Systems and methods of sharing processing resources in a multi-threading environment

• US 20060259907A1
• Filed: 05/10/2005
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Soltis, Don C., Bhatia, Rohit
• Granted Patent: US 7,856,636 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/526 Mutual exclusion algorithms

Abstract

Systems and methods of sharing processing resources in a multi-threading environment are disclosed. An exemplary method may include allocating a lock value for a resource lock, the lock value corresponding to a state of the resource lock. A first thread may yield at least a portion of the processing resources for another thread. The resource lock may be acquired for the first thread if the lock value indicates the resource lock is available.

Claims

1. A method of sharing processing resources in a multi-threading environment, comprising:

allocating a memory address of a lock value for a resource lock, the lock value corresponding to a state of the resource lock;

retrieving the lock value from the memory address;

yielding by a first thread at least a portion of the processing resources for another thread if the lock value indicates the resource lock is unavailable;

checking the lock value at the memory address in response to a switching event; and

acquiring the resource lock for the first thread if the lock value indicates the resource lock is available.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating the lock value if the corresponding resource lock is released, the updating comprising the switching event.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising arming the first thread for responding to a switching event.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising checking the lock value in response to a switching event only if the first thread is armed.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising checking the lock value in response to any switching event to reduce latency between releasing the resource lock and acquiring the resource lock for the first thread.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising checking the lock value in response to predetermined switching events to reduce latency between releasing the resource lock and acquiring the resource lock for the first thread.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising returning at least a portion of the processing resources to the first thread to acquire the resource lock if the lock value indicates the resource lock is available.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising checking availability of the resource lock if the lock value indicates the resource lock is available.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining an address table for each of a plurality of threads, wherein allocating the memory address of the lock value is in the address table for a yielding thread.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising updating the lock value in the address table for each of the plurality of threads if the corresponding resource lock is released.

11. A system comprising:

a multi-threading processing unit;

a first logical processor executing a thread on the multi-threading processing unit, the first logical processor allocating a state indicator in memory if a shared resource is locked before yielding at least a portion of processing resources for executing another thread; and

a second logical processor returning at least a portion of the processing resources to the first logical processor in response to a switching event if the state indicator indicates the shared resource is available.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the state indicator is updated in response to a switching event if a resource lock for the shared resource is released.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the state indicator is allocated in an address table for the first logical processor.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the multi-threading processing unit checks the state indicator for any change recorded in the address table for the first logical processor.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the multi-threading processing unit only checks the state indicator for a change recorded in the address table for the first logical processor if the first logical processor is armed.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the multi-threading processing unit acquires a lock for the shared resource if the state indicator indicates the shared resource is available.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the first logical processor continues to yield at least a portion of processing resources until a lock is acquired for the shared resource.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the first logical processor is armed before yielding at least a portion of processing resources for executing another thread.

19. A system for sharing processing resources in a multi-threading environment, comprising:

indicator means for indicating a shared resource is locked before a first thread yields at least a portion of the processing resources to a second thread in the multi-threading environment;

means for invalidating the indicator means if the shared resource is released; and

means for returning at least a portion of the processing resources to the first thread if the indicator means is invalidated.

20. The system of claim 19 further comprising means for arming the first thread for a switching event.

21. The system of claim 19 further comprising means for checking the indicator means in response to any switching event to reduce latency between releasing the resource lock and acquiring the resource lock for the first thread.