Managing a shared resource in a multi-processor system

Abstract

A data processing system provides a method and apparatus for managing a shared resource between multiple processors. The data processing system includes a first processor for producing, or supplying, available sections of the shared resource, and a second processor for consuming, or allocating, the available sections within the system. The first and second processor share a memory containing a circular queue, a resource queue, for referencing available shared resource sections. The resource queue is initialized by storing a pointer to an available shared resource section in each entry of the resource queue. The second processor consumes an available section of shared resource by removing a resource pointer from a resource queue entry and sending a message signal to a mailbox message subsystem of the first processor. The first processor produces an additional section of available shared resource by servicing the resource message signal and adding a pointer to the additional shared resource section in an empty resource queue entry.