Synchronization and Thread Management

These flashcards cover key concepts related to synchronization, mutex usage, thread management, and their implications in multi CPU systems.

Mutex

A mutual exclusion object that allows multiple threads to manage access to a shared resource.

Adaptive Mutex

A type of mutex that can switch between spinning and blocking a thread based on the expected length of the critical section.

Spinlock

A locking mechanism that allows a thread to wait in a loop (spin) while checking if the lock is available.

Critical Section

A part of the program where shared resources are accessed, requiring synchronization to prevent data races.

Thread Context Switching

The process of saving the state of a running thread and loading the state of another thread.

Reaper Thread

A special thread that performs garbage collection on data structures associated with threads that have exited and are awaiting destruction.

Multi CPU System

A computer architecture where multiple processors execute instructions simultaneously.

Thread Blocking

The process of placing a thread in a waiting state when it cannot proceed until some condition is met, typically when waiting for a mutex.

Garbage Collection

The automatic memory management process of reclaiming memory occupied by threads that are no longer active or needed.

Death Row

A term used to describe the state of a thread that has exited but whose resources have not yet been freed.