Patent ID: 6026452
Filing Date: 2000-02-15
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
In a digital computer system that includes high speed random access memory(""RAM""), a method for caching in the RAM of the computer system an image of a portion of data stored in a dataset that the computer system can access in response to a request to access such data, the method comprising the steps of:(a) claiming a channel in the RAM of the computer system for storing metadata relevant to accessing data in the dataset;(b) loading metadata into the channel;(c) from a pool of buffers in the RAM of the computer system, assigning to the channel a buffer for storing an image of a portion of the data from the dataset;(d) accessing the dataset to load an image of a portion of the data from the dataset into the buffer assigned to the channel; and(e) responding to the request to access the data by supplying from the buffer an image of the data stored in such buffer together with a portion of the metadata stored in the channel.