Distributed resource management system using hashing operation to direct resource request from different processors to the processor controlling the requested resource

Claim 1

A computer implemented method for cooperatively managing resources which may be needed by a variety of processes running simultaneously on a group of processors each of which is provided with a respective section of memory which is also accessible by other processors in the group, a resource manager program which is replicated for each said processor in its respective section of memory and which is responsive to calls from processes seeking access to resources or release of resources, and a hash table which is divided into portions, each said portion comprised of a series of entries, which are distributed over respective sections of said memory, said method comprising the computer implemented steps of: implementing a hashing algorithm by said resource manager program which directs calls form processes seeking access to a designated resource to a unique memory address location for a unique one of said memory sections associated with the designated resource irrespective of which processors originated the calls, said memory address location storing a hash table entry corresponding to the designated resource, associating, in the unique one of said memory sections, with a corresponding portion of the hash table a plurality of resource data objects, assigning to the designated resource one of the plurality of resource data objects which records information regarding the processes which have access or are seeking access to the designated resource, placing said one of the plurality of resource data objects in a list of resource data objects which are assigned to resources which hash to said entry corresponding to the designated resource, providing said entry corresponding to the designated resource with a pointer which points to said list of resource data objects, and, accessing, through said one of the plurality of resource data objects, said designated resource by said processes seeking access.