Direct Application Program Access to Clock Time Quality Information
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current processing environments require application programs to invoke costly and inefficient supervisor services to obtain time quality information, which is not directly available, hindering efficient determination of time accuracy relative to external standards like UTC.
Innovation Solution
A method that allows application programs to directly access and obtain time quality information from processing environment clocks without using supervisor services, utilizing a Perform Timing Facility Function (PTFF) instruction to retrieve information from a hardware system timing area, enabling direct determination of time accuracy relative to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If application programs invoke supervisor services to obtain time quality information, then the information can be obtained, but the process becomes costly and inefficient with additional overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts time quality information directly from the hardware system timing area, removing the need for supervisor service intervention. The PTFF instruction enables application programs to access this information directly, separating the information retrieval function from the supervisor service layer and eliminating the associated overhead and cost inefficiencies.
Solution Approach 2:
The hardware system timing area provides time quality information autonomously through the PTFF instruction, allowing application programs to serve their own information needs without requiring supervisor service mediation. This self-service mechanism eliminates the intermediary layer and reduces operational overhead.
2Loss of information
If supervisor services are used to obtain time quality information, then information accessibility is maintained, but operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the time quality information access function from the supervisor service layer and places it directly in the hardware system timing area. This extraction eliminates the need for costly supervisor service calls while maintaining full information accessibility for application programs through the PTFF instruction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the expensive supervisor service mechanism with a more economical direct hardware access method. The PTFF instruction provides a cost-effective way to obtain time quality information without the overhead and cost associated with supervisor service invocation, making the information retrieval process more economically efficient.
3Productivity
If direct access to time quality information is enabled for application programs, then efficiency improves, but system complexity may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The PTFF instruction serves multiple functions: it provides direct access to time quality information, maintains synchronization capabilities, and enables efficient timing operations for application programs. By consolidating these functions into a single instruction mechanism, the patent achieves improved efficiency without proportionally increasing system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Information usable in determining the quality of time produced by a clock of a processing environment is obtained. The information is obtained directly by an application program absent use of a supervisor service, such as an operating system or operating system service. The application program invokes an instruction that returns a parameter block that includes the information.