Patent · US Expired

Agent-implemented locking mechanism

US5913227A · kind A · utility

72Cited by
7References
21Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 24, 1997
Grant dateJun 15, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 24, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F9/52
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method of synchronizing access to a data object that is stored within a shared storage area of a data storage system to which a plurality of host processors are connected, the method including the steps of establishing one of the plurality of host processors as a master host processor, wherein the master host processor owns the shared object within the data storage system; sending an access request from a slave host processor to the master host processor to access the shared object within the data storage system, wherein the slave host processor is one of the plurality of host processors other than the master host processor; in response to receiving the access request at the master host processor, checking whether any conflicting locks are still pending from prior access requests from any of the plurality of host processors; if no locks are still pending, granting the access request from the slave host processor; and notifying the slave processor whether its access request was granted.

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