All threads blocked by empty pipe read - c

I'm trying to teach myself about multi-threading and multi-process programming in C (Linux). I wrote a short program which spawns a new thread which goes to a routine that tries to do a blocking read from an empty FIFO, while the main thread continues and prints to STDOUT. (Note: I did create a FIFO using mkfifo newfifo in my terminal before executing the program)
I was expecting the program to print to screen "Main thread", and then block while waiting for me to put data in the FIFO. Instead, the entire process is blocked, and the message "Main thread" only prints after I've put data into the FIFO.
Am I missing something here? Shouldn't the main thread continue to run even though the spawned thread is blocked? I tried a test using fork and creating a child process and got the same result (both processes blocked by read from empty FIFO).
Code is below:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <pthread.h>
#define NEWPIPE "./newfifo"
typedef struct __attribute__ ((__packed__)) {
int reserved :30;
int threadStarted :1;
int msgRcved :1;
} Status;
void* thread_routine(int fd, char* buffer, Status* myStatus)
{
int great_success = 0;
myStatus->threadStarted = 1;
printf("Side thread\n");
great_success = read(fd, buffer, sizeof(buffer));
if (great_success < 0) {
printf("pipe failed\n");
} else {
myStatus->msgRcved = 1;
}
}
void main()
{
int fd;
int cnt = 0;
char buffer[20];
Status* myStatus;
pthread_t thread_id;
myStatus = (Status*) malloc(sizeof(Status));
myStatus->reserved = 0;
myStatus->threadStarted = 0;
myStatus->msgRcved = 0;
fd = open(NEWPIPE, O_RDONLY);
pthread_create(&thread_id,
NULL,
(void *) thread_routine(fd, buffer, myStatus),
NULL);
printf("Main thread\n");
while (!myStatus->threadStarted) {
printf("Main thread: side thread started!\n");
}
while (!myStatus->msgRcved) {
sleep(1);
cnt++;
}
printf("buffer (cnt = %d): %s\n", cnt, buffer);
}
Edit: Latest Code
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <pthread.h>
#define NEWPIPE "./newfifo"
struct Status {
unsigned int reserved :30;
unsigned int threadStarted :1;
unsigned int msgRcved :1;
};
void* thread_routine(void *arg)
{
int great_success = 0;
int fd;
char buffer[20];
struct Status* myStatus;
fd = open(NEWPIPE, O_RDONLY);
myStatus = arg;
myStatus->threadStarted = 1;
printf("Side thread\n");
while (1) {
great_success = read(fd, buffer, 20);
if (great_success < 0) {
printf("pipe failed\n");
} else {
printf("buffer : %s\n", buffer);
printf("great_success = %d\n", great_success);
great_success = 0;
}
}
}
void main()
{
int cnt = 0;
struct Status* myStatus;
pthread_t thread_id;
myStatus = (struct Status*) malloc(sizeof(struct Status));
myStatus->reserved = 0;
myStatus->threadStarted = 0;
myStatus->msgRcved = 0;
pthread_create(&thread_id,
NULL,
&thread_routine,
(void *) myStatus); // arguments to pass to the function!
printf("Main thread\n");
while (!myStatus->msgRcved) {
printf("Main thread: side thread started!\n");
if (myStatus->threadStarted) {
printf("spawned thread started!\n");
}
sleep(1);
}
pthread_exit(NULL);
}

You are passing the result of calling thread_routine() to pthread_create(). The arguments must all be evaluated before the call is executed, so the thread does not get created until that function returns. Probably. Because the thread_routine() does not return a (*)(void *), but pthread_create() attempts to call the return value as if it were one, the whole program's behavior is undefined. You want to pass a pointer to the function, not the result of calling it:
pthread_create(&thread_id,
NULL,
thread_routine,
NULL);
"But what about the arguments," you ask? That leads me to the next point: function thread_routine() does not have the correct signature for a thread start routine. A thread start routine must accept a single argument of type void *. The last argument to pthread_create() will be passed to the specified function as its (single) argument, and you can make that a pointer to an appropriate struct in lieu of passing multiple separate arguments.
Finally, your putative thread start function needs to exit either by returning a pointer value (possibly NULL) or by calling pthread_exit(). Behavior is undefined when a value-returning function other than main() reaches its terminal } without executing a return statement. (pthread_exit() solves that because it does not return.)
Note, by the way, that your compiler ought to have spit out several warnings about this code. You should always resolve all compiler warnings, or be certain why it's safe not to do so.

Instead, the entire process is blocked, and the message "Main thread" only prints after I've put data into the FIFO.
Am I missing something here?
Your main thread is blocked at this line:
fd = open(NEWPIPE, O_RDONLY);
because a non-blocking, read-only open of a FIFO will block until a writer is available. Your main thread is finally unblocked, not when you write data to the FIFO, but when you simply open the FIFO for writing.
There are other problems in the code as #JohnBollinger discusses in his answer. However, the FIFO semantics are why you are not seeing the initial output you expect.

the following is a way to open a named pipe,
so there is no need for any (before running application)
processing needed.
enum enumReturnStatus create_Pipe( INT32 taskSelector )
{
enum enumReturnStatus returnStatus = eRS_Success; // indicate success
char *pTask_NameString = NULL;
char Pipe_NameString[ 100 ] = {'\0'};
struct stat statInfo; // will contain info on a file
// and is used to determine if the pipe already exists
INT32 mkfifoStatus = 0;
INT32 statStatus = 0;
if( 0 >= Pipe_Parameters[ taskSelector ].Pipe_FD )
{ // then pipe not open
pTask_NameString = get_pTask_NameString( taskSelector );
if( NULL == pTask_NameString )
{ // task not configured
return( eRS_Failure );
}
/* *********************************************************************
* implied else, task configured
* ********************************************************************
*/
// create pipe name string
sprintf( Pipe_NameString, "/tmp/Pipe_2%s", pTask_NameString );
// check if pipe already exists
statStatus = stat(Pipe_NameString, &statInfo);
if( (statStatus)&&(ENOENT == errno) )
{ // then, FIFO pipe does not exist
// create the pipe
umask(0);
// maybe use mknode() instead of mkfifo()
// mknod(pPipe_name, S_IFIFO | S_IRUSR | S_IWUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IWGRP, 0 );
// 0666 allows anyone to read/write the pipe
mkfifoStatus = mkfifo( Pipe_NameString, 0666 );
if ( -1 == mkfifoStatus )
{
CommonWriteCdsLog( eLL_Critical,
get_pFormatString( eFormat_CFFL_string_string ),
__FILE__, __LINE__,
"LibFunc:mkfifo() failed to create pipe ",
strerror( errno ) );
fprintf(stderr,"mkfifo failed: %s \n",strerror( errno ));
fflush(stderr);
system( "sync; sync;" );
exit( EXIT_FAILURE );
}
} // endif ( pipe doesn't exist )
if( !mkfifoStatus && !statStatus )
{ // then pipe created or already exists
if( 0 >= Pipe_Parameters[taskSelector].Pipe_FD )
{ // then, pipe not yet open
// note: use O_RDWR so open will not hang
Pipe_Parameters[taskSelector].Pipe_FD = open( Pipe_NameString, O_CREAT|O_RDWR );
if( 0 >= Pipe_Parameters[taskSelector].Pipe_FD )
{ // then open failed
CommonWriteCdsLog( eLL_Critical,
get_pFormatString( eFormat_CFFL_string_string ),
__FILE__, __LINE__,
"LibFunc:open() failed for pipe",
strerror( errno ) );
}
else
{ // else open successful
;
} // endif( open for read successful )
} // endif( pipe not already open )
} // endif( pipe created or already exists )
} // endif( pipe not open )
return( returnStatus );
} // end create_Pipe()

This code:
typedef struct __attribute__ ((__packed__)) {
int reserved :30;
int threadStarted :1;
int msgRcved :1;
} Status;
will give problems as the code is using signed values and struct definitions should not be typedef'd as the typedef'ing:
obscures the code,
generates confusion in the reader
and clutters the compiler name space
here is an example of the preferred method to define a struct
(and correct the problem with the bit fields)
struct status
{
unsigned int reserved :30;
unsigned int threadStarted :1;
unsigned int msgRcved :1;
};
There should be no need for the packed attribute as all the bits will fit into a single unsigned int memory area. Reference this struct via: struct status in variable definitions and function parameter lists.

Related

Linux timeout for read() on named pipe

Suppose I create a named pipe on a Linux system:
$ mkfifo my_pipe
The next thing I want to do is write a little monitor program which tries to read() from my_pipe, but times out after a while. In the following pseudo-code, I have used a fictional function wait_for_avail(fd, timeout_ms):
int fd = open("my_pipe", O_RDONLY);
while (1) {
//Fictional wait_for_avail(fd, timeout_ms). Is there a real function
//that has this behaviour?
int rc = wait_for_avail(fd, 500);
if (rc == 1) {
char buf[64];
read(fd, buf, 64);
//do something with buf
} else {
fprintf(stderr, "Timed out while reading from my_pipe\n");
//do something else in the program
}
}
I thought poll with the POLLIN flag might work, but it does not. From my simple trials, I have found that it simply waits until another process has opened the named pipe for writing (but not for data to be available, i.e. read() would not block). By the way, for some reason, poll ignores your timeout and just seems to block forever until another process opens the pipe.
The only other solution I can think of is to open() the file with O_NONBLOCK, and sort of manually watch the time going by as I constantly try read()ing with a count of 0 bytes.
Is there a better solution out there?
EDIT: The process I have here blocks on opening the named pipe. However, if you use the O_NONBLOCK flag, the file opens right away. At that point, poll() can be used to wait (with an optional timeout) for the other end of the pipe to be opened for writing.
However, this still does have the behaviour of implementing a timeout for the read() function. It still appears to block as soon as you call read() (even if the pipe was opened with O_NONBLOCK)
Your idea about opening the fifo in non-blocking mode is correct. If you do that, poll()/select()/etc. can be used to wait for the other end to be opened, or timeout first.
The following example program just runs in an infinite loop waiting for other programs to write to my_pipe and echos the written text, with the occasional status update when there's no data or writer:
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <sys/stat.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <poll.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
int main(void) {
while (1) {
int fd = open("my_pipe", O_RDONLY | O_NONBLOCK);
if (fd < 0) {
perror("open");
return EXIT_FAILURE;
}
struct pollfd waiter = {.fd = fd, .events = POLLIN};
while (1) {
// 10 second timeout
switch (poll(&waiter, 1, 10 * 1000)) {
case 0:
puts("The fifo timed out.");
break;
case 1:
if (waiter.revents & POLLIN) {
char buffer[BUFSIZ];
ssize_t len = read(fd, buffer, sizeof buffer - 1);
if (len < 0) {
perror("read");
return EXIT_FAILURE;
}
buffer[len] = '\0';
printf("Read: %s\n", buffer);
} else if (waiter.revents & POLLERR) {
puts("Got a POLLERR");
return EXIT_FAILURE;
} else if (waiter.revents & POLLHUP) {
// Writer closed its end
goto closed;
}
break;
default:
perror("poll");
return EXIT_FAILURE;
}
}
closed:
if (close(fd) < 0) {
perror("close");
return EXIT_FAILURE;
}
}
}
After a lot of help and patience from #Shawn, I managed to come up with an answer I found satisfying. Here are the contents of a file called pipe_watcher.c:
#include <stdio.h> //printf etc.
#include <errno.h> //errno
#include <string.h> //perror
#include <signal.h> //SIGALRM, sigaction, sigset
#include <time.h> //timer_create, timer_settime
#include <fcntl.h> //open, O_RDONLY
#include <unistd.h> //close
/* This code demonstrates how you can monitor a named pipe with timeouts on the
* read() system call.
*
* Compile with:
*
* gcc -o pipe_watcher pipe_watcher.c -lrt
*
* And run with:
*
* ./pipe_watcher PIPE_FILENAME
*/
//Just needed a dummy handler
void sigalrm_handler(int s) {
return;
}
int main(int argc, char **argv) {
//Check input argument count
if (argc != 2) {
puts("Usage:\n");
puts("\t./pipe_watcher PIPE_FILENAME");
return -1;
}
//Create a timer object
timer_t clk;
int rc = timer_create(CLOCK_REALTIME, NULL, &clk);
if (rc < 0) {
perror("Could not create CLOCK_REALTIME timer");
return -1;
}
//Create some time values for use with timer_settime
struct itimerspec half_second = {
.it_interval = {.tv_sec = 0, .tv_nsec = 0},
.it_value = {.tv_sec = 0, .tv_nsec = 500000000}
};
struct itimerspec stop_timer = {
.it_interval = {.tv_sec = 0, .tv_nsec = 0},
.it_value = {.tv_sec = 0, .tv_nsec = 0}
};
//Set up SIGALRM handler
struct sigaction sigalrm_act = {
.sa_handler = sigalrm_handler,
.sa_flags = 0
};
sigemptyset(&sigalrm_act.sa_mask);
rc = sigaction(SIGALRM, &sigalrm_act, NULL);
if (rc < 0) {
perror("Could not register signal handler");
timer_delete(clk);
return -1;
}
//We deliberately omit O_NONBLOCK, since we want blocking behaviour on
//read(), and we're willing to tolerate dealing with the blocking open()
int fd = open(argv[1], O_RDONLY);
if (fd < 0) {
char msg[80];
sprintf(msg, "Could not open [%s]", argv[1]);
perror(msg);
timer_delete(clk);
return -1;
}
puts("File opened");
while (1) {
//Buffer to read() into
char buf[80];
int len;
//Set up a timer to interrupt the read() call after 0.5 seconds
timer_settime(clk, 0, &half_second, NULL);
//Issue read() system call
len = read(fd, buf, 80);
//Check for errors. The else-if checks for EOF
if (len < 0) {
if (errno == EINTR) {
//This means we got interrupted by the timer; we can keep going
fprintf(stderr, "Timeout, trying again\n");
continue;
} else {
//Something really bad happened. Time to quit.
perror("read() failed");
//No point waiting for the timer anymore
timer_settime(clk, 0, &stop_timer, NULL);
break;
}
} else if (len == 0) {
puts("Reached end of file");
break;
}
//No error or EOF; stop the timer and print the results
timer_settime(clk, 0, &stop_timer, NULL);
write(STDOUT_FILENO, buf, len);
}
//Cleanup after ourselves
timer_delete(clk);
close(fd);
return 0;
}
The technique is to set up a timer before a (blocking) read() call. Then, we can simply check the return value of read() to see if it was interrupted due to a timeout, if a general error occurred, if EOF was reached, or if it successfully read data.
There's only one snag: you can't open the file in non-blocking mode; this causes open() to block until another process opens the pipe for writing. However, in my application this is actually a desirable feature. You could also set up SIGALRM to enforce a timeout on the open(), or maybe do it in another thread.
In fact, this technique should work with any other system call, so I might put together a little helper library to make this pattern easier to use.
EDIT
One more thing: it is very important to not use the SA_RESTART flag when registering the signal handler. Otherwise, even if a system call is interrupted by a signal, Linux will try it again after the signal is handled.

Probelm with using Threads in Linux kernel Module

I am developing Linux kernel module which is communicating with my user-space C application. In this module, I am creating a thread. this is my module where I am facing the problem :
#include <linux/module.h>
#include <linux/kernel.h>
#include <linux/init.h>
#include <asm/siginfo.h> //siginfo
#include <linux/rcupdate.h> //rcu_read_lock
#include <linux/sched/signal.h> //find_task_by_pid_type
#include <linux/debugfs.h>
#include <linux/uaccess.h>
#include<linux/slab.h>
#include <linux/input.h>
#include <linux/device.h>
#include <linux/fs.h>
#include <linux/random.h>
#include <linux/kthread.h>
#define SIG_TEST 44 // we choose 44 as our signal number (real-time signals are in the range of 33 to 64)
#define BTN_FILE_PATH "/dev/input/event0"
char *str = BTN_FILE_PATH;
int file;
struct file *f; // keyboard driver
// prototypage des fonctions read_in_thread & read_pid
int read_in_thread(void *data);
static ssize_t read_pid(struct file *pfile, char __user *buffer, size_t length, loff_t *offset);
static ssize_t write_pid(struct file *pfile, const char __user *buffer,
size_t length, loff_t *offset)
{
return 0;
}
struct read_args {
struct file *pfile;
const char __user *buffer;
size_t length;
loff_t *offset;
};
static ssize_t read_pid(struct file *pfile, char __user *buffer, size_t length, loff_t *offset)
{
// création de la structure des arguments
struct read_args args ;
args.pfile = pfile;
args.buffer = buffer;
args.length = length;
args.offset = offset;
struct task_struct *thread1;
char our_thread[20];
unsigned int rand;
get_random_bytes(&rand, sizeof(rand));
rand = rand % 250;
sprintf(our_thread, "thread%u", rand);
if(thread1==NULL)
{
thread1 = kthread_create(read_in_thread,&args,our_thread);
if((thread1))
{
printk(KERN_INFO "Thread is created\n");
printk("thread name %s\n", our_thread);
// lancement du thread
wake_up_process(thread1);
printk(KERN_INFO "Thread is awake\n");
}
}
else
printk("\nTHREAD1 IS NOT NULL!!! CAN NOT CREATE THREAD!!!\n");
return 0;
}
int read_in_thread(void *data) {
/************************** récupération des arguments *******************/
struct read_args *const args = data;
/*************************** corps de la fonction ***********************/
// init des variables
char mybuf[10];
enum { MAX_BUF_SIZE = 4096 };
size_t buf_size = 0;
char *buf = NULL;
ssize_t total = 0;
ssize_t rc = 0;
struct task_struct *t;
struct input_event ev[64];
int yalv;
int ret;
struct siginfo info;
int pid =0;
size_t amount = sizeof(ev);
// récupération de l'ID du processus appelant
/* read the value from user space */
if(args->length > 10)
return -EINVAL;
copy_from_user(mybuf, args->buffer, args->length);
sscanf(mybuf, "%d", &pid);
printk("pid = %d\n", pid);
// the signal
memset(&info, 0, sizeof(struct siginfo));
info.si_signo = SIG_TEST;
info.si_code = SI_QUEUE; // this is bit of a trickery: SI_QUEUE is normally used by sigqueue from user space,
// and kernel space should use SI_KERNEL. But if SI_KERNEL is used the real_time data
// is not delivered to the user space signal handler function.
info.si_int = 260; //real time signals may have 32 bits of data.
rcu_read_lock();
t = pid_task(find_vpid(pid), PIDTYPE_PID); //find the task_struct associated with this pid
if(t == NULL){
printk("no such pid\n");
rcu_read_unlock();
return -ENODEV;
}
rcu_read_unlock();
// lecture blocquante
rc = kernel_read(f, ev, amount, &f->f_pos);
// récupération de l'événement
if (rc > 0) {
for (yalv = 0; yalv < (int) (rc / sizeof(struct input_event)); yalv++) {
if (ev[yalv].type == EV_KEY) {
if (ev[yalv].value == 0)
//eval_keycode(ev[yalv].code);
info.si_int = ev[yalv].code;
// envoie du signal vers le processus appelant avec les événements lu
ret = send_sig_info(SIG_TEST, &info, t); //send the signal
printk("signal was send\n");
if (ret < 0) {
printk("error sending signal\n");
kfree(buf);
return ret;
}
}
}
if (rc < amount) {
/* Didn't read the full amount, so terminate early. */
rc = 0;
}
}
/* Free temporary buffer. */
kfree(buf);
return 0;
}
static const struct file_operations my_fops = {
.owner = THIS_MODULE,
.write = write_pid,
.read = read_pid,
//.open = open_pid,
};
static int __init signalexample_module_init(void)
{
printk(KERN_INFO "Initializing LKM");
/* we need to know the pid of the user space process
* -> we use debugfs for this. As soon as a pid is written to
* this file, a signal is sent to that pid
*/
/* only root can write to this file (no read) */
register_chrdev(240, "mod", &my_fops);
file = debugfs_create_file("signalconfpid", 0200, NULL, NULL, &my_fops);
f = filp_open(str, O_RDONLY , 0);
//printk("%d",f);
return 0;
}
static void __exit signalexample_module_exit(void)
{
unregister_chrdev(240, "mod");
debugfs_remove(file);
}
module_init(signalexample_module_init);
module_exit(signalexample_module_exit);
MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");
When I execute my user-space program for the first time, everything is working well and it prints for me on the console :
Thread is created
thread name thread91
Thread is awake
But when I try to execute it again, it prints :
THREAD1 IS NOT NULL!!! CAN NOT CREATE THREAD!!!
I think that the probelm is in task_struct *thread1 which still holding information about the first thread which was created in my first execution of the program.
Could anyone help me how to solve the problem ? How can I edit my code in order to make it run much more times correctly ?
Thank you.
As you mentionned, the thread is correctly marked as not null since it is already running. So the behaviour is intended.
So in order to solve your issue you have to describe what is you actual intended behavior.
If you want to make it run multiple times, you might want to use a local variable to run the thread (for instance storing it in an array for later communication).
You could also wait the previous thread to complete before running the next one.
Your kernel code lives before and after your user space code started and finished to run. So when you execute your command for the first time, the kernel thread is created, as it is the first time the read_pid called so the thread is created. But after the read_pid done, the kernel did not stop. So the thread is still there. It looks like you should create your thread in the driver's probe function, and write the threads logic in the way that it only prepares data for the read_pid call. The signal usage looks absolutely unnecessary in your case.

main doesn't continue after call pthread_join function

I'm new to pthread and multithreading, i have written a code like that.
#include <pthread.h>
#include <unistd.h>
void *nfc_read(void *arg)
{
int fd = -1;
int ret;
uint8_t read_data[24];
while(1){
ret = read_block(fd, 8, read_data);
if(!ret){
return (void)read_data;
}
}
}
int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
pthread_t my_thread;
void *returnValue;
pthread_create(&my_thread, NULL, nfc_read, NULL);
pthread_join(my_thread, &returnValue);
printf("NFC card value is : %s \n", (char)returnValue);
printf("other process");
return 0;
}
Until the return value from nfc_read function, as I will have other code I need to run and I don't want to block in main. How can i do that?
This is a sample where a read thread runs concurrently to the "main" thread which is doing other work (in this case, printing dots and sleeping).
To keep things simple, a simulated the reading from an input device with copying a constant string character by character. I guess, this is reasonable as the synchronization of threads is focused.
For the synchronization of threads, I used atomic_bool with atomic_store() and atomic_load() which are provided by the Atomic Library (since C11).
My sample application test-concurrent-read.c:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <pthread.h>
#include <stdatomic.h>
#include <unistd.h>
/* sampe input */
const char sampleInput[]
= "This is sample input which is consumed as if it was read from"
" a (very slow) external device.";
atomic_bool readDone = ATOMIC_VAR_INIT(0);
void* threadRead(void *pArg)
{
char **pPBuffer = (char**)pArg;
size_t len = 0, size = 0;
int c; const char *pRead;
for (pRead = sampleInput; (c = *pRead++) > 0; sleep(1)) {
if (len + 1 >= size) {
if (!(*pPBuffer = realloc(*pPBuffer, (size + 64) * sizeof(char)))) {
fprintf(stderr, "ERROR! Allocation failed!\n");
break;
}
size += 64;
}
(*pPBuffer)[len++] = c; (*pPBuffer)[len] = '\0';
}
atomic_store(&readDone, 1);
return NULL;
}
int main()
{
/* start thread to read concurrently */
printf("Starting thread...\n");
pthread_t idThreadRead; /* thread ID for read thread */
char *pBuffer = NULL; /* pointer to return buffer from thread */
if (pthread_create(&idThreadRead, NULL, &threadRead, &pBuffer)) {
fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: Failed to start read thread!\n");
return -1;
}
/* start main loop */
printf("Starting main loop...\n");
do {
putchar('.'); fflush(stdout);
sleep(1);
} while (!atomic_load(&readDone));
putchar('\n');
void *ret;
pthread_join(idThreadRead, &ret);
/* after sync */
printf("\nReceived: '%s'\n", pBuffer ? pBuffer : "<NULL>");
free(pBuffer);
/* done */
return 0;
}
Compiled and tested with gcc in cygwin on Windows 10 (64 bit):
$ gcc -std=c11 -pthread -o test-concurrent-read test-concurrent-read.c
$ ./test-concurrent-read
Starting thread...
Starting main loop...
.............................................................................................
Received: 'This is sample input which is consumed as if it was read from a (very slow) external device.'
$
I guess, it is worth to mention why there is no mutex guarding for pBuffer which is used in main() as well as in threadRead().
pBuffer is initialized in main() before pthread_create() is called.
While thread_read() is running, pBuffer is used by it exclusively (via its passed address in pPBuffer).
It is accessed in main() again but not before pthread_join() which grants that threadRead() has ended.
I tried to find a reference by google to confirm that this procedure is well-defined and reasonable. The best, I could find was SO: pthread_create(3) and memory synchronization guarantee in SMP architectures which cites The Open Group Base Specifications Issue 7 - 4.12 Memory Synchronization.

Segfault on Server after Multithreading in C

So I'm trying to code a multi-threading server. I've spent an enormous time on the internet figuring out the correct way to do this and the answer as always seems to be it depends. Whenever I execute my code, the client successfully connects, and executes but when the thread terminates and returns to the while loop the whole program segfaults.
I probably could use a good spanking on a few other things as well such as my usage of global variables. The entirety of code is below, sorry for the inconsistent space/tabbing.
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <sys/socket.h>
#include <netinet/in.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <stdbool.h>
#include <signal.h>
#include <math.h>
#include <pthread.h>
#include <sys/stat.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
/* ---------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a basic whiteboard server. You can query it, append to it and
clear in it. It understands both encrypted and unencrypted data.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- */
struct whiteboard {
int line;
char type;
int bytes;
char string[1024];
} *Server;
int serverSize, threadcount, id[5];
bool debug = true;
struct whiteboard *Server;
pthread_mutex_t mutex;
pthread_t thread[5];
/* -------------------------------------------
function: sigint_handler
Opens a file "whiteboard.all" in writemode
and writes all white board information in
command mode.
------------------------------------------- */
void sigint_handler(int sig)
{
if (debug) printf("\nInduced SIGINT.\n");
FILE *fp;
fp=fopen("whiteboard.all","w");
int x=0;
for (x;x<serverSize;x++) // Loop Responsible for iterating all the whiteboard entries.
{
if (debug) printf("#%d%c%d\n%s\n",Server[x].line,Server[x].type,Server[x].bytes,Server[x].string);
fprintf(fp,"#%d%c%d\n%s\n",Server[x].line,Server[x].type,Server[x].bytes,Server[x].string);
}
if (debug) printf("All values stored.\n");
free(Server); // Free dynamically allocated memory
exit(1);
}
/* -------------------------------------------
function: processMessage
Parses '!' messages into their parts -
returns struct in response.
------------------------------------------- */
struct whiteboard processMessage(char * message)
{
int lineNumber, numBytes;
char stringType, entry[1028];
if (debug) printf("Update Statement!\n");
// Read line sent by Socket
sscanf(message,"%*c%d%c%d\n%[^\n]s",&lineNumber,&stringType,&numBytes,entry);
if (debug) printf("Processed: Line: %d, Text: %s\n",lineNumber,entry);
// Parse information into local Struct
struct whiteboard Server;
Server.line = lineNumber;
Server.type = stringType;
Server.bytes = numBytes;
strcpy(Server.string,entry);
// If there is no bytes, give nothing
if (numBytes == 0)
{
strcpy(Server.string,"");
}
return Server;
}
/* -------------------------------------------
function: handleEverything
Determines type of message recieved and
process and parses accordingly.
------------------------------------------- */
char * handleEverything(char* message, struct whiteboard *Server, char* newMessage)
{
bool updateFlag = false, queryFlag = false;
// If message is an Entry
if (message[0] == '#')
{
if (debug) printf("Triggered Entry!\n");
// Create Temporary Struct
struct whiteboard messageReturn;
messageReturn = processMessage(message);
// Store Temporary Struct in Correct Heap Struct
Server[messageReturn.line] = messageReturn;
sprintf(newMessage,"!%d%c%d\n%s\n",messageReturn.line, messageReturn.type, messageReturn.bytes, messageReturn.string);
return newMessage;
}
// If message is a query
if (message[0] == '?')
{
if (debug) printf("Triggered Query!\n");
int x;
queryFlag = true;
sscanf(message,"%*c%d",&x); // Parse Query
if (x > serverSize) // Check if Query out of Range
{
strcpy(newMessage,"ERROR: Query out of Range.\n");
return newMessage;
}
sprintf(newMessage,"!%d%c%d\n%s\n",Server[x].line,Server[x].type,Server[x].bytes,Server[x].string);
if (debug) printf("newMessage as of handleEverything:%s\n",newMessage);
return newMessage;
}
}
/* -------------------------------------------
function: readFile
If argument -f given, read file
process and parse into heap memory.
------------------------------------------- */
void readFile(char * filename)
{
FILE *fp;
fp=fopen(filename,"r");
int line, bytes, count = 0, totalSize = 0;
char type, check, string[1028], individualLine[1028];
// Loop to determine size of file. **I know this is sloppy.
while (fgets(individualLine, sizeof(individualLine), fp))
{
totalSize++;
}
// Each line shoud have totalSize - 2 (to account for 0)
// (answer) / 2 to account for string line and instruction.
totalSize = (totalSize - 2) / 2;
serverSize = totalSize+1;
if (debug) printf("Total Size is: %d\n",serverSize);
// Open and Allocate Memory
fp=fopen(filename,"r");
if (debug) printf("File Mode Calloc Initialize\n");
Server = calloc(serverSize+2, sizeof(*Server));
// Write to Heap Loop
while (fgets(individualLine, sizeof(individualLine), fp)) {
if (individualLine[0] == '#') // Case of Header Line
{
sscanf(individualLine,"%c%d%c%d",&check,&line,&type,&bytes);
if (debug) printf("Count: %d, Check:%c, Line:%d, Type: %c, Bytes:%d \n",count,check,line,type,bytes);
Server[count].line = line;
Server[count].type = type;
Server[count].bytes = bytes;
count++;
}
else
{
// For case of no data
if (individualLine[0] == '\n')
{
strcpy(string,"");
}
// Then scan data line
sscanf(individualLine,"%[^\n]s",string);
if (debug) printf("String: %s\n",string);
strcpy(Server[count-1].string,string);
}
}
return;
}
void *threadFunction(int snew)
{
char tempmessage[1024], message[2048];
// Compile and Send Server Message
strcpy(tempmessage, "CMPUT379 Whiteboard Server v0\n");
send(snew, tempmessage, sizeof(tempmessage), 0);
// Recieve Message
char n = recv(snew, message, sizeof(message), 0);
pthread_mutex_lock(&mutex);
if (debug) printf("Attempt to Malloc for newMessage\n");
char * newMessage = malloc(1024 * sizeof(char));
if (debug) printf("goto: handleEverything\n");
newMessage = handleEverything(message, Server, newMessage);
if (debug) printf("returnMessage:%s\n",newMessage);
strcpy(message,newMessage);
free(newMessage);
pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex);
if (debug) printf("message = %s\n", message);
send(snew, message, sizeof(message), 0);
printf("End of threadFunction\n");
return;
}
/* -------------------------------------------
function: main
Function Body of Server
------------------------------------------- */
int main(int argc, char * argv[])
{
int sock, fromlength, outnum, i, socketNumber, snew;
bool cleanMode;
// Initialize Signal Handling
struct sigaction act;
act.sa_handler = sigint_handler;
sigemptyset(&act.sa_mask);
act.sa_flags = 0;
sigaction(SIGINT, &act, 0);
// For correct number of arguments.
if (argc == 4)
{
// If "-n" parameter (cleanMode)
if (strcmp(argv[2], "-n") == 0)
{
// Get size + 1
cleanMode = true;
sscanf(argv[3],"%d",&serverSize);
serverSize += 1;
if (debug) printf("== Clean Mode Properly Initiated == \n");
if (debug) printf("serverSize: %d\n",serverSize);
if (debug) printf("Clean Mode Calloc\n");
Server = calloc(serverSize, sizeof(*Server));
int i = 0;
for (i; i < serverSize; i++) // Initialize allocated Memory
{
Server[i].line = i;
Server[i].type = 'p';
Server[i].bytes = 0;
strcpy(Server[i].string,"");
}
}
// If "-f" parameter (filemode)
else if (strcmp(argv[2], "-f") == 0)
{
// Read File
cleanMode = false;
readFile(argv[3]);
if (debug) printf("== Statefile Mode Properly Initiated == \n");
if (debug) printf("serverSize: %d\n",serverSize);
}
// Otherwise incorrect parameter.
else
{
printf("Incorrect Argument. \n");
printf("Usage: wbs279 pornumber {-n number | -f statefile}\n");
exit(1);
}
sscanf(argv[1],"%d",&socketNumber);
}
// Send Error for Incorrect Number of Arguments
if (argc != 4)
{
printf("Error: Incorrect Number of Input Arguments.\n");
printf("Usage: wbs279 portnumber {-n number | -f statefile}\n");
exit(1);
}
// == Do socket stuff ==
char tempmessage[1024], message[2048];
struct sockaddr_in master, from;
if (debug) printf("Assrt Socket\n");
sock = socket (AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
if (sock < 0)
{
perror ("Server: cannot open master socket");
exit (1);
}
master.sin_family = AF_INET;
master.sin_addr.s_addr = INADDR_ANY;
master.sin_port = htons (socketNumber);
if (bind (sock, (struct sockaddr*) &master, sizeof (master)))
{
perror ("Server: cannot bind master socket");
exit (1);
}
// == Done socket stuff ==
listen (sock, 5);
int threadNumber = 0;
while(1)
{
printf("But what about now.\n");
if (debug) printf("-- Wait for Input --\n");
printf("Enie, ");
fromlength = sizeof (from);
printf("Meanie, ");
snew = accept (sock, (struct sockaddr*) & from, & fromlength);
printf("Miney, ");
if (snew < 0)
{
perror ("Server: accept failed");
exit (1);
}
printf("Moe\n");
pthread_create(&thread[threadNumber],NULL,threadFunction(snew), &id[threadNumber]);
//printf("Can I join?!\n");
//pthread_join(thread[0],NULL);
//printf("Joined?!\n");
threadNumber++;
close (snew);
}
}
I'm also curious as to how exactly to let multiple clients use the server at once. Is how I've allocated the whiteboard structure data appropriate for this process?
I'm very sorry if these don't make any sense.
You seem to somehow expect this:
pthread_create(&thread[threadNumber],NULL,threadFunction(snew), &id[threadNumber]);
/* ... */
close (snew);
To make sense, while it clearly doesn't.
Instead of starting a thread that runs threadFunction, passing it snew, you call the thread function and pass the return value to pthread_create(), which will interpret it as a function pointer. This will break, especially considering that the thread function incorrectly ends with:
return;
This shouldn't compile, since it's declared to return void *.
Also assuming you managed to start the thread, passing it snew to use as its socket: then you immediately close that socket, causing any reference to it from the thread to be invalid!
Please note that pthread_create() does not block and wait for the thread to exit, that would be kind of ... pointless. It starts off the new thread to run in parallel with the main thread, so of course you can't yank the carpet away from under it.
This signal handler is completely unsafe:
void sigint_handler(int sig)
{
if (debug) printf("\nInduced SIGINT.\n");
FILE *fp;
fp=fopen("whiteboard.all","w");
int x=0;
for (x;x<serverSize;x++) // Loop Responsible for iterating all the whiteboard entries.
{
if (debug) printf("#%d%c%d\n%s\n",Server[x].line,Server[x].type,Server[x].bytes,Server[x].string);
fprintf(fp,"#%d%c%d\n%s\n",Server[x].line,Server[x].type,Server[x].bytes,Server[x].string);
}
if (debug) printf("All values stored.\n");
free(Server); // Free dynamically allocated memory
exit(1);
}
Per 2.4.3 Signal Actions of the POSIX standard (emphasis added):
The following table defines a set of functions that shall be
async-signal-safe. Therefore, applications can call them, without
restriction, from signal-catching functions. ...
[list of async-signal-safe functions]
Any function not in the above table may be unsafe with respect to signals. Implementations may make other interfaces
async-signal-safe. In the presence of signals, all functions defined
by this volume of POSIX.1-2008 shall behave as defined when called
from or interrupted by a signal-catching function, with the exception
that when a signal interrupts an unsafe function or equivalent
(such as the processing equivalent to exit() performed after a return
from the initial call to main()) and the signal-catching function
calls an unsafe function, the behavior is undefined. Additional
exceptions are specified in the descriptions of individual functions
such as longjmp().
Your signal handler invokes undefined behavior.

Can't read a file using producer-consumer thanks to processes and semaphores

Generalities and functioning of my program
NB : you will be able to test my program (only one file, containing the main function). I give you the entire code at the end of this question.
I wrote a program which can be used to illustrate the producer-consumer algorithm, with UNIX-Processes. The producer creates some value, for example 5, writes it into a RAM shared_buffer and then writes the latter into a file test.txt. The consumer assigns to this shared_buffer the content of the file test.txt and takes some value from the RAM buffer, shared_buffer.
I use functions to convert my shared_buffer into the file, and reciprocally : arrayToFile and fileToArray. Both are presented at the end of this question.
The shared_buffer has a size of 1 + 10 cases : the first one contains the number of full cases (ie. : with a 5 writen) and the 10 others can be filled either with 5 or nothing.
The first case is useful for the producer, to know where to write next value (ie. : in which case).
The file of course has also 1 + 10 cases. The file is needed because I use processes and not threads (not-shared memory, thus).
shared_buffer's initialisation is contained in the main function. shared_buffer's accesses (in reading and in writing) are contained in consumer's function and in producer's function, respectively. These codes are presented at the end of this question.
Access to shared_buffer and overall to the file are of course under mutual exclusion and three semaphores are used. The mutexe impedes producer and consumer to access it at the same time, and the two other semaphores are used to guarantee that the producer won't try to put a new element if there isn't enough place, and that the consumer won't try to take an element if there isn't any element. Well, it's just the producer-consumer algorithm.
Finally, producer's process runs until the end of time, and so does the consumer's process.
The declaration and initialisation of these three semaphores are presented at the end of this question.
My problem
There is only one problem : when both producer's process and consumer's process are running until the end of times while(TRUE), arrayToFile and fileToArray tell me that the file's opening failed. If I erase one or both while(TRUE), this error disapears (but thus, my program doesn't make its job).
So this problem appears only when both while(TRUE) are writen.
I think it's because I don't make good use of the mutexe. But I couldn't give you more explanations.
Source
Code is highly commented.
#include <unistd.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <sys/sem.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#define TRUE 1
#define ERR_NBR_ARGS "ERROR. Argument needed. Use as follows.\n"
int fileToArray(char *, int *, int);
int arrayToFile(char *, int *, int);
void check_if_command_arguments_are_correct(int);
void mutual_exclusion_produce(int, char*, int*, int);
void mutual_exclusion_consume(int, char*, int*, int);
int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
check_if_command_arguments_are_correct(argc);
// FILE'S PATH
char* file_path = argv[1];
// DECLARATION AND INITIALISATION OF THE SHARED RESOURCE
int shared_buffer_number_of_elements = 10;
int shared_buffer[shared_buffer_number_of_elements + 1];
shared_buffer[0] = 0;
arrayToFile(file_path, shared_buffer, shared_buffer_number_of_elements);
// FILE'S KEY (used to make processes able to use the same semaphores)
key_t key = ftok(argv[0], '0');
if(key == - 1) {
perror("ftok");
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}
// DECLARATION AND INITIALISATION OF THE THREE SEMAPHORES
int semid = semget(key, 3, IPC_CREAT|IPC_EXCL|0666); // Declaration of the semaphores
if(semid == -1) {
perror("semget");
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}
int array_semaphores_values[3];
array_semaphores_values[0] = 1;
array_semaphores_values[1] = shared_buffer_number_of_elements;
array_semaphores_values[2] = 0;
int sem_controller = semctl(semid, 3, SETALL, array_semaphores_values); // Initialisation of the semaphores - 2th parameter is the array's size
if(sem_controller == -1) {
perror("semctl");
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}
// THE TWO FORKS - CREATION OF BOTH PRODUCER AND CONSUMER
pid_t producer = fork();
if(producer == -1) {
perror("fork");
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
} else if(producer == 0) { // The producer process
mutual_exclusion_produce(semid, file_path, shared_buffer, shared_buffer_number_of_elements);
} else { // The main process
pid_t consumer = fork();
if(consumer == - 1) {
perror("fork");
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
} else if(consumer == 0) { // The consumer process
mutual_exclusion_consume(semid, file_path, shared_buffer, shared_buffer_number_of_elements);
}
}
semctl(semid, 0, IPC_RMID, 0); // The semaphores are freed
}
void mutual_exclusion_produce(int semid, char* file_path, int* buffer, int size) {
/* The producer does the following :
* 1. It decrements the free cases semaphore ;
* 2. It decrements the mutex ;
* 3. It writes the buffer
* 4. It increments the mutex ;
* 5. It increments the full cases semaphore ;
* */
while(TRUE) {
// DECREMENTS FREE CASES SEMAPHORE AND DECREMENTS MUTEX
struct sembuf operation_decrement_free_cases;
operation_decrement_free_cases.sem_num = 2;
operation_decrement_free_cases.sem_op = -1;
operation_decrement_free_cases.sem_flg = 0;
struct sembuf operation_decrement_mutex;
operation_decrement_mutex.sem_num = 0;
operation_decrement_mutex.sem_op = -1;
operation_decrement_mutex.sem_flg = 0;
semop(semid, &operation_decrement_free_cases, 0);
semop(semid, &operation_decrement_mutex, 0);
// WRITES THE BUFFER INTO THE FILE
buffer[++buffer[0]] = 5;
arrayToFile(file_path, buffer, size);
// INCREMENTS THE MUTEX AND INCREMENTS THE FULL CASES SEMAPHORE
struct sembuf operation_increment_full_cases;
operation_decrement_free_cases.sem_num = 1;
operation_decrement_free_cases.sem_op = +1;
operation_decrement_free_cases.sem_flg = 0;
struct sembuf operation_increment_mutex;
operation_decrement_mutex.sem_num = 0;
operation_decrement_mutex.sem_op = +1;
operation_decrement_mutex.sem_flg = 0;
semop(semid, &operation_increment_mutex, 0);
semop(semid, &operation_increment_full_cases, 0);
}
}
void mutual_exclusion_consume(int semid, char* file_path, int* buffer, int size) {
/*
* The consumer does the following :
* 1. It decrements the full cases semaphore ;
* 2. It decrements the mutex ;
* 3. It reads the buffer ;
* 4. It increments the mutex ;
* 5. It increments the free cases semaphore ;
* */
while(TRUE) {
// DECREMENTS FULL CASES SEMAPHORE AND DECREMENTS MUTEX
struct sembuf operation_decrement_full_cases;
operation_decrement_full_cases.sem_num = 1;
operation_decrement_full_cases.sem_op = -1;
operation_decrement_full_cases.sem_flg = 0;
struct sembuf operation_decrement_mutex;
operation_decrement_mutex.sem_num = 0;
operation_decrement_mutex.sem_op = -1;
operation_decrement_mutex.sem_flg = 0;
semop(semid, &operation_decrement_full_cases, 0);
semop(semid, &operation_decrement_mutex, 0);
// READS THE FILE AND PUT THE CONTENTS INTO THE BUFFER
fileToArray(file_path, buffer, size);
// INCREMENTS THE MUTEX AND INCREMENTS THE FREE CASES SEMAPHORE
struct sembuf operation_increment_free_cases;
operation_decrement_full_cases.sem_num = 2;
operation_decrement_full_cases.sem_op = +1;
operation_decrement_full_cases.sem_flg = 0;
struct sembuf operation_increment_mutex;
operation_decrement_mutex.sem_num = 0;
operation_decrement_mutex.sem_op = +1;
operation_decrement_mutex.sem_flg = 0;
semop(semid, &operation_increment_mutex, 0);
semop(semid, &operation_increment_free_cases, 0);
}
}
void check_if_command_arguments_are_correct(int argc) {
if(argc != 2) {
fprintf(stderr, ERR_NBR_ARGS);
fprintf(stderr, "program_command <file_buffer>\n");
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}
}
int fileToArray(char *pathname, int *tab, int size) {
int cible;
if ( (cible = open(pathname,O_RDONLY)) < 0){
fprintf(stderr,"fileToArray - impossible to open the file\n");
return -1;
}
if (read(cible,tab,(size+1) * sizeof(int)) !=(size+1) * sizeof(int)) {
fprintf(stderr,"fileToArray - impossible to read the file\n");
return -1;
}
close(cible);
return 0;
}
int arrayToFile(char *pathname, int *tab, int size) {
int cible;
if ( (cible = open(pathname,O_WRONLY|O_CREAT|O_TRUNC,0666)) < 0){
fprintf(stderr,"arrayToFile - impossible to open the file\n");
return -1;
}
if (write(cible,tab,(size+1) * sizeof(int)) !=(size+1) * sizeof(int)) {
fprintf(stderr,"arrayToFile - impossible to write the file\n");
return -1;
}
close(cible);
return 0;
}

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