Latches and locks
What is the difference between latches,locks and semaphore in oracle ?
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Latching
SQL Server uses latches to provide data synchronization. A latch is a user-mode reader-writer lock implemented by SQL Server. Each data page in memory has a buffer (BUF) tracking structure. The BUF structure contains status information (Dirty, On LRU, In I/O) as well as a latch structure.
Locking maintains the appropriate lock activity; latching controls physical access. For example, it is possible for a lock to be held on a page that is not in memory. The latch is only appropriate when the data page is in memory (associated with a BUF).
SQL Server uses latches to provide data synchronization. A latch is a user-mode reader-writer lock implemented by SQL Server. Each data page in memory has a buffer (BUF) tracking structure. The BUF structure contains status information (Dirty, On LRU, In I/O) as well as a latch structure.
Locking maintains the appropriate lock activity; latching controls physical access. For example, it is possible for a lock to be held on a page that is not in memory. The latch is only appropriate when the data page is in memory (associated with a BUF).
Latches are simple, low-level serialization mechanisms to protect shared data structures in the system global area (SGA). For example, latches protect the list of users currently accessing the database and protect the data structures describing the blocks in the buffer cache. A server or background process acquires a latch for a very short time while manipulating or looking at one of these structures. The implementation of latches is operating system dependent, particularly in regard to whether and how long a process will wait for a latch.
>>Generally, we don't care about latches. They work automatically.
Locks are mechanisms that prevent destructive interaction between transactions accessing the same resource—either user objects such as tables and rows or system objects not visible to users, such as shared data structures in memory and data dictionary rows. In all cases, Oracle automatically obtains necessary locks when executing SQL statements, so users need not be concerned with such details. Oracle automaticallyuses the lowest applicable level of restrictiveness to provide the highest degree of data concurrency yet also provide fail-safe data integrity. Oracle also allows the user to lock data manually.
>>There are many different types of locks: DDL locks, DML locks, internal locks, user locks. They can be aquired automatically or manually (explicitly issuing a LOCK statement), they can be exclusive or shared. They last much longer than latches, until the end of transaction. Generally, we should know how they work, because they are important.
>>There are no semaphores in Oracle. A semaphore is an operating system mechanism. Oracle uses semaphores to implement latches (on some platforms).
Jacek Mycha