CN101317171B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2006-11-29 WO PCT/US2006/045708 patent/WO2007064717A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2006-11-29 AU AU2006320589A patent/AU2006320589B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2006-11-29 CA CA2628416A patent/CA2628416C/en active Active
  • 2006-11-29 RU RU2008121719/08A patent/RU2419840C2/ru active
  • 2006-11-29 EP EP06838587.1A patent/EP1955200B1/en not_active Not-in-force
  • 2006-11-29 JP JP2008543425A patent/JP5127722B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2006-11-29 BR BRPI0618430-8A patent/BRPI0618430A2/pt not_active Application Discontinuation

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