Zero-copy caching

A method for caching data from an immutable buffer, the method comprising:

• an act of a first computing entity accessing a first strong reference to an immutable buffer, wherein the immutable buffer protects the data populated within the immutable buffer from changing during the lifetime of the immutable buffer, and the immutable buffer is also protected from having its physical address changed during the lifetime of the immutable buffer, wherein so long as any entity has a strong reference to the immutable buffer, the immutable buffer is guaranteed to continue to exist for at least the duration of the strong reference for each entity that has the strong reference;
• an act of the first computing entity formulating a cache using data from the immutable buffer;
• an act of the first computing entity providing a second strong reference to the second computing entity;
• and
• an act of the first computing entity releasing the first strong reference when the first computing entity is completed with the cache.

A method for caching data from an immutable buffer, the method comprising:

• an act of a second computing entity obtaining a strong reference to an immutable buffer to which a first computing entity also has a strong reference in order to create a cache at the first computing entity, the immutable buffer protecting the data populated within the immutable buffer from changing during the lifetime of the immutable buffer, and also protects the immutable buffer from having its physical address changed during the lifetime of the immutable buffer, wherein so long as any entity has a strong reference to the immutable buffer, the immutable buffer is guaranteed to continue to exist for at least the duration of the strong reference for each entity that has the strong reference;
• and
• an act of the second computing entity obtaining a strong reference to the immutable buffer;
• while the second computing entity still has the strong reference to the immutable buffer, an act of reading data from the immutable buffer,
• upon or after reading the data from the cache, an act of the second computing entity demoting the strong reference to the immutable buffer to a weak reference to the immutable buffer, wherein a weak reference to the immutable buffer does not guarantee that the immutable buffer will continue to exist for the duration of the weak reference.