Patent · US Expired

Masterless locks in a multi-node environment

US7340743B1 · kind B1 · utility

23Cited by
23References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 25, 2003
Grant dateMar 4, 2008
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 2, 2025

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S707/99938
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method, system, application programming interface, computer system, and computer program product to provide locks for controlling access to data by nodes in a multi-node environment while minimizing messages sent between nodes. Based upon knowledge of lock usage in the multi-node environment, a multi-node knowledge agent can determine when no other node is accessing data protected by a given lock, as well as when an event has occurred that precedes a request by another node to access data protected by the given lock. When no other node is accessing data and no such event has occurred, the multi-node knowledge agent can designate that given lock as “masterless.” A lock agent on the node hosting the multi-node knowledge agent is authorized to subsequently grant access to the data protected by the masterless lock to clients on that node without communicating with a lock master, which may reside at another node.

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