PERFORMANCE ENHANCED SYNCHRONIZATION MECHANISM WITH INTENSITY-ORIENTED READER API

• US 20120158684A1
• Filed: 12/21/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LSI Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lowenstein, Rafael, Vainblat, Lev, Engelberg, Roee
• Application Number:
  US12/974,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20120158684A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/704
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1774 Locking methods, e.g. locking methods for file systems allowing shared and concurrent access to files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/523 Mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/526 Mutual exclusion algorithms

Abstract

A method for synchronizing data operations in a multi-threaded computer system using a hybrid lock data structure that allows the computer system to dynamically implement a low contention cost lock or a low overhead cost lock based on the intensity of the memory operation.

Claims

1. An apparatus for maintaining data synchronization in a multi-threaded environment, comprising:

at least one processing unit;

memory functionally connected to the at least one processing unit, configured to contain a data set; and

computer executable program code executing on the at least one processing unit, configured to control and limit access to the data set contained in the memory through a hybrid lock data structure, and configured to implement different types of locks based on an indication of intensity of a read operation

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the computer executable program code is further configured to implement a low contention cost lock on a dataset contained in the memory when the computer executable program code receives an indication that a read operation is a heavy intensity read operation, and configured to implement a low overhead cost lock on a dataset contained in the memory when the computer executable program code receives an indication that a read operation is a low intensity read operation

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the computer executable program code is further configured to implement a spin lock on a data set contained in the memory when the computer executable program code receives an indication that a read operation is a low intensity read operation.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the computer executable program code is further configured to implement semaphores on a data set contained in the memory when the computer executable program code receives an indication that a read operation is a heavy intensity read operation.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of execution threads executing on the at least one processing unit configured to request access to a data set contained in the memory through a hybrid lock data structure.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein at least one of the plurality of execution threads is configured to provide an indication of the intensity of a read operation to the computer executable program code.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the computer executable program code is further configured to implement a low contention cost lock on a dataset contained in the memory when the computer executable program code receives an indication from one of the plurality of execution threads that a read operation is a heavy intensity read operation, and configured to implement a low overhead cost lock on a dataset contained in the memory when the computer executable program code receives an indication from one of the plurality of execution threads that a read operation is a low intensity read operation

8. An apparatus for maintaining data synchronization in a client-server environment, comprising:

a server;

memory functionally connected to the server, configured to contain a data set; and

computer executable program code executing on the server, configured to control and limit access to a data set contained in the memory through a hybrid lock data structure, and configured to implement different types of locks based on an indication of intensity of a read operation provided to the computer executable program code.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the computer executable program code is further configured to implement a low contention cost lock on a dataset contained in the memory when the computer executable program code receives an indication that a read operation is a heavy intensity read operation, and configured to implement a low overhead cost lock on a dataset contained in the memory when the computer executable program code receives an indication that a read operation is a low intensity read operation.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the computer executable program code is further configured to implement a spinlock on a data set contained in the memory when the computer executable program code receives an indication that a read operation is a low intensity read operation.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the computer executable program code is further configured to implement semaphores on a data set contained in the memory when the computer executable program code receives an indication that a read operation is a heavy intensity read operation.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a plurality of execution threads, wherein at least one of the plurality of execution threads is configured to provide an indication of intensity of a read operation to the computer executable program code.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a plurality clients functionally connected to the server, each client further configured to execute at least one execution thread, wherein each execution thread is configured to request access to a data set contained in the memory through a hybrid lock data structure.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the computer executable program code is further configured to implement a spinlock on a data set contained in the memory when the computer executable program code receives an indication from one of the plurality of clients that a read operation is a low intensity read operation.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the computer executable program code is further configured to implement semaphores on a data set contained in the memory when the computer executable program code receives an indication from one of the plurality of clients that a read operation is a heavy intensity read operation.

16. A method for synchronizing data comprising:

determining if a read operation is a heavy or low intensity read operation;

acquiring a lock on the data to be read;

performing a read operation on the locked data;

releasing the lock on the locked data,

wherein for low intensity read operations, the lock acquired on the data to be read is of a type specifically designed for low overhead cost, and for heavy intensity read operations, the lock acquired on the data to be read is of a type specifically designed for low contention cost.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the lock acquired on the data to be read is exclusive.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the lock acquired on the data to be read is a spinlock.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the lock acquired on the data to be read is non-exclusive.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the lock acquired is a semaphore.

21. The method of claim 16 further comprising determining if an operation is a read or write operation.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

acquiring a low contention cost lock on data;

acquiring a low overhead cost lock on the locked data;

performing a write operation on the locked data;

releasing the low overhead cost lock on the locked data; and

releasing the low contention cost lock on the locked data,

wherein the operation to be performed is a write operation.