Software tool for automatically protecting shared resources within software source code

1 ) A method for protecting shared resources of a computer that are accessed by a plurality of computer programs running on said computer, comprising:

a) reading source codes of said computer programs and identifying said shared resources;

b) reading said source codes and identifying accesses to said shared resources;

c) inserting initial protection statements in said source codes before accesses of said shared resources; and

d) inserting ending protection statements in said source codes after accesses of said shared resources.

2 ) The method of claim 1) where initial protection statements set a mutex or semaphore and ending protecting statements reset a mutex or semaphore.

3 ) The method of claim 1) where initial protection statements turn off interrupts and ending protecting statements turn on interrupts.

4 ) The method of claim 1) where initial protection statements and ending protecting statements are independent of specific operating system software.

5 ) A method for creating a list of shared resources of a computer that are accessed by a plurality of computer programs running on said computer, comprising:

a) clearing a task flag;

b) reading source codes of said computer programs;

c) recognizing a task declaration statement in said source codes and setting said task flag;

d) recognizing an end-of-task statement in said source codes and clearing said task flag;

e) recognizing said shared resource declaration statements in said source codes when said task flag is not set; and

f) adding identifiers for said shared resources to a list.

6 ) A method for determining statements that access shared resources of a computer within source codes of a plurality of tasks of computer programs running on said computer, comprising:

a) clearing a task flag;

b) reading said source codes;

c) recognizing a task declaration statement in said source codes and setting said task flag;

d) recognizing an end-of-task statement in said source codes and clearing said task flag; and

e) recognizing statements in said source codes that access said shared resources when said task flag is set.

7 ) The method of claim 6) further comprising:

a) recording the locations of statements in said source codes that access said shared resources within tasks.

8 ) The method of claim 6) further comprising:

a) incrementing a counter corresponding to a said shared resource for each task that accesses said shared resource at least once.

9 ) The method of claim 8) further comprising:

a) eliminating from said list of said shared resources entries for all said shared resources that have a corresponding counter with a value of 0 or 1 after said source codes have been entirely read.

10 ) A method for protecting statements within the source codes of a plurality of computer programs running on a computer that access shared resources on said computer, comprising:

a) creating a list of said shared resources;

b) creating a list of statements in tasks within said source codes that access said shared resources;

c) clearing a task flag;

d) reading said source codes;

e) recognizing a task declaration statement in said source codes and setting said task flag;

f) recognizing an end-of-task statement in said source codes and clearing said task flag;

g) determining whether a statement is in said list of statements;

h) inserting an initial protection statement in said source codes before a statement that is in said list of statements; and

i) inserting an ending protection statement in said source codes after a statement that is in said list of statements.

11 ) The method of claim 10) where initial protection statements set a mutex or semaphore and ending protecting statements reset a mutex or semaphore.

12 ) The method of claim 10) where initial protection statements turn of interrupts and ending protecting statements turn on interrupts.

13 ) The method of claim 10) where initial protection statements and ending protecting statements are independent of specific operating system software.

14 ) An apparatus including a software program for protecting shared resources of a computer that are accessed by a plurality of computer programs running on said computer, comprising:

a) means for reading source codes of said computer programs and identifying said shared resources;

b) means for reading said source codes and identifying accesses to said shared resources;

c) means for inserting initial protection statements in said source codes before accesses of said shared resources; and

d) means for inserting ending protection statements in said source codes after accesses of said shared resources.

15 ) The apparatus of claim 14) where initial protection statements set a mutex or semaphore and ending protecting statements reset a mutex or semaphore.

16 ) The apparatus of claim 14) where initial protection statements turn off interrupts and ending protecting statements turn on interrupts.

17 ) The apparatus of claim 14) where initial protection statements and ending protecting statements are independent of specific operating system software.

18 ) An apparatus for creating a list of shared resources of a computer that are accessed by a plurality of computer programs running on said computer, comprising:

a) means for clearing a task flag;

b) means for reading source codes of said computer programs;

c) means for recognizing a task declaration statement in said source codes and setting said task flag;

d) means for recognizing an end-of-task statement in said source codes and clearing said task flag;

e) means for recognizing said shared resource declaration statements in said source codes when said task flag is not set; and

f) means for adding identifiers for said shared resources to a list.

19 ) An apparatus determining statements that access shared resources of a computer within source codes of a plurality of tasks of computer programs running on said computer, comprising

a) means for clearing a task flag;

b) means for reading said source codes;

c) means for recognizing a task declaration statement in said source codes and setting said task flag;

d) means for recognizing an end-of-task statement in said source codes and clearing said task flag; and

e) means for recognizing statements in said source codes that access said shared resources when said task flag is set.

20 ) The apparatus of claim 19) further comprising:

a) means for recording the locations of statements in said source codes that access said shared resources within tasks.

21 ) The apparatus of claim 19) further comprising:

a) means for incrementing a counter corresponding to a said shared resource for each task that accesses said shared resource at least once.

22 ) The apparatus of claim 21) further comprising:

a) means for eliminating from said list of said shared resources entries for all said shared resources that has a corresponding counter with a value of 0 or 1 after said source codes have been entirely read.

23 ) An apparatus for protecting statements within the source codes of a plurality of computer programs running on a computer that access shared resources on said computer, comprising:

a) means for creating a list of said shared resources;

b) means for creating a list of statements in tasks within said source codes that access said shared resources;

c) means for clearing a task flag;

d) means for reading said source codes;

e) means for recognizing a task declaration statement in said source codes and setting said task flag;

f) means for recognizing an end-of-task statement in said source codes and clearing said task flag;

g) means for determining whether a statement is in said list of statements;

h) means for inserting an initial protection statement in said source codes before a statement that is in said list of statements; and

i) means for inserting an ending protection statement in said source codes after a statement that is in said list of statements.

24 ) The apparatus of claim 23) where initial protection statements set a mutex or semaphore and ending protecting statements reset a mutex or semaphore.

25 ) The apparatus of claim 23) where initial protection statements turn of interrupts and ending protecting statements turn on interrupts.

26 ) The apparatus of claim 23) where initial protection statements and ending protecting statements are independent of specific operating system software.