Memory-Mapped Objects

A method and apparatus for efficiently managing cached objects is provided. A mapping is a typed relationship between cached objects. A base object contains content, and a mapped object is mapped to a base object when there is a particular relationship between the mapped object and the base object. The type of mapping defines how the objects in the relationship are treated when the mapped object is created, read, or written. At creation time, the mapping type may define how the mapping relationship is recognized. Sometimes recognizing a relationship requires establishing equivalence between the objects. At read and write time, the mapping type may define on which object a mutual exclusion lock is held, which content is returned or which object's content is updated. A wide range of applications can benefit from enhanced object caching performance, and in addition, application may define application-specific semantics on mapping types as well.