Authorization method for conditional command execution

摘要

One or more central processing complexes (CPC's), each with one or more programs being executed, issue commands to a structured electronic storage (SES). The commands include ones that create or delete data structures in SES, and attach or detach users to the data structures. The commands include a comparative authority value operand and a new authority value operand. A data structure or user control information has an associated existing authority value. If the comparative authority value matches the existing authority value, the existing authority value is replaced by the new authority value, and the command is executed. If there is a mismatch, the existing authority value is returned to the program that issued the command, and the command is not executed in SES. This enables software to serialize management of SES and maintain a consistent view of objects in SES in the presence of faulty CPC's, without causing correctly operating CPC's to experience errors or undue delays.