Abstract: A concurrency-restricting lock may divide a set of threads waiting to acquire the lock into an active circulating set (ACS) that contends for the lock, and a passive set (PS) that awaits an opportunity to contend for the lock. The lock, which may include multiple constituent lock types, lists, or queues, may be unfair over the short term, but improve throughput of the underlying multithreaded application. Culling and long-term fairness policies may be applied to the lock to move excess threads from the ACS to the PS or promote threads from the PS to the ACS. These policies may constraint the size or distribution of threads in the ACS (which may be NUMA-aware). A waiting policy may avoid aggressive promotion from the PS to the ACS, and a short-term fairness policy may move a thread from the tail of a list or queue to its head.

Abstract: A computer comprising one or more processors and memory implements a thread manager for multiple threads of an application. The thread manager may implement a process-local cache of standby threads for the application. Upon request to create a thread for the application, the thread manager may use a standby thread from the process-local cache to create the requested thread, initializing thread-local storage elements and scheduling the thread for execution. Upon request to terminate a thread of the application, the thread manager may place the thread in an unscheduled state and add the thread to the process-local cache of standby threads. The thread manager may also add or remove standby threads to the process-local cache of standby threads in the event the thread manager determines that the number of standby threads in the process-local cache lies outside a target range.

Abstract: A computer including multiple processors and memory implements a managed runtime providing a synchronization application programming interface (API) for threads that perform synchronized accesses to shared objects. A standardized header of objects includes a memory word storing an object identifier. To lock the object for synchronized access, the memory word may be converted to store the tail of a linked list of a first-in-first-out synchronization structures for threads waiting to acquire the lock, with the object identifier relocated to the list structure. The list structure may further include a stack of threads waiting on events related to the object, with the synchronization API additionally providing wait, notify and related synchronization operations. Upon determining that no threads hold or desire to hold the lock for the object and that no threads are waiting on events related to the object, the memory word may be restored to contain the object identifier.

Abstract: A concurrency-restricting lock may divide a set of threads waiting to acquire the lock into an active circulating set (ACS) that contends for the lock, and a passive set (PS) that awaits an opportunity to contend for the lock. The lock, which may include multiple constituent lock types, lists, or queues, may be unfair over the short term, but improve throughput of the underlying multithreaded application. Culling and long-term fairness policies may be applied to the lock to move excess threads from the ACS to the PS or promote threads from the PS to the ACS. These policies may constraint the size or distribution of threads in the ACS (which may be NUMA-aware). A waiting policy may avoid aggressive promotion from the PS to the ACS, and a short-term fairness policy may move a thread from the tail of a list or queue to its head.

Abstract: Generic Concurrency Restriction (GCR) may divide a set of threads waiting to acquire a lock into two sets: an active set currently able to contend for the lock, and a passive set waiting for an opportunity to join the active set and contend for the lock. The number of threads in the active set may be limited to a predefined maximum or even a single thread. Generic Concurrency Restriction may be implemented as a wrapper around an existing lock implementation. Generic Concurrency Restriction may, in some embodiments, be unfair (e.g., to some threads) over the short term, but may improve the overall throughput of the underlying multithreaded application via passivation of a portion of the waiting threads.

Abstract: NUMA-aware reader-writer locks may leverage lock cohorting techniques that introduce a synthetic level into the lock hierarchy (e.g., one whose nodes do not correspond to the system topology). The synthetic level may include a global reader lock and a global writer lock. A writer thread may acquire a node-level writer lock, then the global writer lock, and then the top-level lock, after which it may access a critical section protected by the lock. The writer may release the lock (if an upper bound on consecutive writers has been met), or may pass the lock to another writer (on the same node or a different node, according to a fairness policy). A reader may acquire the global reader lock (whether or not node-level reader locks are present), and then the top-level lock. However, readers may only hold these locks long enough to increment reader counts associated with them.

Abstract: A data object has a lock and a condition indicator associated with it. Based at least partly on detecting a first setting of the condition indicator, a reader stores an indication that the reader has obtained read access to the data object in an element of a readers structure and reads the data object without acquiring the lock. A writer detects the first setting and replaces it with a second setting, indicating that the lock is to be acquired by readers before reading the data object. Prior to performing a write on the data object, the writer verifies that one or more elements of the readers structure have been cleared.

Abstract: NUMA-aware reader-writer locks may leverage lock cohorting techniques that introduce a synthetic level into the lock hierarchy (e.g., one whose nodes do not correspond to the system topology). The synthetic level may include a global reader lock and a global writer lock. A writer thread may acquire a node-level writer lock, then the global writer lock, and then the top-level lock, after which it may access a critical section protected by the lock. The writer may release the lock (if an upper bound on consecutive writers has been met), or may pass the lock to another writer (on the same node or a different node, according to a fairness policy). A reader may acquire the global reader lock (whether or not node-level reader locks are present), and then the top-level lock. However, readers may only hold these locks long enough to increment reader counts associated with them.

Abstract: Generic Concurrency Restriction (GCR) may divide a set of threads waiting to acquire a lock into two sets: an active set currently able to contend for the lock, and a passive set waiting for an opportunity to join the active set and contend for the lock. The number of threads in the active set may be limited to a predefined maximum or even a single thread. Generic Concurrency Restriction may be implemented as a wrapper around an existing lock implementation. Generic Concurrency Restriction may, in some embodiments, be unfair (e.g., to some threads) over the short term, but may improve the overall throughput of the underlying multithreaded application via passivation of a portion of the waiting threads.

Abstract: A data object has a lock and a condition indicator associated with it. Based at least partly on detecting a first setting of the condition indicator, a reader stores an indication that the reader has obtained read access to the data object in an element of a readers structure and reads the data object without acquiring the lock. A writer detects the first setting and replaces it with a second setting, indicating that the lock is to be acquired by readers before reading the data object. Prior to performing a write on the data object, the writer verifies that one or more elements of the readers structure have been cleared.

Abstract: A first data accessor acquires a lock associated with a critical section. The first data accessor initiates a help session associated with a first operation of the critical section. In the help session, a second data accessor (which has not acquired the first lock) performs one or more sub-operations of the first operation. The first data accessor releases the lock after at least the first operation has been completed.

Abstract: Efficient use of condition variables for communication between threads of a multi-threaded application may be ensured using delegated condition evaluation. A thread in a runnable state may request to wait for a change to a condition, the request including instructions that, when executed, return a value indicating if the wait is to be terminated. The thread may then be placed in a non-runnable state waiting for a change to the condition, and upon determining a change to the condition, the instructions are executed to receive the value indicating if the wait is to be terminated. If the value indicates that the wait is to be terminated, the thread is placed in a runnable state. If the value indicates that the wait is not to be terminated, the thread remains in a non-runnable state.

Abstract: A reader of a set of data accessors that includes readers and writer detects that a particular lock of a first collection of non-global locks associated with a data object of a computing environment is held by another accessor. After checking a blocking indicator, the reader uses a second lock (which is not part of the first collection) to obtain read access to the data object and implements its reads without acquiring the particular lock. Prior to implementing a write on the data object, a writer acquires at least some locks of the first collection, and sets the blocking indicator to prevent readers from using the second lock to obtain read access to the data object.

Abstract: A computer comprising multiple processors and non-uniform memory implements multiple threads that perform a lock operation using a shared lock structure that includes a pointer to a tail of a first-in-first-out (FIFO) queue of threads waiting to acquire the lock. To acquire the lock, a thread allocates and appends a data structure to the FIFO queue. The lock is released by selecting and notifying a waiting thread to which control is transferred, with the thread selected executing on the same processor socket as the thread controlling the lock. A secondary queue of threads is managed for threads deferred during the selection process and maintained within the data structures of the waiting threads such that no memory is required within the lock structure. If no threads executing on the same processor socket are waiting for the lock, entries in the secondary queue are transferred to the FIFO queue preserving FIFO order.

Abstract: A first data accessor acquires a lock associated with a critical section. The first data accessor initiates a help session associated with a first operation of the critical section. In the help session, a second data accessor (which has not acquired the first lock) performs one or more sub-operations of the first operation. The first data accessor releases the lock after at least the first operation has been completed.

Abstract: A reader of a set of data accessors that includes readers and writer detects that a particular lock of a first collection of non-global locks associated with a data object of a computing environment is held by another accessor. After checking a blocking indicator, the reader uses a second lock (which is not part of the first collection) to obtain read access to the data object and implements its reads without acquiring the particular lock. Prior to implementing a write on the data object, a writer acquires at least some locks of the first collection, and sets the blocking indicator to prevent readers from using the second lock to obtain read access to the data object.

Abstract: Transactional Lock Elision allows hardware transactions to execute unmodified critical sections protected by the same lock concurrently, by subscribing to the lock and verifying that it is available before committing the transaction. A “lazy subscription” optimization, which delays lock subscription, can potentially cause behavior that cannot occur when the critical sections are executed under the lock. Hardware extensions may provide mechanisms to ensure that lazy subscriptions are safe (e.g., that they result in correct behavior). Prior to executing a critical section transactionally, its lock and subscription code may be identified (e.g., by writing their locations to special registers). Prior to committing the transaction, the thread executing the critical section may verify that the correct lock was correctly subscribed to. If not, or if locations identified by the special registers have been modified, the transaction may be aborted.

Abstract: A computer comprising multiple processors and non-uniform memory implements multiple threads that perform a lock operation using a shared lock structure that includes a pointer to a tail of a first-in-first-out (FIFO) queue of threads waiting to acquire the lock. To acquire the lock, a thread allocates and appends a data structure to the FIFO queue. The lock is released by selecting and notifying a waiting thread to which control is transferred, with the thread selected executing on the same processor socket as the thread controlling the lock. A secondary queue of threads is managed for threads deferred during the selection process and maintained within the data structures of the waiting threads such that no memory is required within the lock structure. If no threads executing on the same processor socket are waiting for the lock, entries in the secondary queue are transferred to the FIFO queue preserving FIFO order.

Abstract: A remove operation and an add-to-front operation may be currently performed with respect to nodes in an Least Recently Used (LRU) queue. A remove operation for a node may proceed if a lock can be obtained on the node to be removed and a predecessor node. During the remove operation, an add-to-front operation may proceed if a lock can be obtained on a dummy node that precedes the current front node of the LRU queue.

Abstract: A data object has a lock and a condition indicator associated with it. Based at least partly on detecting a first setting of the condition indicator, a reader stores an indication that the reader has obtained read access to the data object in an element of a readers structure and reads the data object without acquiring the lock. A writer detects the first setting and replaces it with a second setting, indicating that the lock is to be acquired by readers before reading the data object. Prior to performing a write on the data object, the writer verifies that one or more elements of the readers structure have been cleared.