Patent ID: 8838910

Claim:
A method, in a shared external storage device, for multi-part aggregate variables in shared external storage structures, the method comprising: receiving, by the shared external storage device, a request to write a value to a multi-part aggregate variable from a first member client; creating, by the shared external storage device, a first entry, wherein the first entry comprises a primary key identifying the multi-part aggregate variable, a member identifier identifying the first member client, an identification of an aggregate function for the multi-part aggregate variable, and the value being written by the first member client; determining, by the shared external storage device, an aggregate value for the multi-part aggregate variable based on the aggregate function for the multi-part aggregate variable; writing, by the shared external storage device, the aggregate value for the multi-part aggregate variable in a predetermined entry for the multi-part aggregate variable; and returning the aggregate value to the first member client.