18046033. REDUCING EXTRANEOUS MESSAGES IN A DISTRIBUTED LOCK SYSTEM simplified abstract (Dell Products L.P.)

REDUCING EXTRANEOUS MESSAGES IN A DISTRIBUTED LOCK SYSTEM

Organization Name

Dell Products L.P.

Inventor(s)

Gavin Greene of Cedar Park TX (US)

REDUCING EXTRANEOUS MESSAGES IN A DISTRIBUTED LOCK SYSTEM - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18046033 titled 'REDUCING EXTRANEOUS MESSAGES IN A DISTRIBUTED LOCK SYSTEM

Simplified Explanation

The technology described in this patent application aims to reduce resource-related messages in a distributed locking system by queuing lock requests and release messages during an interval and processing them together to update the resource state.

• Requests for resource locks or ranges received during an interval are queued along with lock release messages.
• The queue is processed after the interval to update the resource state, potentially reducing the number of messages sent.
• Lock request messages for consecutive resource ranges from the same requestor can be combined into a single lock grant message.
• If a lock request is received before a lock release in an interval, the lock is released before processing the lock request message to avoid unnecessary messages.

Potential Applications

The technology can be applied in distributed systems where resource locking is necessary to ensure data consistency and prevent conflicts among multiple users or processes.

Problems Solved

1. Reducing the number of resource-related messages in a distributed locking system. 2. Improving efficiency by processing lock requests and releases in batches rather than individually.

Benefits

1. Increased system performance by minimizing message overhead. 2. Enhanced scalability by optimizing resource management in distributed environments.

Potential Commercial Applications

Optimizing resource locking mechanisms in cloud computing platforms, database management systems, and distributed file systems.

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art could be the use of batch processing techniques in distributed systems to optimize resource management and reduce message traffic. Another could be the implementation of queuing mechanisms for handling lock requests and releases in a distributed environment.

How does this technology impact system reliability?

The article does not delve into the potential impact of this technology on system reliability. It would be important to understand if batch processing of lock requests and releases could introduce any vulnerabilities or affect the overall reliability of the system.

What are the potential limitations of this technology in highly dynamic environments?

The article does not address the potential limitations of this technology in highly dynamic environments where resource contention and lock conflicts may occur frequently. It would be essential to explore how the proposed solution performs under such conditions and if any adjustments are needed to ensure its effectiveness.

Original Abstract Submitted

The technology described herein is directed towards reducing resource-related messages in a distributed locking system in which exclusive locks can be granted. Requests for a resource lock or range thereof received during an interval are queued, along with lock release messages. The queue is processed after the interval to update the resource state, which can result in a reduction in messages. In one example, separate lock request messages received during an interval from the same requestor for two or more consecutive resource ranges are combined, whereby a single lock grant message for the combined resource ranges is sent instead of one for each request. In another example, if in an interval a lock request for a resource/range is received before a lock release, the lock is released before the lock request message is processed. This avoids sending a lock release request message to the previous owner.