Composite lock for computer systems with multiple domains

Details Composite lock for computer systems with multiple domains Composite lock for computer systems with multiple domains

2006-10-03

2006-10-03

Chavis, John (Department: 2193)

Data processing: software development, installation, and managem

Software program development tool

Managing software components

Reexamination Certificate

active

07117481

ABSTRACT:
In a multi-domain computer system in which several processes are running, a composite lock provides mutually exclusive access to a resource. The composite lock has a back-end component and a front-end component. The back-end component is platform-dependent and operates as a semaphore, with Wait and Signal functions. The front-end component conditionally calls the Wait and Signal functions depending on whether the lock is currently contested when a new process wishes to acquire the lock, and on whether any process is currently suspended, waiting to acquire the lock. The front-end and back-end components may execute in different domains. In the uncontested case, the invention avoids costly domain crossings. The front-end component may also include a spinning feature to further reduce the need to invoke the back-end component and cause a domain crossing. The composite lock is particularly advantageous in computer systems that include a virtual machine.

REFERENCES:
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patent: 6173442 (2001-01-01), Agesen et al.
patent: 6314563 (2001-11-01), Agesen et al.
patent: 6594698 (2003-07-01), Chow et al.
Hamilton, et al., “The Spring Nucleus: A Microkernel for Objects,” Technical Report SMLI TR-93-14, Sun Microsystems Laboratories, Inc., Apr. 1993.
Agesen, et al., “An Efficient meta-lock for Implementing Ubiquitous Synchronization,” Technical Report SMLI TR-99-76, Sun Microsystems, Laboratories, Inc., Apr. 1999.
Hubert, Bert, “futex”—undated Internet-published web page http://ds9a.nl/futex-manpages/futex4.html.

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