Operating System Concepts, Seventh Edition

Chapter 4. Threads

The process model introduced in Chapter 3 assumed that a process was an executing program with a single thread of control. Most modern operating systems now provide features enabling a process to contain multiple threads of control. This chapter introduces many concepts associated with multithreaded computer systems, including a discussion of the APIs for the Pthreads, Win32, and Java thread libraries. We look at many issues related to multithreaded programming and how it affects the design of operating systems. Finally, we explore how the Windows XP and Linux operating systems support threads at the kernel level.

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

• To introduce the notion of a thread — a fundamental unit of CPU utilization that forms the basis of multithreaded computer systems.

• To discuss the APIs for Phtreads, Win32, and Java thread libraries.

Overview

A thread is a basic unit of CPU utilization; it comprises a thread ID, a program counter, a register set, and a stack. It shares with other threads belonging to the same process its code section, data section, and other operating-system resources, such as open files and signals. A traditional (or heavyweight)process has a single thread of control. If a process has multiple threads of control, it can perform more than one task at a time. Figure 4.1 illustrates the difference between a traditional single-threaded process and a multithreaded process.

Motivation

Many software packages that run on modern desktop PCs are multithreaded. An ...