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author | Ulrich Drepper <drepper@redhat.com> | 2000-01-02 06:01:06 +0000 |
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committer | Ulrich Drepper <drepper@redhat.com> | 2000-01-02 06:01:06 +0000 |
commit | 8d6f1731fcd082e4f744ba9cb4bde4be7c08f1b3 (patch) | |
tree | 099a250d7366aef2ab028fdb24f0d692cd784b4a /db2/mutex/README | |
parent | 9a6450d578556c11e7c173d2f28362345b8f1258 (diff) | |
download | glibc-8d6f1731fcd082e4f744ba9cb4bde4be7c08f1b3.tar.gz glibc-8d6f1731fcd082e4f744ba9cb4bde4be7c08f1b3.tar.xz glibc-8d6f1731fcd082e4f744ba9cb4bde4be7c08f1b3.zip |
Update.
* Makeconfig (all-subdirs): Remove db and db2. * db/*: Removed. * db2/*: Removed.
Diffstat (limited to 'db2/mutex/README')
-rw-r--r-- | db2/mutex/README | 105 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 105 deletions
diff --git a/db2/mutex/README b/db2/mutex/README deleted file mode 100644 index fceeef7ed8..0000000000 --- a/db2/mutex/README +++ /dev/null @@ -1,105 +0,0 @@ -# @(#)README 10.2 (Sleepycat) 11/25/97 - -Resource locking routines: lock based on a db_mutex_t. All this gunk -(including trying to make assembly code portable), is necessary because -System V semaphores require system calls for uncontested locks and we -don't want to make two system calls per resource lock. - -First, this is how it works. The db_mutex_t structure contains a resource -test-and-set lock (tsl), a file offset, a pid for debugging and statistics -information. - -If HAVE_SPINLOCKS is defined (i.e. we know how to do test-and-sets for -this compiler/architecture combination), we try and lock the resource tsl -__db_tsl_spins times. If we can't acquire the lock that way, we use a -system call to sleep for 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, etc. (The time is bounded at -1 second, just in case.) Using the timer backoff means that there are -two assumptions: that locks are held for brief periods (never over system -calls or I/O) and that locks are not hotly contested. - -If HAVE_SPINLOCKS is not defined, i.e. we can't do test-and-sets, we use -a file descriptor to do byte locking on a file at a specified offset. In -this case, ALL of the locking is done in the kernel. Because file -descriptors are allocated per process, we have to provide the file -descriptor as part of the lock/unlock call. We still have to do timer -backoff because we need to be able to block ourselves, i.e. the lock -manager causes processes to wait by having the process acquire a mutex -and then attempting to re-acquire the mutex. There's no way to use kernel -locking to block yourself, i.e. if you hold a lock and attempt to -re-acquire it, the attempt will succeed. - -Next, let's talk about why it doesn't work the way a reasonable person -would think it should work. - -Ideally, we'd have the ability to try to lock the resource tsl, and if -that fails, increment a counter of waiting processes, then block in the -kernel until the tsl is released. The process holding the resource tsl -would see the wait counter when it went to release the resource tsl, and -would wake any waiting processes up after releasing the lock. This would -actually require both another tsl (call it the mutex tsl) and -synchronization between the call that blocks in the kernel and the actual -resource tsl. The mutex tsl would be used to protect accesses to the -db_mutex_t itself. Locking the mutex tsl would be done by a busy loop, -which is safe because processes would never block holding that tsl (all -they would do is try to obtain the resource tsl and set/check the wait -count). The problem in this model is that the blocking call into the -kernel requires a blocking semaphore, i.e. one whose normal state is -locked. - -The only portable forms of locking under UNIX are fcntl(2) on a file -descriptor/offset, and System V semaphores. Neither of these locking -methods are sufficient to solve the problem. - -The problem with fcntl locking is that only the process that obtained the -lock can release it. Remember, we want the normal state of the kernel -semaphore to be locked. So, if the creator of the db_mutex_t were to -initialize the lock to "locked", then a second process locks the resource -tsl, and then a third process needs to block, waiting for the resource -tsl, when the second process wants to wake up the third process, it can't -because it's not the holder of the lock! For the second process to be -the holder of the lock, we would have to make a system call per -uncontested lock, which is what we were trying to get away from in the -first place. - -There are some hybrid schemes, such as signaling the holder of the lock, -or using a different blocking offset depending on which process is -holding the lock, but it gets complicated fairly quickly. I'm open to -suggestions, but I'm not holding my breath. - -Regardless, we use this form of locking when HAVE_SPINLOCKS is not -defined, (i.e. we're locking in the kernel) because it doesn't have the -limitations found in System V semaphores, and because the normal state of -the kernel object in that case is unlocked, so the process releasing the -lock is also the holder of the lock. - -The System V semaphore design has a number of other limitations that make -it inappropriate for this task. Namely: - -First, the semaphore key name space is separate from the file system name -space (although there exist methods for using file names to create -semaphore keys). If we use a well-known key, there's no reason to believe -that any particular key will not already be in use, either by another -instance of the DB application or some other application, in which case -the DB application will fail. If we create a key, then we have to use a -file system name to rendezvous and pass around the key. - -Second, System V semaphores traditionally have compile-time, system-wide -limits on the number of semaphore keys that you can have. Typically, that -number is far too low for any practical purpose. Since the semaphores -permit more than a single slot per semaphore key, we could try and get -around that limit by using multiple slots, but that means that the file -that we're using for rendezvous is going to have to contain slot -information as well as semaphore key information, and we're going to be -reading/writing it on every db_mutex_t init or destroy operation. Anyhow, -similar compile-time, system-wide limits on the numbers of slots per -semaphore key kick in, and you're right back where you started. - -My fantasy is that once POSIX.1 standard mutexes are in wide-spread use, -we can switch to them. My guess is that it won't happen, because the -POSIX semaphores are only required to work for threads within a process, -and not independent processes. - -Note: there are races in the statistics code, but since it's just that, -I didn't bother fixing them. (The fix requires a mutex tsl, so, when/if -this code is fixed to do rational locking (see above), then change the -statistics update code to acquire/release the mutex tsl. |