Patent ID: 7971000

Claim:
A method for maintaining the consistency of at least one cache memory ( 150 ) accessible by a plurality of independent processes ( 20 ) sharing common data ( 210 ), said cache memory comprising a control table having a plurality of partitions including inputs wherein at least some of the inputs have different sizes, said plurality of processes carrying out simultaneous search operations ( 900 ) for data within the partitions, the method further comprising an insertion operation ( 1030 ) of new data into one of the partitions, said insertion operation comprising the steps of: releasing an input comprising: defining a maximum browsing time, determining the size of the new data, browsing inputs of the partition, interrupting the browsing of the inputs when the maximum browsing time is reached, selecting, from among the browsed inputs, a most suitable input having a sufficient size to accommodate the new data, and releasing the most suitable input; and inserting the new data in the most suitable input, thereby the insertion operation is of limited duration of execution.