(Java) Synchronizing multiple app servers through Oracle

What is the recommended way for using an Oracle database to synchronize multiple app servers? When I speak of synchronizing, I'm referring to the Java use of the word, where you can lock a section of code so other threads don't access that section at the same time.

I have multiple app servers that each need exclusive access to the database for a certain operation. Does Oracle have a semaphore utility that is available to apps? I know I could hack it by doing a select for update on a dummy table with 1 row, but I was hoping Oracle had something more elegant to use.

Thanks. Received on Wed Dec 12 2007 - 19:10:18 CST