Task Group Synchronization for Memory-Efficient Parallel Execution
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Solution Overview
Problem
In multi-processor systems, managing a large number of asynchronous operations represented by task objects leads to significant memory consumption and performance issues due to the need to hold onto object references for waiting on task completion, which prevents garbage collection and results in memory resource bottlenecks.
Innovation Solution
Implementing task grouping where task objects are associated with groups that automatically remove completed task objects from memory, allowing for waiting on task completion without retaining memory-intensive references, and protecting failed task objects for exception propagation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If task object references are held to wait for task completion, then task synchronization is enabled, but memory consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the task waiting mechanism into two separate components: task groups that track task completion status, and individual task objects that execute work. This segmentation allows the system to wait for task completion through group-level synchronization without holding references to all individual task objects, thereby reducing memory consumption while maintaining synchronization capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces task groups as intermediary structures between task objects and the waiting mechanism. Task groups act as mediators that track the completion status of multiple task objects without requiring the waiting thread to hold direct references to each task object. This intermediary layer enables synchronization while allowing garbage collection of individual task objects that are no longer needed.
2Productivity
If a large number of task objects are created for parallel execution, then processing throughput increases, but memory resource bottlenecks occur
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the management of task objects through task groups, the system can create and manage large numbers of task objects for parallel processing without proportionally increasing memory pressure. Task groups provide a compact representation that aggregates multiple task objects, enabling high throughput while controlling memory resource usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables automatic discarding of task object references when tasks complete, allowing the garbage collector to recover memory resources. Task groups maintain minimal state information about completed tasks, enabling the system to discard and recover memory resources efficiently while maintaining the ability to track and wait for task completion.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes creating a first task group. A plurality of task object representations are added to the first task group. Each representation corresponds to one task object in a first plurality of task objects. A wait operation is performed on the first task group that waits for at least one of the task objects in the first plurality of task objects to complete.