Fault-tolerant queue with autonomous client operation

A method comprising:

• locking a header of a kernel file by a first client, wherein the kernel file is included in a time queue and has one or more slots;
• inserting into one of the slots an entry which is newer than any other entry in the time queue;
• unlocking by the first client the header;
• changing an attribute of a notification file, thereby waking a second client;
• and
• locking the header by the second client;
• and
• examining by the second client the entry.

A computer program product having a computer readable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon comprising:

• code for attempting by a first client to lock a header of a kernel file to prevent simultaneous access by other clients, wherein the kernel file is included in a queue, implemented in a queue data structure, and has one or more slots to accommodate entries in the queue;
• code for obtaining by the first client a lock of the kernel file header;
• code for retrieving by the first client a first unread queue entry from one of the slots;
• code for unlocking by the first client the kernel file header;
• and
• code for processing by the first client the first unread queue entry.