diff --git a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/IProcess.java b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/IProcess.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..4f71c216741c5ba9e0b7a8fa627b57816fae807d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/IProcess.java
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2007 ETH Zuerich, CISD
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package ch.systemsx.cisd.common.utilities;
+
+/**
+ * A <code>Runnable</code> extension that describes a process.
+ *
+ * @author Christian Ribeaud
+ */
+public interface IProcess extends Runnable
+{
+
+ /**
+ * Whether this <code>IProcess</code> exited successfully.
+ * <p>
+ * Is typically called after {@link Runnable#run()} has performed.
+ * </p>
+ *
+ * @return <code>true</code> if this <code>IProcess</code> succeeds, terminating so the whole running process.
+ */
+ public boolean succeeded();
+
+ /**
+ * The number of times we should try if this <code>IProcess</code> failed.
+ * <p>
+ * This is a static method: it only gets called once during the initialization process.
+ * </p>
+ */
+ public int getMaxRetryOnFailure();
+
+ /**
+ * The number of milliseconds we should wait before re-executing {@link Runnable#run()}.
+ * <p>
+ * This is a static method: it only gets called once during the initialization process.
+ * </p>
+ */
+ public long getMillisToSleepOnFailure();
+}
diff --git a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/ProcessRunner.java b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/ProcessRunner.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..d93a6b7f53d3099f2ed9f18df0f32e8a2d37c77b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/ProcessRunner.java
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2007 ETH Zuerich, CISD
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package ch.systemsx.cisd.common.utilities;
+
+import ch.systemsx.cisd.common.exceptions.CheckedExceptionTunnel;
+
+/**
+ * This class takes cares of running encapsulated {@link IProcess}.
+ *
+ * @author Christian Ribeaud
+ */
+public final class ProcessRunner
+{
+
+ public ProcessRunner(final IProcess process)
+ {
+ runProcess(process);
+ }
+
+ final static void runProcess(final IProcess process)
+ {
+ final int maxRetryOnFailure = process.getMaxRetryOnFailure();
+ final long millisToSleepOnFailure = process.getMillisToSleepOnFailure();
+ assert millisToSleepOnFailure > -1;
+ int counter = 0;
+ do
+ {
+ process.run();
+ if (counter > 0 && millisToSleepOnFailure > 0)
+ {
+ try
+ {
+ Thread.sleep(millisToSleepOnFailure);
+ } catch (InterruptedException ex)
+ {
+ throw new CheckedExceptionTunnel(ex);
+ }
+ }
+ } while (++counter < maxRetryOnFailure && process.succeeded() == false);
+ }
+}
diff --git a/common/sourceTest/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/ProcessRunnerTest.java b/common/sourceTest/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/ProcessRunnerTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..8f6fb89a9348ed62450529119493db71a22162e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/sourceTest/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/utilities/ProcessRunnerTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2007 ETH Zuerich, CISD
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package ch.systemsx.cisd.common.utilities;
+
+import org.jmock.Expectations;
+import org.jmock.Mockery;
+import org.testng.annotations.AfterMethod;
+import org.testng.annotations.BeforeMethod;
+import org.testng.annotations.Test;
+
+/**
+ * Test cases for the {@link ProcessRunner}.
+ *
+ * @author Christian Ribeaud
+ */
+public class ProcessRunnerTest
+{
+
+ private Mockery context;
+
+ private IProcess process;
+
+ @BeforeMethod
+ public final void beforeMethod()
+ {
+ context = new Mockery();
+ process = context.mock(IProcess.class);
+ }
+
+ @AfterMethod
+ public final void afterMethod()
+ {
+ // To following line of code should also be called at the end of each test method.
+ // Otherwise one do not known which test failed.
+ context.assertIsSatisfied();
+ }
+
+ @Test
+ public final void testRunSuccessfulProcess()
+ {
+ context.checking(new Expectations()
+ {
+ {
+ one(process).run();
+
+ one(process).succeeded();
+ will(returnValue(true));
+
+ one(process).getMillisToSleepOnFailure();
+ will(returnValue(1L));
+
+ one(process).getMaxRetryOnFailure();
+ will(returnValue(2));
+ }
+ });
+ new ProcessRunner(process);
+ context.assertIsSatisfied();
+ }
+
+ @Test
+ public final void testRunUnsuccessfulProcess()
+ {
+ final int tries = 3;
+ context.checking(new Expectations()
+ {
+ {
+ exactly(tries).of(process).run();
+
+ exactly(tries - 1).of(process).succeeded();
+ will(returnValue(false));
+
+ one(process).getMillisToSleepOnFailure();
+ will(returnValue(1L));
+
+ one(process).getMaxRetryOnFailure();
+ will(returnValue(tries));
+ }
+ });
+ new ProcessRunner(process);
+ context.assertIsSatisfied();
+ }
+}