- Threads allow multiple tasks to run concurrently within a single application by running each task on its own thread. This can improve performance and responsiveness.
- There are different threading models depending on how user-level threads map to kernel threads. The most common models are one-to-one and many-to-one.
- Popular thread libraries include Pthreads, Windows threads, and Java threads. These provide APIs for creating and managing threads.
- Threads allow multiple tasks to run concurrently within a single application by running each task on its own thread. This can improve performance and responsiveness.
- There are different threading models depending on how user-level threads map to kernel threads. The most common models are one-to-one and many-to-one.
- Popular thread libraries include Pthreads, Windows threads, and Java threads. These provide APIs for creating and managing threads.
- Threads allow multiple tasks to run concurrently within a single application by running each task on its own thread. This can improve performance and responsiveness.
- There are different threading models depending on how user-level threads map to kernel threads. The most common models are one-to-one and many-to-one.
- Popular thread libraries include Pthreads, Windows threads, and Java threads. These provide APIs for creating and managing threads.
- Threads allow multiple tasks to run concurrently within a single application by running each task on its own thread. This can improve performance and responsiveness.
- There are different threading models depending on how user-level threads map to kernel threads. The most common models are one-to-one and many-to-one.
- Popular thread libraries include Pthreads, Windows threads, and Java threads. These provide APIs for creating and managing threads.
Operating System Examples THREADS CODE DATA FILES • Most modern applications are multithreaded REGISTERS REGISTERS REGISTERS STACK STACK STACK • Threads run within application • Multiple tasks with the application can be implemented by separate threads • Update display • Fetch data • Spell checking • Answer a network request • Process creation is heavy-weight while thread creation is light-weight • Can simplify code, increase efficiency • Kernels are generally multithreaded • Responsiveness – may allow continued execution if part of process is blocked, especially important for user interfaces • Resource Sharing – threads share resources of process, easier than shared memory or BENEFITS message passing • Economy – cheaper than process creation, thread switching lower overhead than context switching • Scalability – process can take advantage of multiprocessor architectures MULTICORE PROGRAMMING • Parallelism implies a system can perform more than one task simultaneously • Concurrency supports more than one task making progress • Single processor / core, scheduler providing concurrency
SINGLE CORE 1 CORE T1 T2 T3 T4 T1 T2 T3 T4
CORE 2
TIME MULTICORE PROGRAMMING • Multicore or multiprocessor systems put pressure on programmers, challenges include: • Dividing activities • Balance • Data splitting • Data dependency • Testing and debugging USER THREADS AND KERNEL THREADS USER THREADS KERNEL THREADS • User threads - management • Kernel threads - Supported by the done by user-level threads Kernel library • Examples – virtually all general purpose operating systems, including: • Three primary thread libraries: • Windows • POSIX Pthreads • Solaris • Windows threads • Linux • Java threads • Tru64 UNIX • Mac OS X •Many-to-One
MULTITHREADIN •One-to-One G MODELS •Many-to-Many MANY-TO-ONE • Many user-level threads mapped to single kernel thread • One thread blocking causes all to block • Multiple threads may not run in parallel on muticore system because only one may be in kernel at a time • Few systems currently use this model • Examples: • Solaris Green Threads • GNU Portable Threads ONE-TO-ONE • Each user-level thread maps to kernel thread • Creating a user-level thread creates a kernel thread • More concurrency than many-to-one • Number of threads per process sometimes restricted due to overhead • Examples • Windows • Linux • Solaris 9 and later 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 with the ThreadFiber package TWO-LEVEL MODEL • Similar to M:M, except that it allows a user thread to be bound to kernel thread • Examples • IRIX • HP-UX • Tru64 UNIX • Solaris 8 and earlier THREAD LIBRARIES • Thread library provides programmer with API for creating and managing threads • Two primary ways of implementing • Library entirely in user space • Kernel-level library supported by the OS Pthreads • May be provided either as user-level or kernel-level • A POSIX standard (IEEE 1003.1c) API for thread creation and synchronization • Specification, not implementation • 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) PTHREADS EXAMPLE Pthreads Example (Cont.) Pthreads Code for Joining 10 Threads
Windows Multithreaded C Program JAVA THREADS • Java threads are managed by the JVM • Typically implemented using the threads model provided by underlying OS • Java threads may be created by:
• Extending Thread class
• Implementing the Runnable interface JAVA MULTITHREADED PROGRAM IMPLICIT THREADING • This is a strategy where the application developers transfer the creation and management of threads to compilers and run-time libraries • Three methods explored • Thread Pools • OpenMP • Grand Central Dispatch • Other methods include Microsoft Threading Building Blocks (TBB), java.util.concurrent package 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 • Separating task to be performed from mechanics of creating task allows different strategies for running task • i.e.Tasks could be scheduled to run periodically • Windows API supports thread pools: OpenMP • Set of compiler directives and an API for C, C++, FORTRAN • Provides support for parallel programming in shared-memory environments • Identifies parallel regions – blocks of code that can run in parallel #pragma omp parallel Create as many threads as there are cores #pragma omp parallel for for(i=0;i<N;i++) { c[i] = a[i] + b[i]; } Run for loop in parallel Grand Central Dispatch • Apple technology for Mac OS X and iOS operating systems • Extensions to C, C++ languages, API, and run-time library • Allows identification of parallel sections • Manages most of the details of threading • Block is in “^{ }” - ˆ{ printf("I am a block"); } • Blocks placed in dispatch queue • Assigned to available thread in thread pool when removed from queue Grand Central Dispatch • Two types of dispatch queues: • serial – blocks removed in FIFO order, queue is per process, called main queue • Programmers can create additional serial queues within program • concurrent – removed in FIFO order but several may be removed at a time • Three system wide queues with priorities low, default, high THREADING ISSUES • Semantics of fork() and exec() system calls • Signal handling • Synchronous and asynchronous • Thread cancellation of target thread • Asynchronous or deferred • Thread-local storage • Scheduler Activations Semantics of fork() and exec() • Does fork()duplicate only the calling thread or all threads? • Some UNIXes have two versions of fork • exec() usually works as normal – replace the running process including all threads 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 • Signal is generated by particular event • Signal is delivered to a process • Signal is handled by one of two signal handlers: • default • user-defined • Every signal has default handler that kernel runs when handling signal • User-defined signal handler can override default • For single-threaded, signal delivered to process SIGNAL HANDLING (CONT.) • Where should a signal be delivered for multi- threaded? • 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 THREAD CANCELLATION • Terminating a thread before it has finished • Thread to be canceled is target thread • Two general approaches: • Asynchronous cancellation terminates the target thread immediately • Deferred cancellation allows the target thread to periodically check if it should be cancelled • Pthread code to create and cancel a thread: Thread Cancellation (Cont.) • Invoking thread cancellation requests cancellation, but actual cancellation depends on thread state
• If thread has cancellation disabled, cancellation remains pending until thread enables it • Default type is deferred • Cancellation only occurs when thread reaches cancellation point • I.e. pthread_testcancel() • Then cleanup handler is invoked • On Linux systems, thread cancellation is handled through signals Thread-Local Storage • Thread-local storage (TLS) allows each thread to have its own copy of data • Useful when you do not have control over the thread creation process (i.e., when using a thread pool) • Different from local variables • Local variables visible only during single function invocation • TLS visible across function invocations • Similar to static data • TLS is unique to each thread Scheduler Activations • Both M:M and Two-level models require communication to maintain the appropriate number of kernel threads allocated to the application • Typically use an intermediate data structure between user and kernel threads – lightweight process (LWP) • Appears to be a virtual processor on which process can schedule user thread to run • Each LWP attached to kernel thread • How many LWPs to create? • Scheduler activations provide upcalls - a communication mechanism from the kernel to the upcall handler in the thread library • This communication allows an application to maintain the correct number kernel threads OPERATING SYSTEM EXAMPLES Windows Threads Linux Threads Windows Threads • Windows implements the Windows API – primary API for Win 98, Win NT, Win 2000, Win XP, and Win 7 • Implements the one-to-one mapping, kernel-level • Each thread contains • A thread id • Register set representing state of processor • Separate user and kernel stacks for when thread runs in user mode or kernel mode • Private data storage area used by run-time libraries and dynamic link libraries (DLLs) • The register set, stacks, and private storage area are known as the context of the thread Windows Threads (Cont.) • The primary data structures of a thread include: • ETHREAD (executive thread block) – includes pointer to process to which thread belongs and to KTHREAD, in kernel space • KTHREAD (kernel thread block) – scheduling and synchronization info, kernel- mode stack, pointer to TEB, in kernel space • TEB (thread environment block) – thread id, user-mode stack, thread-local storage, in user space Windows Threads Data Structures 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) • Flags control behavior
• struct task_struct points to process data structures (shared or unique)
