Distributed queue-based locking using advanced network features

A distributed lock manager (DLM) provides advisory locking services to applications such as databases and file systems that run on distributed systems. Lock management at the server is implemented using first-in-first-out (FIFO) queues. In this paper, we demonstrate a novel way of delegating the lock management to the participating lock-requesting nodes, using advanced network primitives such as remote direct memory access (RDMA) and atomic operations. This nicely complements the original idea of DLM, where management of the lock space is distributed. Our implementation achieves better load balancing, reduction in server load and improved throughput over traditional designs.