Concurrency control is a feature that can be found in programs that support LAN connections. It’s a mechanism that lets a program with it deal with an instance of multiple users trying to access the same file or program at the same time. Not all software is designed to just support this – some software that wasn’t specifically designed to run on a network still can. Where this happens, two users using the same thing at the same time can destroy someone else’s work.
Technipages Explains Concurrency Control
If the system only ever keeps one version of a file, two people working on it at once means that one version can’t be kept – it would get destroyed. It’s even possible to damage both versions of that file. Including concurrency control in software means that the program knows to enable multiple access – in other words, multiple users can access the same file at the same time without having to worry about data loss. Concurrency control can also be used to restrict access to one user at a time – also a way of preventing file compromises.
Concurrency control is a popular feature now that more and more software is able to run on networks. Version control is another feature commonly found with concurrency control – it enables the software to save a history of different versions be it from different users or the same user. It’s then possible to roll back to previous versions and reinstate them at will. These two features can exist independently of each other but often don’t. Concurrency control, in particular, is now an incredibly common feature for any software that is commonly accessed through a network.
Common Uses of Concurrency Control
- The invention of concurrency control features made it easier to prevent data loss.
- Concurrency control can beused to restrict a file so that only one player at a time can access a file or program.
- More often than not, concurrency control and version control are bundled together.
Common Misuses of Concurrency Control
- Concurrency control is another form of version control that allows users to go back to different versions of a file.