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Chapter 4: Threads

This document discusses threads and multithreading in operating systems. It covers different threading models like many-to-one, one-to-one, and many-to-many. It also discusses threading issues, benefits of multithreading, and popular threading libraries like Pthreads, Windows threads, and Java threads. Kernel threads are supported directly by the operating system kernel while user threads are managed by a user-level library.

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38 views28 pages

Chapter 4: Threads

This document discusses threads and multithreading in operating systems. It covers different threading models like many-to-one, one-to-one, and many-to-many. It also discusses threading issues, benefits of multithreading, and popular threading libraries like Pthreads, Windows threads, and Java threads. Kernel threads are supported directly by the operating system kernel while user threads are managed by a user-level library.

Uploaded by

Venkatesh p
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter 4: Threads

Chapter 4: Threads

 Overview
 Multithreading Models
 Threading Issues
 Pthreads
 Windows XP Threads
 Linux Threads
 Java Threads

Operating System Concepts 4.2 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Single and Multithreaded
Processes

Operating System Concepts 4.3 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Benefits

 Responsiveness

 Resource Sharing

 Economy

 Utilization of MP Architectures

Operating System Concepts 4.4 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


User Threads

 Thread management done by user-level threads


library

 Three primary thread libraries:


 POSIX Pthreads
 Win32 threads
 Java threads

Operating System Concepts 4.5 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Kernel Threads

 Supported by the Kernel

 Examples
 Windows XP/2000
 Solaris
 Linux
 Tru64 UNIX
 Mac OS X

Operating System Concepts 4.6 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Multithreading Models

 Many-to-One

 One-to-One

 Many-to-Many

Operating System Concepts 4.7 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Many-to-One

 Many user-level threads mapped to single kernel


thread
 Examples:
 Solaris Green Threads
 GNU Portable Threads

Operating System Concepts 4.8 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Many-to-One Model

Operating System Concepts 4.9 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


One-to-One

 Each user-level thread maps to kernel thread


 Examples
 Windows NT/XP/2000
 Linux
 Solaris 9 and later

Operating System Concepts 4.10 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


One-to-one Model

Operating System Concepts 4.11 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Many-to-Many Model

 Allows many user level threads to be mapped to


many kernel threads
 Allows the operating system to create a sufficient
number of kernel threads
 Solaris prior to version 9
 Windows NT/2000 with the ThreadFiber package

Operating System Concepts 4.12 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Many-to-Many Model

Operating System Concepts 4.13 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Thread libraries
 A thread library provides the programmer an Application
Programming Interface (API) for creating and managing threads.
 There are 2 primary ways of implementing a thread library.

 Provide a library entirely in user space with no kernel support.


All code & data structures for the library exist in user space.
Now the invoked call will be LOCAL CALL, not a System Call.
 Provide KERNEL level library supported directly by the OS.
Now its SYSTEM CALL.
 The main thread libraries are:

 POSIX Pthreads (User or Kernel Level Library)


 Win32 (Kernel Level Library)
 Java (Kernel Level Library)

Operating System Concepts 4.14 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Two-level Model

Operating System Concepts 4.15 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Threading Issues

 Semantics of fork() and exec() system calls


 Thread cancellation
 Signal handling
 Thread pools
 Thread specific data
 Scheduler activations

Operating System Concepts 4.16 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Semantics of fork() and exec()

 The fork() system call is used to create a separate,

duplicate process.

 If one thread in a program calls fork(), then

 In some UNIX systems they have 2 versions of fork().


 One which duplicates all the threads

 Other one that duplicates only the thread that invoked the
fork() call.

 If a thread invokes exec() system call, the program

specified in the parameter to exec() will replace the


entire process.

Operating System Concepts 4.17 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Thread Cancellation

 Task of terminating a thread before it has finished.

 Two general approaches:

 Asynchronous cancellation terminates the target thread


immediately.

 Deferred cancellation allows the target thread to


periodically check if it should be cancelled.

Operating System Concepts 4.18 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Signal Handling
 Signals are used in UNIX systems to notify a process that a
particular event has occurred.
 A signal handler is used to process signals
1. A Signal is generated by the occurrence of a particular event.
2. A generated signal is delivered to a process.
3. Once delivered, the signal must be handled.
 Every signal may be handled by 2 possible handlers:
 A default signal handler
 A user-defined signal handler (more priority)
 Options:
 Deliver the signal to the thread to which the signal applies
 Deliver the signal to every thread in the process
 Deliver the signal to certain threads in the process
 Assign a specific thread to receive all signals for the process

Operating System Concepts 4.19 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Thread Pools

 Create a number of threads in a pool where they await

work

 Advantages:

 Usually slightly faster to service a request with an


existing thread than create a new thread

 Allows the number of threads in the application(s) to be


bound to the size of the pool

Operating System Concepts 4.20 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Thread Specific Data

 Threads belonging to a process share the data of the


process.
 Each thread may need its own copy of certain data and
such data is referred as “Thread Specific Data”.
 Useful when we do not have control over the thread
creation process (i.e., when using a thread pool)

Operating System Concepts 4.21 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Scheduler Activations

 Both Many-to-Many and Two-level models require

communication to maintain the appropriate number of kernel

threads allocated to the application

 Scheduler activations provide upcalls - a communication

mechanism from the kernel to the thread library

 This communication allows an application to maintain the

correct number kernel threads

Operating System Concepts 4.22 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Pthreads

 A POSIX standard (IEEE 1003.1c) API for


thread creation and synchronization
 API specifies behavior of the thread library,
implementation is up to development of the
library
 Common in UNIX operating systems (Solaris,
Linux, Mac OS X)

Operating System Concepts 4.23 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Windows XP Threads

 Implements the one-to-one mapping


 Each thread contains
 A thread id
 Register set
 Separate user and kernel stacks
 Private data storage area
 The register set, stacks, and private storage area
are known as the context of the threads
 The primary data structures of a thread include:
 ETHREAD (executive thread block)
 KTHREAD (kernel thread block)
 TEB (thread environment block)

Operating System Concepts 4.24 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Linux Threads

 Linux refers to them as tasks rather than


threads
 Thread creation is done through clone()
system call
 clone() allows a child task to share the
address space of the parent task (process)

Operating System Concepts 4.25 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Java Threads

 Java threads are managed by the JVM

 Java threads may be created by:

 Extending Thread class


 Implementing the Runnable interface

Operating System Concepts 4.26 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


Java Thread States

Operating System Concepts 4.27 Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne


End of Chapter 4

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