2006-03-25 20:42:27 +00:00
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'\" t
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.\" Hey Emacs! This file is -*- nroff -*- source.
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.\"
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.\" Copyright (C) 2006 Michael Kerrisk <mtk-manpages@gmx.net>
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.\" Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
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.\" permission notice identical to this one.
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.\"
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.\" Since the Linux kernel and libraries are constantly changing, this
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.\" manual page may be incorrect or out-of-date. The author(s) assume no
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.\" responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from
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.\"
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.TH SEM_OVERVIEW 7 2006-03-25 "Linux 2.6.16" "Linux Programmer's Manual"
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.SH NAME
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sem_overview \- Overview of POSIX semaphores
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.SH DESCRIPTION
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POSIX semaphores allow processes and threads to synchronise their actions.
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A semaphore is an integer whose value is never allowed to fall below zero.
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Two operations can be performed on semaphores:
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increment the semaphore value by one
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.RB ( sem_post (3));
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and decrement the semaphore value by one
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.RB ( sem_wait (3)).
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If the value of a semaphore is currently zero, then a
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.BR sem_wait (3)
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operation will block until the value becomes greater than zero.
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POSIX semaphores come in two forms: named semaphores and
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unnamed semaphores.
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.SS Named semaphores
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A named semaphore is identified by a name of the form
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.IR /somename .
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Two processes can operate on the same named semaphore by passing
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the same name to
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.BR sem_open (3).
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The
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.BR sem_open (3)
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function creates a new named semaphore or opens an existing
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named semaphore.
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After the semaphore has been opened, it can be operated on using
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.BR sem_post (3)
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and
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.BR sem_wait (3).
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When a process has finished using the semaphore, it can use
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.BR sem_close (3)
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to close the semaphore.
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When all processes have finished using the semaphore,
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it can be removed from the system using
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.BR sem_unlink (3).
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.SS Unnamed semaphores (memory-based semaphores)
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An unnamed semaphore does not have a name.
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Instead the semaphore is placed in a region of memory that
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is shared between multiple threads (a
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.IR "thread-shared semaphore" )
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or processes (a
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.IR "process-shared semaphore" ).
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A thread-shared semaphore is placed in an area of memory shared
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between by the threads of a process, for example, a global variable.
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A process-shared semaphore must be placed in a shared memory region
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(e.g., a System V shared memory segment created using
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.BR semget (2),
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or a POSIX shared memory object built created using
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.BR shm_open (3)).
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Before being used, an unnamed semaphore must be initialised using
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.BR sem_init (3).
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It can then be operated on using
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.BR sem_post (3)
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and
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.BR sem_wait (3).
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When the semaphore is no longer required,
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and before the memory in which it is located is deallocated,
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the semaphore should be destroyed using
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.BR sem_destroy (3).
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.SH LINUX SPECIFIC DETAILS
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.SS Versions
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Prior to kernel 2.6, Linux only supported unnamed,
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thread-shared semaphores.
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On a system with Linux 2.6 and a glibc that provides the NPTL
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threading implementation,
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a complete implementation of POSIX semaphores is provided.
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.SS Persistence
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POSIX named semaphores have kernel persistence:
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if not removed by
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.BR sem_unlink (),
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a semaphore will exist until the system is shut down.
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.SS Linking
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Programs using the POSIX semaphores API must be compiled with
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.I cc \-lrt
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to link against the real-time library,
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.IR librt .
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.SS Accessing named semaphores via the file system
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On Linux, named semaphores are created in a virtual file system,
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normally mounted under
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.IR /dev/shm ,
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with names of the form
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.IR \fBsem.\fPname .
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.SH "CONFORMING TO"
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POSIX.1-2001.
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.SH NOTES
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System V semaphores
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.RB ( semget (2),
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.BR semop (2),
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etc.) are an older semaphore API.
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POSIX semaphores provide a simpler, and better designed interface than
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System V semaphores;
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on the other hand POSIX semaphores are less widely available
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(especially on older systems) than System V semaphores.
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.SH EXAMPLE
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An example of the use of various POSIX semaphore functions is shown in
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.BR sem_wait (3).
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.SH "SEE ALSO"
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.BR sem_close (3),
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.BR sem_destroy (3),
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.BR sem_init (3),
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.BR sem_getvalue (3),
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.BR sem_open (3),
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.BR sem_post (3),
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.BR sem_unlink (3),
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2006-03-31 19:35:10 +00:00
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.BR sem_wait (3),
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.BR pthreads (7)
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