Thread Synchronization

Synchronization enables you to control program flow and access to shared data for concurrently executing threads.

The four synchronization models are mutex locks, read/write locks, condition variables, and semaphores.

• Mutex locks allow only one thread at a time to execute a specific section of code, or to access specific data.

• Read/write locks permit concurrent reads and exclusive writes to a protected shared resource. To modify a resource, a thread must first acquire the exclusive write lock. An exclusive write lock is not permitted until all read locks have been released.

• Condition variables block threads until a particular condition is true.

• Counting semaphores typically coordinate access to resources. The count is the limit on how many threads can have concurrent access to the data protected by the semaphore. When the count is reached, the semaphore causes the calling thread to block until the count changes. A binary semaphore (with a count of one) is similar in operation to a mutex lock.