Linux thread priority

Question

I have question about Linux pthread synchronization and scheduling like code below

/*
 * multithread.c
 *
 * Demonstrate use of a multi threading and scheduling using pthreads
 *
 * compile with
 cc multithread.c -o multithread -lrt -lpthread
 *
 */

#include <pthread.h>    /* header file for pthreads */
#include <unistd.h>     /* header file for POSIX conformance */
#include <time.h>       /* header file for POSIX time management */
#include <sched.h>      /* header file for POSIX scheduling */
#include <stdio.h>      /* header file for standard input/outputlibrary */
#define _REENTRANT      /* macro to ensure system calls are reentrant */

void *threadA(void *);   /* predefine threadA routine */
void *threadB(void *);   /* predefine threadB routine */
void *threadC(void *);   /* predefine threadC routine */

pthread_t threadA_id,threadB_id,threadC_id,main_id; /* thread identifiers */
pthread_attr_t attrA,attrB,attrC;  /* thread attribute structures */
struct sched_param param;          /* scheduling structure for thread attributes */

int policy=SCHED_FIFO;
int priority_min,priority_max;     /* for range of priority levels */

/* main routine */
int main()
{
  struct timespec start;
  int status;                        /* check that system calls return ok */

  clock_gettime(CLOCK_REALTIME, &start);        /* get the time   */
  printf("Start time is: %d seconds %d nano_seconds\n",start.tv_sec,start.tv_nsec);

  /* Set processor affinity */ 
  unsigned long mask = 1; /* use only 1 CPU core */
  unsigned int len = sizeof(mask);
  status = sched_setaffinity(0, len, &mask);
  if (status < 0) perror("sched_setaffinity");
  status = sched_getaffinity(0, len, &mask);
  if (status < 0) perror("sched_getaffinity");

  /* Find priority limits */

  priority_max = sched_get_priority_max(policy);
  priority_min = sched_get_priority_min(policy);

  /* Set priority and policy of main thread */

  main_id = pthread_self();
  param.sched_priority=priority_max;
  status = pthread_setschedparam(main_id, policy, &param);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_setschedparam"); /* error check */

  /* Create threadA */

  param.sched_priority = priority_min+1;
  pthread_attr_init(&attrA);
  status = pthread_attr_setschedpolicy(&attrA,policy);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_attr_setschedpolicy"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_attr_setschedparam(&attrA,&param);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_attr_setschedparam"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_create(&threadA_id, &attrA, threadA, NULL);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_create"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_setschedparam(threadA_id,policy,&param);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_setschedparam");

  /* Create threadB */

  param.sched_priority = priority_min+1;
  pthread_attr_init(&attrB);
  status = pthread_attr_setschedpolicy(&attrB,policy);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_attr_setschedpolicy"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_attr_setschedparam(&attrB,&param);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_attr_setschedparam"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_create(&threadB_id, &attrB, threadB, NULL);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_create"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_setschedparam(threadB_id,policy,&param);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_setschedparam");

  /* Create threadC */

  param.sched_priority = priority_min+1;
  pthread_attr_init(&attrC);
  status = pthread_attr_setschedpolicy(&attrC,policy);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_attr_setschedpolicy"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_attr_setschedparam(&attrC,&param);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_attr_setschedparam"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_create(&threadC_id, &attrC, threadC, NULL);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_create"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_setschedparam(threadC_id,policy,&param);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_setschedparam");

  /* Join threads - force main to wait for the thread to terminate */  
  printf("main() waiting for threads\n");

  status = pthread_join(threadA_id, NULL);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_join(threadA_id, NULL)"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_join(threadB_id, NULL);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_join(threadB_id, NULL)"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_join(threadC_id, NULL);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_join(threadC_id, NULL)"); /* error check */

  printf("\nmain() reporting that all threads have terminated\n");
  return(0);

}  /* end of main */

void *threadA(void *arg)
{
  int j;

  for(j=1;j<=10;j++){
    printf("a");
  }
  return (NULL);
}

void *threadB(void *arg)
{
  int j;

  for(j=1;j<=10;j++){
    printf("b");
  }
  return (NULL);
}

void *threadC(void *arg)
{
  int j;

  for(j=1;j<=10;j++){
    printf("c");
  }
  return (NULL);
}

My question is why the output of this threads result is like this

why the program doesn't print aaaaa first and than bbbbb and the last ccccc ? Even though I set the thread priority with same priority except the main thread and I set the FIFO mode policy for thread processing.

Does anyone have experience about this case or about linux thread synchronization and scheduling ?

Answer 1

The crux of the issue here is that the SCHED_FIFO policy gets applied as the threads become runnable. From the man page:

2) When a blocked SCHED_FIFO thread becomes runnable, it will be
   inserted at the end of the list for its priority.

What your example clearly shows is that there is a difference between pthread_create() returning and the new thread actually being runnable. With the main thread being set to the maximum priority and also being FIFO itself, it prevents the new threads from being added to the run queue at all, until the main thread finally blocks on something. At that point the newly created threads all get initially in an unspecified order, and the SCHED_FIFO policy applies thereafter.

To prove that SCHED_FIFO does in fact work, consider this modification, which adds a semaphore for each thread, and a delay in the main thread to get everything runnable once:

/*
 * multithread.c
 *
 * Demonstrate use of a multi threading and scheduling using pthreads
 *
 * compile with
 cc multithread.c -o multithread -lrt -lpthread
 *
 */
#define _GNU_SOURCE
#define _XOPEN_SOURCE   700
#define _REENTRANT      /* macro to ensure system calls are reentrant */

#include <pthread.h>    /* header file for pthreads */
#include <unistd.h>     /* header file for POSIX conformance */
#include <time.h>       /* header file for POSIX time management */
#include <sched.h>      /* header file for POSIX scheduling */
#include <stdio.h>      /* header file for standard input/outputlibrary */
#include <semaphore.h>

void *threadA(void *);   /* predefine threadA routine */
void *threadB(void *);   /* predefine threadB routine */
void *threadC(void *);   /* predefine threadC routine */

pthread_t threadA_id,threadB_id,threadC_id,main_id; /* thread identifiers */
pthread_attr_t attrA,attrB,attrC;  /* thread attribute structures */
struct sched_param param;          /* scheduling structure for thread attributes */

int policy=SCHED_FIFO;
int priority_min,priority_max;     /* for range of priority levels */

sem_t sem1;
sem_t sem2;
sem_t sem3;

/* main routine */
int main()
{
  struct timespec start;
  int status;                        /* check that system calls return ok */

  clock_gettime(CLOCK_REALTIME, &start);        /* get the time   */
  printf("Start time is: %d seconds %d nano_seconds\n",start.tv_sec,start.tv_nsec);

  sem_init(&sem1, 0, 0);
  sem_init(&sem2, 0, 0);
  sem_init(&sem3, 0, 0);

  /* Set processor affinity */ 
  cpu_set_t mask;
  CPU_SET(1, &mask);  /* use only 1 CPU core */
  unsigned int len = sizeof(mask);
  status = sched_setaffinity(0, len, &mask);
  if (status < 0) perror("sched_setaffinity");
  status = sched_getaffinity(0, len, &mask);
  if (status < 0) perror("sched_getaffinity");

  /* Find priority limits */

  priority_max = sched_get_priority_max(policy);
  priority_min = sched_get_priority_min(policy);

  /* Set priority and policy of main thread */

  main_id = pthread_self();
  param.sched_priority=priority_max;
  status = pthread_setschedparam(main_id, policy, &param);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_setschedparam"); /* error check */

  /* Create threadA */

  param.sched_priority = priority_min+1;
  pthread_attr_init(&attrA);
  status = pthread_attr_setschedpolicy(&attrA,policy);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_attr_setschedpolicy"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_attr_setschedparam(&attrA,&param);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_attr_setschedparam"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_create(&threadA_id, &attrA, threadA, NULL);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_create"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_setschedparam(threadA_id,policy,&param);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_setschedparam");

  /* Create threadB */

  param.sched_priority = priority_min+1;
  pthread_attr_init(&attrB);
  status = pthread_attr_setschedpolicy(&attrB,policy);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_attr_setschedpolicy"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_attr_setschedparam(&attrB,&param);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_attr_setschedparam"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_create(&threadB_id, &attrB, threadB, NULL);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_create"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_setschedparam(threadB_id,policy,&param);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_setschedparam");

  /* Create threadC */

  param.sched_priority = priority_min+1;
  pthread_attr_init(&attrC);
  status = pthread_attr_setschedpolicy(&attrC,policy);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_attr_setschedpolicy"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_attr_setschedparam(&attrC,&param);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_attr_setschedparam"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_create(&threadC_id, &attrC, threadC, NULL);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_create"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_setschedparam(threadC_id,policy,&param);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_setschedparam");

  /* Join threads - force main to wait for the thread to terminate */  
  printf("main() waiting for threads\n");

  /* delay so all threads become blocked on semaphore */
  {
    struct timespec ts;
    ts.tv_sec = 0;
    ts.tv_nsec = 25000000;
    clock_nanosleep(CLOCK_MONOTONIC, 0, &ts, NULL);
  }

  /* post sems so threads become runnable in desired order */
  sem_post(&sem1);
  sem_post(&sem2);
  sem_post(&sem3);

  status = pthread_join(threadA_id, NULL);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_join(threadA_id, NULL)"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_join(threadB_id, NULL);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_join(threadB_id, NULL)"); /* error check */
  status = pthread_join(threadC_id, NULL);
  if (status != 0) perror("pthread_join(threadC_id, NULL)"); /* error check */

  printf("\nmain() reporting that all threads have terminated\n");
  return(0);

}  /* end of main */

void *threadA(void *arg)
{
  int j;

  printf("x");

  sem_wait(&sem1);

  for(j=1;j<=10;j++){
    printf("a");
  }
  return (NULL);
}

void *threadB(void *arg)
{
  int j;

  printf("y");

  sem_wait(&sem2);

  for(j=1;j<=10;j++){
    printf("b");
  }
  return (NULL);
}

void *threadC(void *arg)
{
  int j;

  printf("z");

  sem_wait(&sem3);

  for(j=1;j<=10;j++){
    printf("c");
  }
  return (NULL);
}

This delay allows all three threads to get initially scheduled once, and then they each become blocked on their respective semaphore. Then the main task (still highest priority) posts all three semaphores so all three threads become runnable, however we have controlled the order with which they become runnable. The output of this on my machine shows:

Start time is: 1520004544 seconds 516899746 nano_seconds
main() waiting for threads
zyxaaaaaaaaaabbbbbbbbbbcccccccccc
main() reporting that all threads have terminated