Data structures for parallel resource management

The problem of resource management for many processor architectures can be viewed as the problem of simultaneously updating data structures that hold system state. An approach in which the possibility of using structures with weakened specifications is examined, is presented. Specifically, data structures that weaken the specification of a priority queue, permitting it to be updated simultaneously by multiple processes are introduced. Two structures, the concurrent heap and the software banyan are proposed, along with their associated algorithms for update. The algorithms are shown to possess attractive properties of simultaneous update and throughput. The results of simulation and actual implementations show that such data structures can improve the execution times of parallel algorithms quite significantly. These structures are proposed as possible basic building blocks for implementation of resource allocation in operating systems.<
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