Patent ID: 8086769

Claim:
A computer implemented method in a data processing system of detecting circular buffer overflow, the computer implemented method comprising: reading an entry in the circular buffer; responsive to reading the entry, setting a valid mark bit in the entry to an inactive state; responsive to setting the valid mark bit in the entry, storing a location of the entry as an entry previously processed; reading a valid mark bit in a next entry and the valid mark bit in the entry previously processed, wherein the next entry is located in the circular buffer immediately after the entry previously processed; responsive to a determination that the valid mark bit in the entry previously processed is in the inactive state indicating the entry previously processed contains no new data to be read and the valid mark bit in the next entry is in an active state indicating the next entry contains new data to be read: reading the next entry, setting the valid mark bit in the next entry to the inactive state in response to reading the next entry, and storing a location of the next entry as the entry previously processed in response to setting the valid mark bit in the next entry; and responsive to a determination that the valid mark bit in the entry previously processed is in the active state indicating the entry previously processed contains new data to be read, determining that a circular buffer protocol has been violated and indicating within the data processing system that a circular buffer overflow has occurred.