Java Threads and the Concurrency Utilities

CHAPTER 6

Synchronizers

Java provides the synchronized keyword for synchronizing thread access to critical sections. Because it can be difficult to correctly write synchronized code that’s based on synchronized, high-level synchronizers (classes that facilitate common forms of synchronization) are included in the concurrency utilities. In this chapter, I introduce you to the countdown latch, cyclic barrier, exchanger, semaphore, and phaser synchronizers.

Countdown Latches

A countdown latch causes one or more threads to wait at a “gate” until another thread opens this gate, at which point these other threads can continue. It consists of a count ...