Abstract: A preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a memory caching system that uses a method for allocating blocks of memory by: determining if the contents at a selected memory address are stored in the cache by comparing the selected memory address to the addresses stored in the directory, if the selected memory address is not in the cache, allocating a place in the directory for selected address, wherein, if a place in the directory for an address having the same cache line as the selected memory address is in the process of allocating or has been previously allocated, the selected memory address is allocated to that location of the pending or previous allocation.

Abstract: In a distributed data processing system, the authentication of a process at one node for the use of a service at another node is performed in a facility that is separate from the requestor and service process. The separate facility is also replaceable, thereby allowing different authentication policies to be implemented within the distributed data processing system. The requesting process and the service process merely pass the authentication information between themselves without attempting to interpret the work of the separate authentication facility. In addition to authenticating the requestor to the service, the service is also authenticated to the requestor.