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Synchronization with partial memory replication

Synchronization with partial memory replication description/claims

The present application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 60/850,450 (5027AR-US) and 60/850,537 (5027Y-US), both filed 9 Oct. 2006; and to Australian Provisional Application Nos. 2006905535 (5027AR-AU) and 2006905534 (5027Y-AU), both filed on 5 Oct. 2006, each of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

This application is related to concurrently filed U.S. application entitled “Synchronization with Partial Memory Replication,” (Attorney Docket No. 61130-8028.US02 (5027AR-US02)) and concurrently filed U.S. application entitled “Synchronization with Partial Memory Replication,” (Attorney Docket No. 61130-8028.US03 (5027AR-US03)), each of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to computing and, in particular, to synchronization. The present invention finds particular application to the simultaneous operation of a plurality of computers interconnected via a communications network.

International Patent Application No. PCT/AU2005/000580 (Attorney Ref 5027F-WO) published under WO 2005/103926 (to which U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/111,946 and published under No. 2005-0262313 corresponds) in the name of the present applicant, discloses how different portions of an application program written to execute on only a single computer can be operated substantially simultaneously on a corresponding different one of a plurality of computers. That simultaneous operation has not been commercially used as of the priority date of the present application. International Patent Application Nos. PCT/AU2005/001641 (WO2006/110,937) (Attorney Ref 5027F-D1-WO) to which U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/259,885 entitled: “Computer Architecture Method of Operation for Multi-Computer Distributed Processing and Co-ordinated Memory and Asset Handling” corresponds and PCT/AU2006/000532 (WO2007/110,957) (Attorney Ref: 5027F-D2-WO) both in the name of the present applicant and both unpublished as at the priority date of the present application, also disclose further details. The contents of the specification of each of the abovementioned prior application(s) are hereby incorporated into the present specification by cross reference for all purposes.

Briefly stated, the abovementioned patent specifications disclose that at least one application program written to be operated on only a single computer can be simultaneously operated on a number of computers each with independent local memory. The memory locations required for the operation of that program are replicated in the independent local memory of each computer. On each occasion on which the application program writes new data to any replicated memory location, that new data is transmitted and stored at each corresponding memory location of each computer. Thus apart from the possibility of transmission delays, each computer has a local memory the contents of which are substantially identical to the local memory of each other computer and are updated to remain so. Since all application programs, in general, read data much more frequently than they cause new data to be written, the abovementioned arrangement enables very substantial advantages in computing speed to be achieved. In particular, the stratagem enables two or more commodity computers interconnected by a commodity communications network to be operated simultaneously running under the application program written to be executed on only a single computer.

Australian Patent Application No. 2005 905 582 entitled “Modified Machine Architecture with Partial Updating” (Attorney Ref. 5027I) lodged 10 Oct. 2005, (to which International Application No. PCT/AU2006/001447 (WO2007/041762) and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/583,958 (60/730,543) correspond) (s); Australian Patent Application No. 2005 905 581 entitled “Multiple Computer System with Enhanced Memory Clean Up” (Attorney Ref. 5027J) also lodged 10 Oct. 2005 (to which International Application No. PCT/AU2006/001448 (WO2007/041762) and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/583,991 (60/730,408) correspond)(s); and Australian Patent Application No. 2005 905 734 entitled ‘Multiple Machine Architecture with Overhead Reduction” (Attorney Ref. 5027M) lodged 17 Oct. 2005(to which International Patent Application No. PCT/AU2006/001451 (WO2007/045014) and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/583,359 (60/730,544) correspond)(s) all disclose that it is not necessary for all memory locations, objects, assets, etc in any one computer to be replicated in all the other computers. Instead a partial memory replication will suffice. The contents of all the last mentioned patent specifications are hereby incorporated into the present specification by cross reference for all purposes.

Briefly stated, the three last mentioned patent specifications disclose that memory locations, assets, objects, classes, etc. of a specific computer can be categorised into two groups, those that need to be referenced or otherwise consulted by another computer, and those that don't. The membership of the groups can be maintained up to date as the application program execution progresses by maintaining one or more tables or other such listings, the contents of which are regularly updated. The three abovementioned patent specifications are concerned mainly with reducing the amount of data which needs to be transferred between the multiple computers or machines via the communications network 53 which interconnects the computers.

The first abovementioned PCT application discloses the need to grant and release a synchronizing lock to ensure that the replicated memory is maintained self-coherent, or at least substantially self-coherent. The present invention is directed to synchronization in the circumstances of partial memory replication.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is disclosed in a multiple computer environment in which a plurality of computers are all interconnected via a communications network and substantially simultaneously execute corresponding different portions of an application program written to be executed only on a single computer, and in which each computer has an independent local memory which is not necessarily identical, the improvement comprising the steps of:

(i) prior to acquiring or releasing a synchronizing lock on a specific local memory location checking to see if that memory location is replicated in the local memory of any other computer, and (ii) by-passing acquiring or releasing said lock only if said specific memory location is not replicated on at least one other computer.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a computer program product comprising a set of program instructions stored in a storage medium and operable to permit a plurality of computers to carry out the above defined method.

In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a plurality of computers interconnected via a communications network and operable to ensure carrying out of the above described method.

In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a multiple computer system comprising a plurality of computers all interconnected via a communications network, each having an independent local memory and each substantially simultaneously operating a corresponding different portion of an applications program written to be executed only on a single computer, said local memory of each said computer not necessarily being identical, wherein each said computer includes a check means to check prior to acquiring or releasing a synchronizing lock on a specific local memory location, to see if that memory location is replicated in the local memory of any other computer, said check means by-passing said lock acquisition or release only if said specific memory location is not replicated on at least one other computer.

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