A method for implementing lock-free shared-data structures

Barnes, G.H.

doi:10.1145/165231.165265

Cited by 152 publications

(129 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…We also use two versions of a parallel quicksort application, together with a parallel solution to the traveling salesman problem, to compare the performance of the algorithms when used in a real application. 6 To ensure the accuracy of our results regarding the level of multiprogramming, we prevented other users from accessing the multiprocessor during the experiments. To evaluate the performance of the algorithms under different levels of multiprogramming, we used a feature of the Challenge's Irix operating system that allows programmers to pin processes to processors.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Alemany and Felten [1] and LaMarca [20] proposed techniques to reduce unnecessary copying and useless parallelism associated with Herlihy's methodologies using extra communication between the operating system kernel and application processes. Barnes [6] presented a general methodology in which processes record and timestamp their modifications to the shared object, and cooperate whenever conflicts arise. Shavit and Touitou [33] presented software transactional memory, which implements a -word compare-and-swap using load-linked/store-conditional.…”

Section: General Non-blocking Methodologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nonblocking Algorithms and Preemption-Safe Locking on Multiprogrammed Shared Memory Multiprocessors

Michael¹,

Scott²

1998

Journal of Parallel and Distributed Computing

158

146

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Most multiprocessors are multiprogrammed in order to achieve acceptable response time and to increase their utilization. Unfortunately, inopportune preemption may significantly degrade the performance of synchronized parallel applications. To address this problem, researchers have developed two principal strategies for concurrent, atomic update of shared data structures: (1) preemption-safe locking and (2) non-blocking (lock-free) algorithms. Preemption-safe locking requires kernel support. Non-blocking algorithms generally require a universal atomic primitive such as compare-and-swap or load-linked/store-conditional, and are widely regarded as inefficient.We evaluate the performance of preemption-safe lock-based and non-blocking implementations of important data structures-queues, stacks, heaps, and counters-including non-blocking and lock-based queue algorithms of our own, in micro-benchmarks and real applications on a 12-processor SGI Challenge multiprocessor. Our results indicate that our non-blocking queue consistently outperforms the best known alternatives, and that data-structure-specific non-blocking algorithms, which exist for queues, stacks, and counters, can work extremely well. Not only do they outperform preemption-safe lock-based algorithms on multiprogrammed machines, they also outperform ordinary locks on dedicated machines. At the same time, since general-purpose non-blocking techniques do not yet appear to be practical, preemption-safe locks remain the preferred alternative for complex data structures: they outperform conventional locks by significant margins on multiprogrammed systems.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: General Non-blocking Methodologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonblocking Algorithms and Preemption-Safe Locking on Multiprogrammed Shared Memory Multiprocessors

Michael¹,

Scott²

1998

Journal of Parallel and Distributed Computing

158

146

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Barnes [10] presented a disjoint-access parallel universal construction, but the algorithms that result from this universal construction are only non-blocking. In Barnes' algorithm, a process p executing an operation op first simulates the execution of op locally, using a local dictionary where it stores the data items accessed during the simulation of op and their new values.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Universal constructions that ensure disjoint-access parallelism and wait-freedom

et al. 2016

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Disjoint-access parallelism and wait-freedom are two desirable properties for implementations of concurrent objects. Disjoint-access parallelism guarantees that processes operating on different parts of an implemented object do not interfere with each other by accessing common base objects. Thus, disjointaccess parallel algorithms allow for increased parallelism. Wait-freedom guarantees progress for each nonfaulty process, even when other processes run at arbitrary speeds or crash.A universal construction provides a general mechanism for obtaining a concurrent implementation of any object from its sequential code. We identify a natural property of universal constructions and prove that there is no universal construction (with this property) that ensures both disjoint-access parallelism and wait-freedom. This impossibility result also holds for transactional memory implementations that require a process to re-execute its transaction if it has been aborted and guarantee each transaction is aborted only a finite number of times.Our proof is obtained by considering a dynamic object that can grow arbitrarily large during an execution. In contrast, we present a universal construction which produces concurrent implementations that are both wait-free and disjoint-access parallel, when applied to objects that have a bound on the number of data items accessed by each operation they support.

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“…This can be done using methods such as software transactional memory [22] or the so-called locking without blocking techniques [7,25]. The basic idea of these methods is to use CAS in order to acquire virtual locks on the items-one item at a time, and help processes that hold virtual locks on desired items until they are released.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Built-in Coloring for Highly-Concurrent Doubly-Linked Lists

Attiya

Hillel

2012

Theory Comput Syst

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Abstract. This paper presents a novel approach for lock-free implementations of concurrent data structures, based on dynamically maintaining a coloring of the data structure's items. Roughly speaking, the data structure's operations are implemented by acquiring virtual locks on several items of the data structure and then making the changes atomically; this simpli£es the design and provides clean functionality. The virtual locks are managed with CAS or DCAS primitives, and helping is used to guarantee progress; virtual locks are acquired according to a coloring order that decreases the length of waiting chains and increases concurrency. Coming back full circle, the legality of the coloring is preserved by having operations correctly update the colors of the items they modify. The bene£ts of the scheme are demonstrated with new nonblocking implementations of doubly-linked list data structures: A DCAS-based implementation of a doubly-linked list allowing insertions and removals anywhere, and CAS-based implementations in which removals are allowed only at the ends of the list (insertions can occur anywhere). The implementations possess several attractive features: they do not bound the list size, they do not leave accessible chains of garbage nodes, and they allow operations to proceed concurrently, without interfering with each other, if they are applied to non-adjacent nodes in the list.

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A method for implementing lock-free shared-data structures

Cited by 152 publications

References 21 publications

Nonblocking Algorithms and Preemption-Safe Locking on Multiprogrammed Shared Memory Multiprocessors

Nonblocking Algorithms and Preemption-Safe Locking on Multiprogrammed Shared Memory Multiprocessors

Universal constructions that ensure disjoint-access parallelism and wait-freedom

Built-in Coloring for Highly-Concurrent Doubly-Linked Lists

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