Persistent Service Execution for Fail-Safe Recovery After Interruptions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Environment control systems face challenges in ensuring fail-safe execution of services, which is critical for safety and operational continuity, as failures can lead to safety risks and economic losses due to the lack of robust resilience mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A computing device with non-volatile memory and a processing unit that stores and executes a service, allowing for the generation of an operational instance with read-write access, launching an executable instance, and persisting data and modifications to non-volatile memory for permanent storage, enabling the recovery of a new instance upon interruption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If service data and instructions are stored only in volatile memory for execution, then the service can run efficiently with fast access, but the data is lost when the service is interrupted or the system restarts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by creating an operational instance of the service in non-volatile memory before execution. This operational instance serves as a pre-prepared structure that contains placeholders for service data and instructions. When the service needs to run, the system can quickly load data into this pre-established structure, and upon interruption, the operational instance remains intact in non-volatile memory, preserving all work done during execution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating an operational instance that is a copy of the service structure, but stored in non-volatile memory with read-write permissions. This copy allows the service to execute with fast access characteristics while the original operational instance serves as a persistent backup. The copying mechanism ensures that even if the running instance is lost, the operational instance can be restored and re-populated with data.
2Reliability
If the service is designed to be fail-safe with persistent storage capabilities, then reliability improves, but the device complexity increases due to additional memory management mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the service into two distinct parts: the original service (stored in read-only or protected memory) and the operational instance (stored in non-volatile memory with read-write access). This segmentation allows each part to serve a specific function - the original service remains intact and unchangeable, while the operational instance can be modified, populated with data, and restored without affecting the original service structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The operational instance acts as an intermediary between the original service and the volatile memory execution environment. It serves as a buffer that captures and preserves service state information in non-volatile memory, mediating between the need for fast volatile memory access and the need for persistent non-volatile memory storage.
3Speed
If service instructions are executed from volatile memory for fast access, then execution speed improves, but the service cannot recover after interruption as volatile memory contents are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-creating the operational instance structure in non-volatile memory before the service executes. This structure includes all necessary data fields, instruction references, and operational parameters. When the service interrupts or the system restarts, this pre-established structure is immediately available for restoration, eliminating the need to recreate the service structure from scratch.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the memory access parameters by granting read-write permissions to the operational instance in non-volatile memory, while keeping the original service in read-only or protected memory. This parameter change allows the operational instance to be modified and populated with execution data while preserving the integrity of the original service instructions.
Data Source
AI summary
A service is stored in a non-volatile memory of a computing device and comprises instructions executable by a processor of the computing device. The processor generates an operational instance of the service, which comprises a reference to the service. The processor stores the operational instance of the service in the non-volatile memory with a read-write access right. The processor launches an executable instance of the service associated to the operational instance of the service. The launching comprises copying the instructions of the service from the non-volatile memory to a volatile memory of the computing device. The launching further comprises executing the instructions of the service copied into the volatile memory. The processor adds data generated by the execution of the instructions of the service to the operational instance of the service for permanent storage in the non-volatile memory.