Patent ID: 6122645
Filing Date: 2000-09-19
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
A processing system for use with a database of data records organized into components, said database stored in a memory, comprising:a component copier that creates a physical copy of an original component to be affected by an update transaction to be applied to said database and that causes pointers in nodes of said physical copy to point to other nodes in said physical copy;a data updater, associated with said component copier, that applies said update transaction to said physical copy to create therefrom a new physical version, said original component remaining unaffected by said update transaction;a pointer updater, associated with said data updater, that employs an atomic word write to revise a component pointer, associated with said database, to cause said pointer to point to said new physical version; anda physical ager that de-allocates memory space occupied by said original component after there have been applied to said database all transactions having a physical time stamp less than a time stamp associated with said update transaction.