Managing a finite queue

• US 20040100943A1
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ADC DSL Systems, Inc. (TE Connectivity Ltd. (United Kingdom))
• Original Assignee: ADC DSL Systems, Inc. (TE Connectivity Ltd. (United Kingdom))
• Inventors: Kasper, David J. II
• Granted Patent: US 7,512,142 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/359
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/54583 Software development, e.g. procedural, object oriented, software generation, software testing

Abstract

A source process communicates with a sink process by writing messages to a finite queue. The source process determines whether the finite queue is full. If the source process determines that the finite queue is full, the finite queue is emptied and a refresh-all message is written to the finite the queue. When the sink process reads a refresh-all message from the finite queue, the sink process performs a refresh-all operation in which a refresh operation is performed for each member of a set of objects.

Claims

1. A method of managing a queue, comprising:

when the queue is full;

emptying the queue; and

writing a refresh-all message into the queue.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the refresh-all message indicates that a refresh-all operation should be performed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the refresh-all operation is to be performed by a sink process.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the refresh-all operation causes a refresh operation to be performed for each member of a set of objects.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the set of objects includes a set of components of a user interface.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the refresh-all operation is performed by updating and displaying each member of the set of components of the user interface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the program instruction further include program instruction operable to cause the programmable process to, when the queue is not full, write an update-component message to the queue.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the update-component message indicates that an update-component operation should be performed.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the queue is a finite queue.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the refresh-all message is written to the queue by a source process.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein source process includes a database manager.

12. A program comprising a storage medium tangibly embodying program instructions for managing a queue, the program instructions including instructions operable to cause at least one programmable processor to:

when the queue is full;

empty the queue; and

write a refresh-all message into the queue.

13. The program of claim 12, wherein the refresh-all message indicates that a refresh-all operation should be performed.

14. The program of claim 13, wherein the refresh-all operation is to be performed by a sink process.

15. The program of claim 13, wherein the refresh-all operation causes a refresh operation to be performed for each member of a set of objects.

16. The program of claim 15, wherein the set of objects includes a set of components of a user interface.

17. The program of claim 16, wherein the refresh-all operation is performed by updating and displaying each member of the set of components of the user interface.

18. The program of claim 12, wherein the program instruction further include program instruction operable to cause the programmable process to, when the queue is not full, write an update-component message to the queue.

19. The program of claim 18, wherein the update-component message indicates that an update-component operation should be performed.

20. The program of claim 12, wherein the queue is a finite queue.

21. The program of claim 12, wherein the refresh-all message is written to the queue by a source process.

22. The program of claim 21, wherein source process includes a database manager.

23. A line interface unit, comprising:

an upstream interface adapted to couple the line interface unit to an upstream communication link;

a downstream interface adapted to couple the line interface unit to a downstream communication link;

an input-output interface adapted to couple the line interface unit to an external device;

a programmable processor coupled to the upstream interface, the downstream interface, and the input-output interface; and

a storage medium coupled to the programmable processor, tangibly embodying program instructions;

wherein the program instructions include instructions operable to cause the programmable processor to;

when the queue is full;

empty the queue; and

write a refresh-all message into the queue.

24. The line interface unit of claim 23, wherein the refresh-all message indicates that a refresh-all operation should be performed.

25. The line interface unit of claim 24, wherein the refresh-all operation is to be performed by a sink process.

26. The line interface unit of claim 24, wherein the refresh-all operation causes a refresh operation to be performed for each member of a set of objects.

27. The line interface unit of claim 26, wherein the set of objects includes a set of components of a user interface.

28. The line interface unit of claim 27, wherein the refresh-all operation is performed by updating and displaying each member of the set of components of the user interface.

29. The line interface unit of claim 23, wherein the program instruction further include program instruction operable to cause the programmable process to, when the queue is not full, write an update-component message to the queue.

30. The line interface unit of claim 29, wherein the update-component message indicates that an update-component operation should be performed.

31. The line interface unit of claim 23, wherein the queue is a finite queue.

32. The line interface unit of claim 23, wherein the refresh-all message is written to the queue by a source process.

33. The line interface unit of claim 32, wherein source process includes a database manager.

34. The line interface card of claim 23, wherein the upstream communication link is a DSX-1 link and the upstream interface includes:

a T1 framer in communication with the downstream interface and adapted to communicate with the DSX-1 link; and

a pre-equalizer coupled to the T1 framer and the downstream interface and adapted to communicate with the DSX-1 link.

35. The line interface card of claim 23, wherein the downstream communication link is an HDSL2 link and the downstream interface includes:

an HDSL2 framer in communication with the upstream interface and adapted to communicate with the HDSL2 link; and

an HDSL2 transceiver coupled to the HDSL2 framer and adapted to communicate with the HDSL2 link.

36. A system, comprising:

a source process;

a sink process; and

a queue coupled to the source process and the sink process;

wherein the source process, when the queue is full, empties the queue and writes a refresh-all message to queue; and

wherein the sink process reads the refresh-all message from the queue and performs a refresh-all operation in response to refresh-all message.