Efficient timer mechanism for multi-threaded systems

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored therein program code of one or more software programs, wherein the program code when executed by at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory, causes the at least one processing device:

• to implement a timer for controlling requests for delayed execution of functions in accordance with respective delay times;
• the timer comprising:
• a cyclic array of request queues, each configured to hold one or more of the requests;
• and
• a polling thread for polling the request queues to identify, for each of a plurality of polling intervals, a particular one of the requests to be processed from its corresponding one of the request queues;
• wherein the program code when executed further causes the at least one processing device, responsive to receipt of a given one of the requests:
• to compute an array index for the given request based at least in part on an expiration time of the given request and an initialization time of the timer;
• and
• to assign the given request to a particular one of the request queues in accordance with the array index;
• and
• wherein computing the array index for the given request based at least in part on the expiration time of the given request and the initialization time of the timer comprises computing a difference value as a function of the expiration time of the given request and the initialization time of the timer, and computing the array index based at least in part on the computed difference value and a total number of request queues in the cyclic array of request queues.

A method comprising:

• implementing a timer for controlling requests for delayed execution of functions in accordance with respective delay times;
• the timer comprising:
• a cyclic array of request queues, each configured to hold one or more of the requests;
• and
• a polling thread for polling the request queues to identify, for each of a plurality of polling intervals, a particular one of the requests to be processed from its corresponding one of the request queues;
• wherein the method further comprises, responsive to receipt of a given one of the requests:
• computing an array index for the given request based at least in part on an expiration time of the given request and an initialization time of the timer;
• and
• assigning the given request to a particular one of the request queues in accordance with the array index;
• wherein computing the array index for the given request based at least in part on the expiration time of the given request and the initialization time of the timer comprises computing a difference value as a function of the expiration time of the given request and the initialization time of the timer, and computing the array index based at least in part on the computed difference value and a total number of request queues in the cyclic array of request queues;
• and
• wherein the method is performed by at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory.