IMPROVEMENTS IN TIMER MANAGEMENT

A method for managing timers in a system reduces the memory and time requirement to allocate and find a timer in an array. An expiry time is calculated by combining an instantaneous clock time with the timer time valu e, and the expiry time is in significant units of time. A multidimensional arra y comprises a plurality of unidimensional arrays. Each unidimensional array corresponds to a significant unit of time and is split into elements. Each element of the unidimensional array corresponds to a standard unit of time f or the significant unit of time of that unidimensional array. The value of the highest order of significant units of the expiry time is used to determine t he position of the timer in the array. If any time remains in the expiry time value it is placed with the timer in the array. When the expiry time of that significant unit of time has expired, the remaining value is used to determi ne the position of the timer in the next unidimensional array. When no remainde r remains in the expiry time value, the timer times out.