Five Solutions To Concurrency Issues

“Everywhere are His hands and legs, His eyes and faces, and He hears everything. In this way the Supersoul exists.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 13.14)

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सर्वतः पाणि-पादं तत्
सर्वतो ऽक्षि-शिरो-मुखम्
सर्वतः श्रुतिमल् लोके
सर्वम् आवृत्य तिष्ठति

sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādaṁ tat
sarvato ‘kṣi-śiro-mukham
sarvataḥ śrutimal loke
sarvam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati

You have this great resource in technology.  Everybody loves it. They want access to it. It is like a gift from above, something they’ve been waiting on for a long time.  They can’t believe it is finally here.

The big issue now is concurrency.  Many points of access, which could occur simultaneously.  Something like the denial-of-service attack employed by hackers, the potential for a bottleneck is real. The manager of the resource has different proposed solutions for prevention.

1. Locks in a database management system

No matter the size of the application or where it is located, it likely involves some type of data storage and access.  Help in that area arrives through the database management system. Organize the data into tables that are somewhat related to one another.  Enforce referential integrity, check verifications, and the fidelity of transactions.

Since many people might be accessing the application at the same time, there are locks granted, released and shared.  This is an intricate mechanism designed to ensure data integrity, while also limiting bottlenecks.

Of course, no solution is perfect.  If one person takes out an exclusive lock on a table and forgets to complete their transaction, another user could be waiting on that resource…forever.  The more people waiting, the slower the application gets, and the more frustrated the end users become.

2. Stoplights

The people of the town have wanted this highway built for a long time.  It helps in clearing the congestion during rush hour. No more having to traverse tiny roads in small towns.  This highway bypasses everything through ramps and bridges.

Since people travel in different directions, to help in concurrency there is the stoplight.  One side has the opportunity to proceed forward, while the other has to wait. Without respect for the red, yellow and green indicator lights, there would be chaos.

3. Queues

The airlines try to board flights in an orderly manner.  The common practice is to call passengers seated in the rear of the aircraft first.  This only makes sense. If it were the other way around, those on board might block those trying to board, dealing with luggage and so forth.

In some places there is little respect for the queues.  Every man for himself. Never mind the color-coded boarding group signs or the seat numbers.  Better get on first before the overhead bin space runs out.

4. Greater bandwidth

If a website receives more traffic than it can handle, one option is to increase bandwidth.  Something like widening a tunnel or roadway, alter the physical infrastructure itself. The plan has to be carefully handled, for if more space is allocated than is needed, money goes to waste.

5. Replicas

Similar to the increasing bandwidth option, just make extra copies of the resource.  For a website, create a server farm and then add a load-balancer on top. Some intelligence will be used to direct new requests to a server that is not bogged down.

If an apartment complex is full, build another one nearby.  Same amenities. Same location. Same look. Just more people will be able to access.

…

As there is no single perfect solution, a person gets an idea of the vast complexity of this world.  The analysis thus far is only on man-made creations, but consider the various aspects of nature that are vital to the continuation of life.  Sunlight, rain, fields, rivers, and trees get accessed by the entire human society.

The Supreme Lord handles the bottlenecks automatically; without effort.  Concurrency is built into His material nature. The same applies to requests made directly to Him.  The phone line to the spiritual world is never busy. The most important person in the world can be accessed at any time, by any person.

One method is the chanting of the holy names:  Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.  Another is hearing about Him through works such as the Puranas.  A further option is to take His direct instruction from works like Bhagavad-gita.

The common element is a link in consciousness.  This is known as yoga, and the human being is ideally suited for this achievement.  The entire world can practice yoga simultaneously and Shri Krishna will easily be able to accommodate.

In Closing:

Awesome new app to make,
A look everyone wanting to take.

Concurrency resolving a need,
Since so many to proceed.

Imagine nature’s working then,
With so many beings when.

Krishna without effort overseeing,
Never busy for devotees being.