Abstract: A region-based placement policy that can be used to achieve a better distribution of data in a clustered storage system is disclosed herein. The clustered storage system includes a master module to implement the region-based placement policy for storing one or more copies of a received data across many data nodes of the clustered storage system. When implementing the region-based placement policy, the master module splits the received data into one or more regions, where each region includes a contiguous portion of the received data. Further, for each of the plurality of regions, the master module stores complete copies of the region in a subset of the data nodes.

Abstract: A region-based placement policy that can be used to achieve a better distribution of data in a clustered storage system is disclosed herein. The clustered storage system includes a master module to implement the region-based placement policy for storing one or more copies of a received data across many data nodes of the clustered storage system. When implementing the region-based placement policy, the master module splits the received data into one or more regions, where each region includes a contiguous portion of the received data. Further, for each of the plurality of regions, the master module stores complete copies of the region in a subset of the data nodes.

Abstract: A region-based placement policy that can be used to achieve a better distribution of data in a clustered storage system is disclosed herein. The clustered storage system includes a master module to implement the region-based placement policy for storing one or more copies of a received data across many data nodes of the clustered storage system. When implementing the region-based placement policy, the master module splits the received data into one or more regions, where each region includes a contiguous portion of the received data. Further, for each of the plurality of regions, the master module stores complete copies of the region in a subset of the data nodes.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for allocating computer memory for an aggregate data type is provided, wherein that allocating is based on data that is separate from a type definition. According to one technique, an instruction to construct an instance of an aggregate data type is received. The aggregate data type (and therefore the instance) includes an attribute. It is determined, based on data called a “Constructor Descriptor”, whether memory for that attribute is to be allocated in-line or out-of-line. The Constructor Descriptor is separate from the type definition of the attribute. Memory for the attribute is allocated in-line or out-of-line depending on the determination made. Using this technique, memory allocation can be customized based on, for example, the system resources of a specific computer system. This technique is applicable, for example, to compilers and interpreters of object oriented or record oriented languages.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for paging data in a computer system is provided. A set of data associated with a program unit is divided into pages such that no item of the set of data spans more than one page. The size of one page may vary from the size of another. When the program unit is compiled, metadata is generated that indicates the division of items into pages. At load time, a page mapping is generated based on the metadata. The page mapping is used to locate a item that belongs to the set of data. Other parts of the program unit, such as byte code, can contain references to items in the constant pool. Each reference specifies the number of the page in which the corresponding item will be stored at runtime, and the offset of that item within the page.

Abstract: A method is disclosed that involves establishing a transaction stack in a memory of a computing system that is processing transactions. Two commands, PUSH and POP, operate on the stack. The PUSH command causes a frame of data identifying the currently executing transaction to be pushed onto the transaction stack. After a PUSH is executed, the first transactional statement that executes causes creation of a new autonomous transaction. If another transactional statement is executed after the new transaction commits or rolls back, but before a POP is executed, then another new autonomous transaction is created. A POP operation restores the transaction identified by the top frame of the stack. In another aspect, a programming language construct is provided for associating a lexical scope with an autonomous transaction scope. When the lexical scope is first entered during execution of the program in a first transaction, the transaction context of the first transaction is stored on a transaction stack.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for storing a variable length operand offset in a computer instruction is provided. An operand base is stored in a computer instruction. Also stored in the computer instruction is a variable length operand offset that is associated with the operand base. In addition, an operand offset length is stored within the computer instruction that defines the length of the variable length operand offset. Storing an operand offset length with each variable length operand offset in a computer instruction provides for the reduction of unused space.

Abstract: Execution memory for use in processing a program unit for a database is allocated by inspecting an execution memory area pool for a previously allocated execution memory area. If a previously allocated execution memory area is found, then the previously allocated execution memory area is established as the execution memory area for executing the program unit. On the other hand, if a previously allocated execution memory area is not found, then a new execution memory area is allocated and configured for executing the program unit.