Optimized preemption and reservation of software locks for woken threads

• US 8,261,279 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2008
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Accapadi, Jos Manuel, Accapadi, Matthew, Dunshea, Andrew, Michel, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chew, Brian
• Application Number:
  US12/049,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20080163217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,634 Days
• Field of Search: 718/103, 718/104
• US Class Current: 718/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/522 Manager
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/526 Mutual exclusion algorithms

Abstract

An approach is provided that reserves a software lock for a waiting thread is presented. When a software lock is released by a first thread, a second thread that is waiting for the same resource controlled by the software lock is woken up. In addition, a reservation to the software lock is established for the second thread. After the reservation is established, if the lock is available and requested by a thread other than the second thread, the requesting thread is denied, added to the wait queue, and put to sleep. In addition, the reservation is cleared. After the reservation has been cleared, the lock will be granted to the next thread to request the lock.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

releasing a software lock by a first thread, wherein the releasing results in the software lock being available;

identifying a second thread waiting on the software lock at the time of the releasing;

establishing a reservation to the software lock by the second thread in response to the identifying;

waking the second thread in response to the releasing;

after the establishment of the reservation and before the second thread acquires the software lock has been taken by the second thread, receiving a first request for the software lock by a first requesting thread that is not the second thread;

in response to receiving the first request, determining a reservation status for the software lock;

in response to determining that the software lock is reserved for the second thread, denying the first request and putting the first requesting thread to sleep, wherein denying the first request and putting the first requesting thread to sleep are performed while the software lock is available;

clearing the reservation in response to receiving the first request;

after the clearing and before the second thread acquires the software lock, receiving a second request for the software lock by a second requesting thread; and

in response to the second requesting thread not being the second thread, allowing the second requesting thread to acquire the software lock in response to the second request.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in response to the second requesting thread being the second thread, allowing the second thread to acquire the software lock; and

clearing the reservation in response to receiving the second request.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting a thread identifier corresponding to the second thread from a wait queue, wherein the wait queue includes one or more thread identifiers corresponding to threads waiting for the software lock; and

removing the selected thread identifier from the wait queue.

4. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory accessible by the processors;

a plurality of threads, including a first thread and a second thread, stored in the memory and executed by the processors;

a software lock that controls access to a resource; and

a set of instructions executed by the processors to perform actions of;

releasing the software lock by the first thread, wherein the releasing results in the software lock being available;

identifying a second thread waiting on the software lock at the time of the releasing;

establishing a reservation to the software lock by the second thread in response to the identifying;

waking the software lock in response to the identifying;

after the establishment of the reservation and before the second thread acquires the software lock, receiving a first request for the software lock by a first requesting thread that is not the second thread;

in response to receiving the first request, determining a reservation status for the software lock; and

in response to determining that the software lock is reserved for the second thread, denying the first request and putting the first requesting thread to sleep, wherein denying the first request and putting the first requesting thread to sleep are performed while the software lock is available;

clearing the reservation in response to receiving the first request;

after the clearing and before the second thread acquires the software lock, receiving a second request for the software lock by a second requesting thread; and

in response to the second requesting thread not being the second thread, allowing the second requesting thread to acquire the software lock in response to the second request.

5. The information handling system of claim 4 further comprising:

in response to the second requesting thread being the second thread, allowing the second thread to acquire the software lock; and

clearing the reservation in response to receiving the second request.

6. The information handling system of claim 4 further comprising:

selecting a thread identifier corresponding to the second thread from a wait queue, wherein the wait queue includes one or more thread identifiers corresponding to threads waiting for the software lock; and

removing the selected thread identifier from the wait queue.

7. A computer program product in a computer-readable storage medium comprising functional descriptive material that, when executed by a computer, directs the computer to perform actions of:

releasing a software lock by a first thread, wherein the releasing results in the software lock being available;

identifying a second thread waiting on the software lock at the time of the releasing;

establishing a reservation to the software lock by the second thread in response to the identifying;

waking the software lock in response to the identifying;

after the establishment of the reservation and before the second thread acquires the software lock has been taken by the second thread, receiving a first request for the software lock by a first requesting thread that is not the second thread;

in response to receiving the first request, determining a reservation status for the software lock; and

in response to determining that the software lock is reserved for the second thread, denying the first request and putting the first requesting thread to sleep, wherein denying the first request and putting the first requesting thread to sleep are performed while the software lock is available;

clearing the reservation in response to receiving the first request;

after the clearing and before the second thread acquires the software lock, receiving a second request for the software lock by a second requesting thread; and

in response to the second requesting thread not being the second thread, allowing the second requesting thread to acquire the software lock in response to the second request.

8. The computer program product of claim 7 further comprising:

in response to the second requesting thread being the second thread, allowing the second thread to acquire the software lock; and

clearing the reservation in response to receiving the second request.

9. The computer program product of claim 7 further comprising:

selecting a thread identifier corresponding to the second thread from a wait queue, wherein the wait queue includes one or more thread identifiers corresponding to threads waiting for the software lock; and

removing the selected thread identifier from the wait queue.