A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for managing direct memory access
transfers. Monitoring is performed for an event to pass ownership of a direct memory
access resource to a new thread. A buffer of the new thread is added by an operating
system component to the end of a direct memory access chain of requests from the
current thread. The addition of this buffer to the end of a direct memory access
chain provides an anchor point for the new thread to add additional requests for
the direct memory access resource.