Locally made, globally coordinated resource allocation decisions based on information provided by the second-price auction model

In a computer system having at least one resource and a plurality of activities, comprising threads of programs requiring access to said resource, a user-level method of determining when to relinquish a current activity's access to said resource, said method comprising:

• a. maintaining a second bid which is indicative of a currently inactive activity's priority for access to said resource;
• b. maintaining a first bid which is indicative of said current activity's priority for continued access to said resource;
• c. comparing said first bid with said second bid;
• and
• d. discontinuing said current activity's access to said resource if said second bid compares with said first bid in a predetermined manner.

In a computer system having a plurality of activities competing for access to a plurality of resources, said activities comprising threads of programs, a method of providing user-level scheduling access to each of said resources, for each resource said method comprising:

• a. comparing priority values of each of said activity's requirement for access to said resource;
• b. granting access to a first activity, of said activities, having a first priority value which compares with other of said priority values in a first predetermined manner;
• and
• c. while said first activity has access to said resource, comparing said first priority value with said other priority values, wherein said first activity will relinquish access to said resource if said first priority value compares with said other priority values in a first predetermined manner.

In a computer system having a plurality of activities competing for access to a plurality of resources, said activities comprising threads of programs, a method of providing user-level scheduling access to at least one of said resources, said method comprising:

• a. posting a priority value for each of said activities requiring access to said resource;
• b. granting access to one of said activities having posted a first priority value which compares with other of said priority values in a predetermined manner;
• c. for those of said activities not currently having access to said resource and requiring access to said resource, posting a second priority value;
• d. comparing said second priority value with said first priority value;
• and
• e. relinquishing said one activity's access to said resource if said first priority value compares with said second priority value in a predetermined manner.

A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform user-level method steps for determining when to relinquish a current activity's access to a resource in a computer system having at least one resource and a plurality of activities comprising threads of programs requiring access to said resource, said method comprising:

• a. maintaining a second bid which is indicative of a currently inactive activity's priority for access to said resource;
• b. maintaining a first bid which is indicative of said current activity's priority for continued access to said resource;
• c. comparing said first bid with said second bid;
• and
• d. discontinuing said current activity's access to said resource if said second bid compares with said first bid in a predetermined manner.

In a computer system, a method of providing user-level scheduling access to an exclusive source between a plurality of activities, said activities comprising threads of programs, of said system, said method comprising:

• a. comparing bids of each of a plurality of said activities requiring access to said resource to determine which first of said activities is to be granted access to said resource;
• b. granting access to said resource to said first activity;
• and
• c. relinquishing access to said resource by said first activity if a predetermined result is obtained by comparing said bid of said first activity with bids of said activities which currently do not have access to said resource to determine whether said first activity should relinquish access to said resource.

A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said machine to perform method steps, in a computer system having a plurality of activities comprising threads of programs competing for access to a plurality of resources, for providing user-level scheduling access to each of a plurality of resources, for each resource said method comprising:

• b. comparing priority values of each of said activity's requirement for access to said resource;
• b. granting access to a first activity, of said activities, having a first priority value which compares with other of said priority values in a first predetermined manner;
• and
• c. while said first activity has access to said resource, comparing said first priority value with said other priority values, wherein said first activity will relinquish access to said resource if said first priority value compares with said other priority values in a first predetermined manner.