Unique Identifier Generation Without Persistent Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current computer systems lack an efficient method for generating unique identifiers within data storage systems that are independent of persistent data storage and system clock, which is essential for ensuring uniqueness across multiple processors and maintaining identifier integrity during reboot scenarios.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a shared value incremented upon each processor boot, combined with a processor identifier and time since boot, is used to generate unique identifiers. This shared value is synchronized across processors, ensuring uniqueness and stability even during reboot events.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If system clock or persistent storage is used to generate unique identifiers, then identifier uniqueness can be maintained, but system reliability deteriorates during reboot scenarios and persistent storage failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the identifier generation logic from dependencies on persistent storage and system clock, creating a self-contained generation mechanism that uses only volatile memory and processor state. This removes the harmful dependency while preserving uniqueness through alternative means (processor ID concatenation with counter).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses temporary in-memory counters and volatile storage instead of persistent storage mechanisms. These short-lived objects are reset on reboot but compensate through processor-specific initialization, providing reliability without the complexity of persistent storage dependencies.
2Reliability
If a shared value is incremented on each processor boot, then identifier uniqueness is improved across multiple processors, but synchronization complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the identifier generation into processor-specific components (processor ID) and local counter components. Each processor maintains its own independent counter in local memory, eliminating the need for inter-processor synchronization while ensuring uniqueness through the combination of segmented identifiers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a token structure as an intermediary that carries the generated identifier. This token serves as a portable representation of the unique identifier, allowing processors to exchange and validate identifiers without requiring direct synchronization or communication protocols.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described for generating a unique identifier by a first processor using a plurality of values including a shared value, the first processor's identifier, a container identifier and a time value. The shared value is a common value used by a plurality of processors including the first processor. The container identifier identifies a memory location. The time value denotes an amount of time that has elapsed since the first processor was last booted.