Maintaining counters and updating a secondary counter storage

A method for maintaining counters, the method comprising:

• updating a current value of a particular counter of a plurality of counters maintained in a counter bank in response to an identification of the particular counter, and if an overflow condition results, then adding an indication corresponding to the particular counter to an overflow buffer;
• and
• updating values in a secondary storage, said values corresponding to the plurality of counters, said updating including (a) visiting each of the plurality of counters to update corresponding values in the secondary storage, and (b) retrieving one or more indications from the overflow buffer if it is not empty and updating corresponding values in the secondary storage based on said retrieved indications.

An apparatus for maintaining counters, the apparatus comprising:

• means for updating a current value of a particular counter of a plurality of counters maintained in a counter bank in response to an identification of the particular counter, and if an overflow condition results, then adding an indication corresponding to the particular counter to an overflow buffer;
• and
• means for updating values in a secondary storage, said values corresponding to the plurality of counters, said updating including (a) visiting each of the plurality of counters to update corresponding values in the secondary storage, and (b) retrieving one or more indications from the overflow buffer if it is not empty and updating corresponding values in the secondary storage based on said retrieved indications.

One or more computer-readable media for storing computer-executable instructions which when executed enable a computer to perform steps, said steps comprising:

• updating a current value of a particular counter of a plurality of counters maintained in a counter bank in response to an identification of the particular counter, and if an overflow condition results, then adding an indication corresponding to the particular counter to an overflow buffer;
• and
• updating values in a secondary storage, said values corresponding to the plurality of counters, said updating including (a) visiting each of the plurality of counters to update corresponding values in the secondary storage, and (b) retrieving one or more indications from the overflow buffer if it is not empty and updating corresponding values in the secondary storage based on said retrieved indications.