Atomic Hierarchical Data Structure Updates

Solution Overview

Problem

As large systems grow, resource management systems face inefficiencies in managing and applying appropriate actions and behaviors across increasing numbers of system components, leading to challenges in defining and enforcing access privileges and behaviors efficiently.

Innovation Solution

Implementing atomic application of multiple updates to hierarchical data structures, which creates a separate copy of the data structure for modifications, allowing for simultaneous updates without blocking access and ensuring complete, consistent changes are committed atomically, thereby preventing errors and maintaining system availability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If resource management systems are used to manage access privileges and behaviors for system components, then the cost of modifying or enforcing actions is reduced, but the efficiency of coping with growing numbers of system components deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecost of modifying or enforcing actionsVSAvoidefficiency of coping with growing numbers of system components

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the hierarchical data structure into multiple independent trees, where each tree represents a distinct hierarchy. This segmentation allows the system to manage and update specific hierarchies independently, improving efficiency when dealing with large numbers of system components by focusing modifications only on relevant segments rather than the entire structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a separate copy of the hierarchical data structure for modifications. This copy mechanism allows updates to be applied atomically without blocking access to the original structure, enabling efficient concurrent operations and maintaining system availability even as the number of components grows.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Productivity

If updates are applied to hierarchical data structures without atomic operations, then system availability is maintained during modifications, but data integrity and consistency are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem availability during modificationsVSAvoiddata integrity and consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs the copy operation in advance before modifications are applied. This preliminary action creates a snapshot of the original hierarchical data structure, allowing modifications to be applied to the copy without affecting the original. This ensures data integrity while maintaining system availability, as the original structure remains unchanged and accessible throughout the modification process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a separate copy of the hierarchical data structure for modifications. This copy mechanism allows updates to be applied atomically without blocking access to the original structure, enabling efficient concurrent operations and maintaining system availability even as the number of components grows.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Productivity

If multiple updates are applied simultaneously to hierarchical data structures, then modification efficiency is improved, but the risk of errors and incomplete information increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemodification efficiencyVSAvoidrisk of errors and incomplete information

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple updates into a single atomic operation by applying all modifications to a copied hierarchical data structure simultaneously. This merging approach ensures that either all updates are applied together or none are applied, eliminating the risk of partial or inconsistent modifications while maintaining high modification efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a separate copy of the hierarchical data structure for modifications. This copy mechanism allows updates to be applied atomically without blocking access to the original structure, enabling efficient concurrent operations and maintaining system availability even as the number of components grows.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS11341118B2Atomic application of multiple updates to a hierarchical data structure

Publication Date: 2022.05.24 AMAZON TECH INC

AI summary

Multiple edits to a hierarchical data structure may be atomically applied. A request to perform modifications with respect to a portion or the entire hierarchical data structure may be received. A copy of the requested portion of the hierarchical data structure may be created separate from the hierarchical data structure. The portion of the hierarchical data structure may remain available for read access. Modifications may be applied to the copy of the portion of the hierarchical data structure. In response to a request to commit the modifications to the portion of the hierarchical data structure, the copy of the portion of the hierarchical data structure may atomically replace the portion of the hierarchical data structure.