Abstract: A large number of real-time events are efficiently processed using an integer field incremented based on a periodic timer tick and functioning as a global counter. Other integer fields are created for each received real-time event having a value equal to the value of the global counter plus the period of the event. These other fields are stored at the end of a queue that stores all events having the same period. To determine whether any fields in a particular queue have expired, the system checks only the first field in the queue.

Abstract: A Signaling Transfer Point (STP) has a Host complex with non-volatile storage and a processor coupled to a plurality of Network payload processors, each of which has a volatile memory. The STP restores a database of the non-volatile Host to the volatile memory of the plurality of processors after a power interruption or any event requiring reloading or refreshing of the database. Host and Payload processor databases each have a data structure, which is a balanced binary red-black tree, and a cell manager, which provides allocation and direct access to the cells of the binary tree. In an event requiring a reload or refresh of the database, the memory manager of the Host process and the memory manager of the requesting payload processor transmit the Host database to the payload processor in the form as stored on the volatile memory.