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2.1.5. POSIX Threads

In the previous segment
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In the last lecture, we have discussed briefly about

Linux Processes.
In this segment
BITS Pilani

We will discuss about

POSIX Threads in Linux.

POSIX Threads
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 Historically different Hardware vendors used to implement their proprietary
threads.
 In order to standardise them IEEE 1003.1 series standard was formed, which is
known as POSIX (Programmable Operating System Interface).
 It was specified for UNIX for the first time, and later other Operating Systems
adapted that.
 The advantage of adapting POSIX is that portability of the code using POSIX
threads across operating systems is faster.
 Now a days most of the well-known Operating Systems support POSIX
standards.
 The Threads defined by POSIX standard are known as POSIX Threads or
‘pthread’.
 While compiling code using POSIX thread in UNIX/Linux, you need to explicitly
link the shared library ‘libpthread.so’ by adding the switch ‘-lpthread’ in the
compilation command.
POSIX Thread Creation
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 pthread_create(), creates a new thread.
 pthread_create arguments:
o thread: An opaque, unique identifier for the new thread returned by the subroutine.
o attr: An opaque attribute object that may be used to set thread attributes. You can specify a
thread attributes object, or NULL for the default values.
o start_routine: the C routine that the thread will execute once it is created.
o arg: A single argument that may be passed to start_routine. It must be passed by reference as
a pointer cast of type void. NULL may be used if no argument is to be passed.
Example:
void *ThreadFn(void *threadid) {
…
}
int main (int argc, char *argv[]) {
pthread_t threads;
int rc;
printf("In main: creating thread \n");
rc = pthread_create(&threads, NULL, ThreadFn, (void *)0);
if (rc){
printf("ERROR; return code from pthread_create() is %d\n", rc);
exit(-1);
}
}
POSIX Thread Attributes
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 By default, a thread is created with certain attributes.
 Some of these attributes can be changed by the programmer via the thread
attribute object.
 pthread_attr_init and pthread_attr_destroy are used to initialize/destroy the
thread attribute object.
 Other routines are then used to query/set specific attributes in the thread
attribute object.
 Attributes include:
o Detached or joinable state
o Scheduling inheritance
o Scheduling policy
o Scheduling parameters
o Scheduling contention scope
o Stack size
o Stack address
o Stack guard (overflow) size
POSIX Thread Termination
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Example:
void *ThreadFn(void *threadid) { Several ways in which a thread may
long tid; be terminated:
tid = (long)threadid;  The thread returns normally
printf("Hello World! My thread #%ld!\n", tid); from its starting routine.
pthread_exit(NULL);  The thread makes a call to
} the pthread_exit function.
int main (int argc, char *argv[]) {
 The thread is canceled by
pthread_t threads;
another thread via
int rc;
printf("In main: creating thread \n");
the pthread_cancel function.
rc = pthread_create(&threads[t],  The entire process is
NULL, terminated due to making a
ThreadFn, call to either the exec() or exit()
(void *)0);  If main() finishes first, without
if (rc){ calling pthread_exit explicitly
printf("ERROR; pthread_create() failed\n");
itself.
exit(-1);
}
/* Last thing that main() should do */
pthread_exit(NULL);
}
POSIX Thread – Joining and Detaching Threads
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"Joining" is the way to accomplish synchronization between threads.
The pthread_join() subroutine blocks the main thread until the specified child
thread terminates.

Parent Thread pthread_create() pthread_join()

Child Thread Do Work pthread_exit()

For this the child thread should be created as joinable.

If the thread is not created joinable and the main thread doesn’t join, then:

The moment the main thread terminates, the child thread will also terminate.
Steps to make the child thread joinable
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 When a thread is created, one of its attributes defines whether it is joinable or
detached.
 The attr argument in the pthread_create() routine, indicates whether the thread
going to be created is joinable or not.
 Only threads that are created as joinable can be joined.
 If a thread is created as detached, it can never be joined.

 Steps to make a thread joinable:

o Declare a pthread attribute variable of the pthread_attr_t data type
o Initialize the attribute variable with pthread_attr_init()
o Set the attribute detached status with pthread_attr_setdetachstate()
o When done, free library resources used by the attribute
with pthread_attr_destroy()
 POSIX Threads – ‘Hello World’ Program
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#include <pthread.h>
#include <stdio.h> /* Free attribute */
pthread_attr_destroy(&attr);
void *ThreadFn() { /* Wait for the child thread to terminate */
printf("Hello World – From the child rc = pthread_join(thread, &status);
if (rc) {
thread!\n");
printf("ERROR; pthread_join failed\n");
pthread_exit(NULL); pthread_exit(NULL);
} }
int main (int argc, char *argv[]) { printf("Main: program completed. Exiting.\n");
pthread_t thread; pthread_exit(NULL);
pthread_attr_t attr; }
int rc;
long t;
void *status;

/* Initialize and set thread detached

attribute */
pthread_attr_init(&attr);
pthread_attr_setdetachstate(&attr,
PTHREAD_CREATE_JOINABLE);
Save this file as ‘pthread_helloworld.c’.
printf("Main: creating thread\n"); During compilation, you have to link
rc = pthread_create(&thread, &attr, ThreadFn, pthread library explicitly (libpthread.so)
NULL); Compile it using command:
if (rc) { $ cc pthread_helloworld.c -o
printf("ERROR; thread creation pthread_helloworld -lpthread
failed\n");
pthread_exit(NULL); Then run it by
} $ ./ pthread_helloworld
Summary
BITS Pilani

In this lecture, we have discussed about

POSIX Threads in Linux.

In the next lecture, we will discuss about

Real Time Systems.