Patent · US Expired

Dequeue instruction in a system architecture for improved message passing and process synchronization

US5602998A · kind A · utility

14Cited by
12References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 22, 1994
Grant dateFeb 11, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 22, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F9/546
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method for removing a queue entry containing message data from a queue shared by communicating, sequential processes includes dequeue (DEQ) and dequeue or wait (DEQW) instructions. The dequeue instruction removes a queue entry from the head of the shared queue, thereby providing access to the message data contained in the queue entry to the dequeuing process. The dequeue or wait instruction removes a queue entry from the shared queue if there is one, otherwise it suspends the execution of the dequeuing process until an entry is enqueued to the queue. If an event is selected by the dequeuing process, the dequeuing process is suspended until notification of the event is detected in the shared queue. Execution of the dequeue and dequeue or wait instructions include blocking access to the queue by other processes, updating queue linkages, deactivating processes waiting on entries or events being made to the queue, monitoring interrupts, and validating the appropriate queue data structures.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.