Multi-threaded polling in a processing environment

• US 20070150904A1
• Filed: 11/15/2005
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kim, Chulho, Sivaram, Rajeev
• Application Number:
  US11/273,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20070150904A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system

Abstract

Processing within a multi-threaded processing environment is facilitated. A plurality of threads are employed to perform polling on a plurality of entities. The polling enables the concurrent driving of progress on the plurality of entities, as well as the detection of occurrence of a specified event across the plurality of entities and the termination of continued polling at the occurrence of this event.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating processing in a processing environment, said method comprising:

performing polling on one entity and another entity of the processing environment, said polling comprising driving progress through the one entity and the another entity concurrently and checking for an occurrence of a specified event on at least one entity of the one entity and the another entity;

detecting that the specified event occurred on a particular entity of the one entity and the another entity; and

terminating polling on the other entity of the one entity and the another entity, in response to detecting the occurrence of the specified event on the particular entity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising terminating polling on the particular entity, in response to the occurrence of the specified event on the particular entity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing polling comprises using one thread to poll on the one entity and another thread to poll on the another entity.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the detecting comprises detecting by the thread of the other entity that the specified event occurred.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises detecting by a plurality of entities that the specified event occurred and terminating polling on the plurality of entities.

6. A method of facilitating processing in a multi-threaded processing environment, said method comprising:

polling by one thread and another thread of the multi-threaded processing environment, said polling driving work to be performed and checking by at least one thread of the one thread and the another thread that a specified event has occurred;

detecting by a particular thread of the one thread and the another thread that the other thread of the one thread and the another thread has indicated that the specified event has occurred; and

terminating polling on the particular thread that detected the indication of the specified event on the other thread.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising terminating polling on the other thread, in response to the occurrence of the specified event.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising informing, in response to terminating polling on the particular thread and the other thread, a client of one or more events that occurred.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the informing is performed via a main thread, said main thread being responsible for spawning said one thread and said another thread.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the polling comprises employing the one thread to drive work on one entity of the processing environment and employing the another thread to concurrently drive work on another entity of the processing environment.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one entity comprises one communications adapter and the another entity comprises another communications adapter.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the polling comprises checking by the particular thread whether the specified event has occurred subsequent to driving a defined unit of work.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the checking is performed subsequent to determining that the specified event has not occurred on a particular entity of the one entity and the another entity on which the particular thread is driving work.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprises driving another defined unit of work and repeating the checking when the checking has not determined that the specified event has occurred.

15. A system of facilitating processing in a processing environment, said system comprising:

means for performing polling on one entity and another entity of the processing environment, said means for performing polling comprising means for driving progress through the one entity and the another entity concurrently and means for checking for an occurrence of a specified event on at least one entity of the one entity and the another entity;

means for detecting that the specified event occurred on a particular entity of the one entity and the another entity; and

mean for terminating polling on the other entity of the one entity and the another entity, in response to detecting the occurrence of the specified event on the particular entity.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the means for performing polling comprises means for using one thread to poll on the one entity and another thread to poll on the another entity.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for detecting comprises means for detecting by the thread of the other entity that the specified event occurred.

18. A system of facilitating processing in a multi-threaded processing environment, said system comprising:

one thread and another thread of the multi-threaded processing environment adapted to poll, the polling driving work to be performed and checking by at least one thread of the one thread and the another thread that a specified event has occurred; and

a particular thread of the one thread and the another thread adapted to detect that the other thread of the one thread and the another thread has indicated that the specified event has occurred and for which polling is terminated, in response to detecting the indication.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the one thread drives work on one entity of the processing environment and the another thread concurrently drives work on another entity of the processing environment.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the particular thread is adapted to check whether the specified event has occurred subsequent to driving a defined unit of work.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the checking is performed subsequent to determining that the specified event has not occurred on a particular entity of the one entity and the another entity on which the particular thread is driving work.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the particular thread is further adapted to drive another defined unit of work and to repeat the checking when the checking has not determined that the specified event has occurred.

23. An article of manufacture comprising:

at least one computer usable medium having computer readable program code logic to facilitate processing in a processing environment, the computer readable program code logic comprising;

polling logic to perform polling on one entity and another entity of the processing environment, said polling logic comprising drive logic to drive progress through the one entity and the another entity concurrently and check logic to check for an occurrence of a specified event on at least one entity of the one entity and the another entity;

detect logic to detect that the specified event occurred on a particular entity of the one entity and the another entity; and

terminate logic to terminate polling on the other entity of the one entity and the another entity, in response to detecting the occurrence of the specified event on the particular entity.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein the polling logic employs one thread to poll on the one entity and another thread to poll on the another entity.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 24, wherein the detect logic comprises logic to detect by the thread of the other entity that the specified event occurred.

26. An article of manufacture comprising:

at least one computer usable medium having computer readable program code logic to facilitate processing in a multi-threaded processing environment, the computer readable program code logic comprising;

poll logic to poll by one thread and another thread of the multi-threaded processing environment, the polling driving work to be performed and checking by at least one thread of the one thread and the another thread that a specified event has occurred;

detect logic to detect by a particular thread of the one thread and the another thread that the other thread of the one thread and the another thread has indicated that the specified event has occurred; and

terminate logic to terminate polling on the particular thread that detected the indication of the specified event on the other thread.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 26, wherein the poll logic comprises employ logic to employ the one thread to drive work on one entity of the processing environment and to employ the another thread to concurrently drive work on another entity of the processing environment.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein the poll logic comprises check logic to check by the particular thread whether the specified event has occurred subsequent to driving a defined unit of work.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 28, wherein the checking is performed subsequent to determining that the specified event has not occurred on a particular entity of the one entity and the another entity on which the particular thread is driving work.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 29, further comprising drive logic to drive another defined unit of work and repeat logic to repeat the checking when the checking has not determined that the specified event has occurred.