APR global mutexes

[Massimo Manghi <ma...@unipr.it>]

 Hi,

 the subject might suggest the message is an off-topic
 for the list.

 Actually this problem arose in the early stages of the analysis
 and design of a software component that eventually could be
 merged with the libraries that come with mod_rivet.

 To put it simple my question is: can every module in APR be used
 also to build standalone applications? More specifically: can
 apr_global_mutex_* calls be used this way?

 I'm still in the phase of familiarizing with some of modules
 of APR, hence I've written a simple 'hello world' program
 in which I can experiment with most of the stuff that will
 go in the project.

 The very first version of this program creates a global mutex
 and wants to use it to synchronize access to a resource shared
 between parent and child processes (a shared memory area)

 I've found out that, when used this way,
 apr_global_mutex_[lock|unlock|trylock] block forever. Why?
 I also tried to unlock the mutex after it was created,
 surmising the mutex could be created by _mutex_create
 as locked, but also in this case
 apr_global_mutex_unlock blocks and never returns.

 The relevant calls are

     apr_s = apr_global_mutex_create 
 (&mutex_c,MUTEX_NAME,APR_LOCK_DEFAULT,aPool);
     if (apr_s != APR_SUCCESS)
     {
         fprintf(stderr,"damn....could not create the mutex\n");
         exit(1);
     }
     fprintf (stderr,"mutex created\n");
 ...

     /* copying mutex_c into mutex_p  is just to have pointers with
       different names in the child and parent code */

     mutex_p = mutex_c;
     cpid=fork();
     if (cpid == 0)
     {
         /* child process */

         apr_s = apr_global_mutex_child_init(&mutex_c,MUTEX_NAME,aPool);
         if (apr_s != APR_SUCCESS)
         {
             fprintf (stderr,"...could not map the mutex...\n");
             exit(1);
         }
         fprintf (stderr,"mutex '%s' 
 mapped\n",apr_global_mutex_name(mutex_p));
         fprintf (stderr,"child attempts to lock on mutex...\n");

         apr_s = apr_global_mutex_lock(mutex_c);
         if (apr_s != APR_SUCCESS)
         {
             fprintf (stderr,"failed\n");
             exit(1);
         }
         fprintf (stderr," child lock ok!\n");
 .....
         apr_s = apr_global_mutex_unlock(mutex_c);
         if (apr_s != APR_SUCCESS)
         {
             fprintf (stderr,"mhhh....unlock fails...why?\n");
             exit(1);
         }
         fprintf (stderr,"unlocked\n");
     }
     else
     {
         /* parent process */

         int i;

         sleep(2);

         fprintf(stderr,"parent process attempts to lock...\n");
         apr_s = apr_global_mutex_lock(mutex_p);
         if (apr_s != APR_SUCCESS)
         {
             fprintf (stderr,"failed\n");
             exit(1);
         }
         fprintf (stderr," parent lock ok!\n");

 ....
         apr_s = apr_global_mutex_unlock(mutex_p);
         if (apr_s != APR_SUCCESS)
         {
             fprintf (stderr,"mhhh....unlock fails...why?\n");
             exit(1);
         }
         fprintf (stderr,"mutex unlocked\n");

     }


 basically the 2 process print the messages before attempting to
 lock the mutex and then they stay indefinitely.

 Am I missing something in the big picture of using APR
 global mutexes? Thanks for any suggestion.

  -- Massimo Manghi

Re: APR global mutexes

[Massimo Manghi <ma...@unipr.it>]

 On Wed, 9 Mar 2011 00:28:44 +0100, Ben Noordhuis wrote:
> 2011/3/9 Massimo Manghi <ma...@unipr.it>:
>> the subject might suggest the message is an off-topic
>> for the list.
>
> Technically it is, dev@apr.apache.org would have been a better place 
> for it.
>

 ok Ben, thank you. I will

   -- Massimo

Re: APR global mutexes

[Ben Noordhuis <in...@bnoordhuis.nl>]

2011/3/9 Massimo Manghi <ma...@unipr.it>:
> the subject might suggest the message is an off-topic
> for the list.

Technically it is, dev@apr.apache.org would have been a better place for it.

> To put it simple my question is: can every module in APR be used
> also to build standalone applications? More specifically: can
> apr_global_mutex_* calls be used this way?

Yes to both (first-hand experience talking here).

> The very first version of this program creates a global mutex
> and wants to use it to synchronize access to a resource shared
> between parent and child processes (a shared memory area)
>
> I've found out that, when used this way,
> apr_global_mutex_[lock|unlock|trylock] block forever. Why?
> I also tried to unlock the mutex after it was created,
> surmising the mutex could be created by _mutex_create
> as locked, but also in this case
> apr_global_mutex_unlock blocks and never returns.

Your code snippet looks sound, I can't find fault with it. You should
post it to apr-dev (preferably as a complete, compilable test case),
you'll get more and better feedback there. Mention on what platform
and with what flags you compiled APR.