Multithreaded Programming Guide

Comparing APIs for Solaris Threads and POSIX Threads

The Solaris threads API and the pthreads API are two solutions to the same problem: building parallelism into application software. Although each API is complete in itself, you can safely mix Solaris threads functions and pthread functions in the same program.

The two APIs do not match exactly, however. Solaris threads supports functions that are not found in pthreads, and pthreads includes functions that are not supported in the Solaris interface. For those functions that do match, the associated arguments might not, although the information content is effectively the same.

By combining the two APIs, you can use features not found in one to enhance the other. Similarly, you can run applications using Solaris threads, exclusively, with applications using pthreads, exclusively, on the same system.

Major API Differences

Solaris threads and pthreads are very similar in both API action and syntax. The major differences are listed in Table 8–1.

Table 8–1 Unique Solaris Threads and pthreads Features


Solaris Threads (libthread)	POSIX Threads (libpthread)
`thr_` prefix for threads function names; `sema_` prefix for semaphore function names	`pthread_` prefix for pthreads function names; `sem_` prefix for semaphore function names
Ability to create “daemon” threads	Cancellation semantics
Suspending and continuing a thread	Scheduling policies

Function Comparison Table

The following table compares Solaris threads functions with pthreads functions. Note that even when Solaris threads and pthreads functions appear to be essentially the same, the arguments to the functions can differ.

When a comparable interface is not available either in pthreads or Solaris threads, a hyphen `-' appears in the column. Entries in the pthreads column that are followed by “POSIX 1003.4” or “POSIX.4” are part of the POSIX Realtime standard specification and are not part of pthreads.

Table 8–2 Solaris Threads and POSIX pthreads Comparison


Solaris Threads (libthread)	pthreads (libpthread)
`thr_create()`	`pthread_create()`
`thr_exit()`	`pthread_exit()`
`thr_join()`	`pthread_join()`
`thr_yield()`	`sched_yield()` POSIX.4
`thr_self()`	`pthread_self()`
`thr_kill()`	`pthread_kill()`
`thr_sigsetmask()`	`pthread_sigmask()`
`thr_setprio()`	`pthread_setschedparam()`
`thr_getprio()`	`pthread_getschedparam()`
`thr_setconcurrency()`	`pthread_setconcurrency()`
`thr_getconcurrency()`	`pthread_getconcurrency()`
`thr_suspend()`	-
`thr_continue()`	-
`thr_keycreate()`	`pthread_key_create()`
-	`pthread_key_delete()`
`thr_setspecific()`	`pthread_setspecific()`
`thr_getspecific()`	`pthread_getspecific()`
-	`pthread_once()`
-	`pthread_equal()`
-	`pthread_cancel()`
-	`pthread_testcancel()`
-	`pthread_cleanup_push()`
-	`pthread_cleanup_pop()`
-	`pthread_setcanceltype()`
-	`pthread_setcancelstate()`
`mutex_lock()`	`pthread_mutex_lock()`
`mutex_unlock()`	`pthread_mutex_unlock()`
`mutex_trylock()`	`pthread_mutex_trylock()`
`mutex_init()`	`pthread_mutex_init()`
`mutex_destroy()`	`pthread_mutex_destroy()`
`cond_wait()`	`pthread_cond_wait()`
`cond_timedwait()`	`pthread_cond_timedwait()`
`cond_reltimedwait()`	`pthread_cond_reltimedwait_np()`
`cond_signal()`	`pthread_cond_signal()`
`cond_broadcast()`	`pthread_cond_broadcast()`
`cond_init()`	`pthread_cond_init()`
`cond_destroy()`	`pthread_cond_destroy()`
`rwlock_init()`	`pthread_rwlock_init()`
`rwlock_destroy()`	`pthread_rwlock_destroy()`
`rw_rdlock()`	`pthread_rwlock_rdlock()`
`rw_wrlock()`	`pthread_rwlock_wrlock()`
`rw_unlock()`	`pthread_rwlock_unlock()`
`rw_tryrdlock()`	`pthread_rwlock_tryrdlock()`
`rw_trywrlock()`	`pthread_rwlock_trywrlock()`
-	`pthread_rwlockattr_init()`
-	`pthread_rwlockattr_destroy()`
-	`pthread_rwlockattr_getpshared()`
-	`pthread_rwlockattr_setpshared()`
`sema_init()`	`sem_init()` POSIX 1003.4
`sema_destroy()`	`sem_destroy()` POSIX 1003.4
`sema_wait()`	`sem_wait()` POSIX 1003.4
`sema_post()`	`sem_post()` POSIX 1003.4
`sema_trywait()`	`sem_trywait()` POSIX 1003.4
`fork1()`	`fork()`
-	`pthread_atfork()`
`fork()` (multiple thread copy)	-
-	`pthread_mutexattr_init()`
-	`pthread_mutexattr_destroy()`
`type` argument in `mutex_init()`	`pthread_mutexattr_setpshared()`
-	`pthread_mutexattr_getpshared()`
-	`pthread_mutex_attr_settype()`
-	`pthread_mutex_attr_gettype()`
-	`pthread_condattr_init()`
-	`pthread_condattr_destroy()`
`type` argument in `cond_init()`	`pthread_condattr_setpshared()`
-	`pthread_condattr_getpshared()`
-	`pthread_attr_init()`
-	`pthread_attr_destroy()`
THR_BOUND flag in `thr_create()`	`pthread_attr_setscope()`
-	`pthread_attr_getscope()`
-	`pthread_attr_setguardsize()`
-	`pthread_attr_getguardsize()`
`stack_size` argument in `thr_create()`	`pthread_attr_setstacksize()`
-	`pthread_attr_getstacksize()`
`stack_addr` argument in `thr_create()`	`pthread_attr_setstackaddr()`
-	`pthread_attr_getstackaddr()`
THR_DETACH flag in `thr_create()`	`pthread_attr_setdetachstate()`
-	`pthread_attr_getdetachstate()`
-	`pthread_attr_setschedparam()`
-	`pthread_attr_getschedparam()`
-	`pthread_attr_setinheritsched()`
-	`pthread_attr_getinheritsched()`
-	`pthread_attr_setsschedpolicy()`
-	`pthread_attr_getschedpolicy()`

To use the Solaris threads functions described in this chapter, you must link with the Solaris threads library -lthread).

Where functionality is virtually the same for both Solaris threads and for pthreads, (even though the function names or arguments might differ), only a brief example consisting of the correct include file and the function prototype is presented. Where return values are not given for the Solaris threads functions, see the appropriate pages in man(3): Library Routines for the function return values.

For more information on Solaris related functions, see the related pthreads documentation for the similarly named function.

Where Solaris threads functions offer capabilities that are not available in pthreads, a full description of the functions is provided.