Methods and apparatus to implement parallel transactions

US7640402B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Sun Microsystems Inc. · US

Inventors

• David Dice · Foxborough, US
• Nir N. Shavit · Cambridge, US
• Ori Shalev · Kiryat Ono, IL
• Mark A. Moir · Windham, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 30, 2007
• Grant date: Dec 29, 2009
• Expiry date: Apr 11, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC —): General

Abstract

The present disclosure describes a unique way for each of multiple processes to operate in parallel and use the same shared data without causing corruption to the shared data. For example, during a commit phase, a corresponding transaction can attempt to increment a globally accessible version information variable and store a current value of the globally accessible version information variable for updating version information associated with modified data regardless of whether an associated attempt by the corresponding transaction to modify the globally accessible version information variable was successful. As an alternative mode, a corresponding transaction can merely read and store a current value of the globally accessible version information variable without attempting to update the globally accessible version information variable before such use. In yet another application, a parallel processing environment implements a combination of both aforementioned modes depending on a self-abort rate of the transaction.