Method, system and program storage device for accessing memory to perform messaging using a channel coupled to a sender and a receiver

• US 7,577,956 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2006
• Issued: 08/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, Mei-Hui, Lewis, Peter A., Sutton, Peter G., Feldman, Allan, Hu, David Y., Williams-Obleton, Alice M., Dryfoos, Robert O., Chen, Shawfu, Keenaghan, Jason A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Van H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang; Kenneth
• Application Number:
  US11/457,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20070016912A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 718/100, 718/101, 711/213, 712/207, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 710/22, 710/23
• US Class Current: 718/101
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/548 Queue
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues

Abstract

A plurality of batch lists are maintained by a channel in order to improve the efficiency of the channel in performing messaging between a sender and a receiver. For example, a Next Batch list is used to prefetch messages to be sent to the receiver from the sender; a Current Batch list includes the messages currently being transmitted to the receiver or waiting confirmation; and an Acknowledged Batch List includes the messages confirmed by the receiver. This allows the functions of prefetching messages, sending messages and deleting confirmed messages to be performed in parallel.

Claims

1. A method of accessing memory to perform messaging using a channel coupled to a sender and a receiver, said method comprising:

transmitting from said sender to said receiver via said channel a batch of one or more messages stored in a first area of memory;

prefetching into a second area of memory, during said transmitting, another batch of one or more messages to be transmitted;

deleting, during said transmitting, a previously sent batch of one or more messages from a third area of memory, wherein the first area of memory, the second area of memory and the third area of memory are accessed substantially in parallel; and

deleting said batch of one or more messages from said first area of memory, subsequent to said receiver acknowledging receipt of said batch of one or more messages.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said batch of one or more messages being transmitted, said another batch of one or more messages being prefetched, and said previously sent batch of one or more messages have corresponding batch numbers assigned thereto.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitting comprises retrieving said batch of one or more messages from a transmission queue, and forwarding said batch of one or more messages to one or more destination queues of said receiver.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said prefetching comprises assigning a batch number to said another batch of one or more messages.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said channel comprises a sender channel.

6. A system of accessing memory to perform messaging using a channel coupled to a sender and a receiver, said system comprising:

means for transmitting from said sender to said receiver via said channel a batch of one or more messages stored in a first area of memory;

means for prefetching into a second area of memory, during the transmitting, another batch of one or more messages to be transmitted;

means for deleting, during the transmitting, a previously sent batch of one or more messages from a third area of memory, wherein the first area of memory, the second area of memory and the third area of memory are accessed substantially in parallel; and

means for deleting said batch of one or more messages from said first area of memory, subsequent to said receiver acknowledging receipt of said batch of one or more messages.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said batch of one or more messages being transmitted, said another batch of one or more messages being prefetched, and said previously sent batch of one or more messages have corresponding batch numbers assigned thereto.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said means for transmitting comprises means for retrieving said batch of one or more messages from said first area of memory, and means for forwarding said batch of one or more messages to one or more destination queues of said receiver.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein said means for prefetching comprises means for assigning a batch number to said another batch of one or more messages.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein said channel comprises a sender channel.

11. At least one program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of accessing memory to perform messaging using a channel coupled to a sender and a receiver, said method comprising:

transmitting from said sender to said receiver via said channel a batch of one or more messages stored in a first area of memory;

prefetching into a second area of memory, during said transmitting, another batch of one or more messages to be transmitted;

deleting, during said transmitting, a previously sent batch of one or more messages from a third area of memory, wherein the first area of memory, the second area of memory and the third area of memory are accessed substantially in parallel; and

deleting said batch of one or more messages from said first area of memory, subsequent to said receiver acknowledging receipt of said batch of one or more messages.

12. The at least one program storage device of claim 11, wherein said batch of one or more messages being transmitted, said another batch of one or more messages being prefetched, and said previously sent batch of one or more messages have corresponding batch numbers assigned thereto.

13. The at least one program storage device of claim 11, wherein said transmitting comprises retrieving said batch of one or more messages from said first area of memory, and forwarding said batch of one or more messages to one or more destination queues of said receiver.

14. The at least one program storage device of claim 11, wherein said prefetching comprises assigning a batch number to said another batch of one or more messages.

15. The at least one program storage device of claim 11, wherein said channel comprises a sender channel.