Cycle saving technique for managing linked lists

Abstract

A method and system for queueing data within a data storage device including a set of storage blocks each having an address, a pointer field, and a data field. This set of storage blocks comprises a linked list of associated storage blocks and also a free pool of available storage blocks. The storage device further includes a tail register for tracking an empty tail block from which a data object is enqueued into the linked list. A request to enqueue a data object into the linked list is received within the data storage system. In response to the data enqueue request, an available storage block from the free pool is selected and associated with the tail register. A single write operation is then required to write the data object into the data field of a current tail block and to write the address of the selected storage block into the pointer field of the current tail block, such that the selected storage block becomes a new tail block to which the tail register points.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.