Mechanisms for maintaining chains without locks

A method, comprising:

• maintaining, by a computer system, a chain structure that links and orders a set of database objects stored in a cache of the computer system, wherein the set of database objects is usable to affect a performance of database transactions against a database;
• performing, by the computer system, an insertion operation to insert a particular database object into the chain structure, wherein the performing of the insertion operation:
• identifying, from a head pointer of the chain structure, a head database object at a head end of the chain structure;
• setting a pointer of the particular database object to point to the head database object;
• performing a comparison between the head database object and a current head database object pointed at by the head pointer;
• and
• in response to the comparison indicating that the head database object matches the current head database object, updating the head pointer to point to the particular database object, wherein the comparison and the updating of the head pointer are performed together as an atomic operation.

A system, comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• memory having program instructions stored thereon that are executable by the at least one processor to cause the system to perform operations comprising:
• maintaining a chain structure that links and orders a set of database objects stored in a cache, wherein the set of database objects is usable to affect a performance of database transactions against a database;
• performing an insertion operation to insert a particular database object into the chain structure, wherein the performing of the insertion operation includes:
• identifying, from a head pointer of the chain structure, a head database object at a head end of the chain structure;
• setting a pointer of the particular database object to point to the head database object;
• performing a comparison between the head database object and a current head database object pointed at by the head pointer;
• and
• in response to the comparison indicating that the head database object matches the current head database object, updating the head pointer to point to the particular database object, wherein the comparison and the updating of the head pointer are performed together as an atomic operation.