Threads

1. Threads Doing Several Things at Once

2. Threads • What are Threads? • Two Ways to Obtain a New Thread • The Lifecycle of a Thread • Four Kinds of Thread Programming

3. What are Threads? • A Thread is a unit of program execution that runs independently from other threads. • lightweight process • Threads behave as if they were running on different CPUs • Extend the concept of time-sharing. • Garbage collectors and listeners run in separate threads

4. Thread Context • Context switched when JVM switched to a different thread • Not as costly as switching processes • Threads can make a program run faster • Threads allow a program to do more that one thing at a time • one processor? • the system handles the sharing

5. Two Ways to Obtain a New Thread • Extend the java.lang.Thread Class • Implement the “Runnable” interface • Applets extend the class Applet by definition.  an applet must always use the second technique; extends is taken by (J)Applet

6. Extension of java.lang.Thread • Create a class extending Thread Class • Put the code for the task into the run method of the new class • Create an instance of that class • Call the start method for that instance • The start method will call the run method • The thread executes until the run method terminates.

7. Extending the Thread Class Class AThread extends Thread { … public void run() { // your code here } }

8. Running a Thread • In another thread, create the thread AThread t1 = new AThread(); • Start the thread by calling its start method t1.start(); • The call to start creates and schedules the thread to execute. The run method is called by the JVM when it is the thread’s turn to execute • See Java Documentation on Thread • See: • NameThread.java • ThreadTest.java

9. The Runnable Interface public interface Runnable { // Must write run() public abstract void run(); }

10. Implement Runnable • Create a class ARunnable which implements the “runnable” interface. public class ARunnable implements Runnable { public void run() { … } } • Use that class in a call to the Thread constructor Thread t = new Thread( new ARunnable() ); t.start(); // start the thread • See Java Doc on Runnable • See NameUsingThread.java

11. Notes on Runnable • Statements within the Runnable Interface implementation of run() can’t invoke Thread methods like “sleep()”, “getName()”, etc. because no “this” object is available in Runnable. • the object isn’t the thread

12. Remarks • A call to currentThread() can appear anywhere in Java code. Any of the methods of that thread can be called via the thread returned in currentThread(). • Runnable vs Thread: Use Runnable when only the “run()” method will be overridden. Convention holds that a class should not be extended unless there is a fundamental enhancement of behavior. YMMV.

13. Terminating Threads • A thread terminates when its run method returns – the normal way • A thread can be interrupted (never stopped) by using the thread.interrupt() method. • A thread’s run method should occasionally check for the interrupt signal

14. Interrupt Coding public void run() { try // DO NOT PUT try in a loop, but loop in try { // do some work } catch (InterruptedException e) { // do whatever needs to be done } // clean up }

15. Parameters to Threads • The run method cannot have parameters • The constructor can have parameters • The Thread constructor can have certain parameters • see API for java.lang.Thread

16. Thread Lifecycle • A thread is created, then “started” • The thread “dies” when • The run method terminates: • normally • through an exception or return • A thrown exception will cause the thread to terminate but not the parent

17. Priorities • A thread runs at the priority of its parent unless its priority is changed. • A higher priority executes first if they are both ready to run • Java threads • can be preempted. • may or may not be time-sliced • Computationally intensive threads should “yield” periodically • Raising a thread’s priority does not affect other (heavyweight) processes, only parent, sibling, children threads (competing lightweight processes)

18. Four Kinds of Thread Programming • Unrelated Threads • Related Unsynchronized Threads • Mutually-Exclusive Threads • Communicating Mutually-Exclusive Threads

19. Thread Diagram A Class An Object has Methods An Object An Object An Object has Methods Thread runs in a method

20. Unrelated Threads • The simplest thread programs involves threads that do different things • Don’t interact with one another • Coffee_Tea Example • run on PC and Suns to see difference in how many times coffee gets in • Tea can yield periodically to allow Coffee a chance to execute

21. Related, Unsynchronized Threads • The problem is partitioned into subproblems • A thread solves each subproblem • The threads don’t interact • They don’t work on shared data • Example: testPrime.java • A server connection for each socket connection is a good example • A “Work-to-order” thread is called a daemon • always on

22. Mutally-Exclusive Threads Threads that access common data concurrently need to be controlled so that the correct state of the data is preserved at all times. Such a situation occurs frequently in the real world.

23. The Pressure Gauge Consider reading and setting a pressure gauge. The gauge should not be set above 20 psi. But the pressure is set by pressure setting objects, independent of one another. Each must check the gauge and if it is safe to do so, increase the pressure by a fixed amount. • Example: • BadPressure.java

24. BadPressure output >java BadPressure Gauge reads 150, safe limit is 20 What happened? • code appeared to restrict gauge value, but didn’t • Setting the gauge is a critical section • Mutual exclusion required

25. Mutual Exclusion • Simultaneous reading and setting of the pressure gauge by different threads • set followed check; all did check, THEN did change • check-change is a read-update-write operation and must be atomic • one object needs to lock others out until it is finished • can be done at the class level, method level, or on a block of code

26. The keyword synchronized This keyword obtains a mutex (mutual exclusion) lock for the executing thread on the named object. The code is then executed, and the lock is released. If another object already holds the lock, the thread is suspended until the lock is released. Lock-competing threads are queued.

27. Some considerations • Java programmers don’t need to do the low level details of creating, acquiring, and releasing locks • Unix semaphores, locks • Specify the portion of code (critical section) for mutual exclusion, and the object that must be exclusively locked • The region of code must be as small as possible

28. Mutual Exclusion over an Entire Class • apply the keyword synchronized to a class method. • e.g. static synchronized void RaisePressure() • Only one static synchronized method for a given class can be running at any given time in the JVM, regardless of how many objects there are of that class • the class object is used to synchronize the threads • There is one lock for static synchronized methods, and a different lock for synchronized methods. One thread could have the static lock while another thread has a method lock, while other threads could be running other unsynchronized methods • Example: SetPressure.java

29. Class Mutual Exclusion • From SetPressure.java // Only one thread may be executing in here static synchronized void raisePressure() { if(BadPressure.pressureGauge < BadPressure.SafetyLimit - 15) { .... >java SetPressure Gauge reads 15, safe limit is 20

30. Mutual Exclusion over a Block • use the keyword synchronized before a block of code • Use a static object for the lock • any available, convenient object will do • cannot be a local object or instance variable

31. Block Mutual Exclusion class pressure extends Thread { static Object lock = new Object();   void raisePressure() { synchronized(lock); { // MUTEX starts here if(SetPressure.pressureGauge < SetPressure.SafetyLimit - 15) { ... } } // MUTEX ends here ... }

32. Mutual Exclusion over a Method • use synchronized keyword on the instance method. • guarantees that only one of the perhaps many synchronized instance methods will be executing at any one time on a given instance of that class • equivalent to synchronized(this) over a block • Examples: • raisePressure • Monitors

33. Method Synchronization synchronized void raisePressure() { if(p.pressureGauge < p.SafetyLimit - 15) { ... same as void raisePressure() { synchronized(this) // on this object { if(p.pressureGauge < p.SafetyLimit - 15) { ... } }

34. Communicating Mutually Exclusive Threads • Threads that need to access common data, but also communicate with one another • the hardest kind of thread programming • Producer/Consumer type of problem • I produce, you consume. Don’t try to produce until there is something to consume. Don’t produce too much, until something is consumed • Wait/Notify is the solution

35. Wait / Notify • Wait says “I have the lock, but there is nothing to consume. I give up the lock and wait” • Notify says “I just produced something, I will place it in common area, release the lock and wait”

36. Producer Pseudo-code // producer thread enter synchronized code // get lock while(buffer_full) wait(); produced_item_to_buffer() notify() // tell waiting consumers leave synchronized code // release lock

37. consumerPseudo-code // consumer thread enter synchronized code // get lock while(no_items) wait(); consume_item_from_buffer() notify() // now, there’s space for new item leave synchronized code

38. Examples • plum.java • inelegant dependant producer-consumer • one producer-multiple consumers • Operator.java • Telephone Game (very inelegant) • Tally Examples • TallyWrong.java • TallyRight.java • Note how inner classes compile • PutGet.java • vary relative wait times and see what happens • use of wait() and notify among cooperating processes • Deadlock.java • oh, oh; somewhat inelegant – works only with single buffer

39. Examples, etc; • CommunicatingThreads.java • applet with piped communication between two threads • Exercise • Try the PutGet example with multiple producers/consumers. Change the constructors so that you know who is producing what and who is consuming what.