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Threading synchronization

 
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Hi all,

Please check the following code:



Despite of the method callMe being synchronized, when I run the program, I get the following output:



I would expect one of the threads to enter the callMe() method and stall it, so that the second thread cannot enter it at all! Can someone please help me understand the output? Also, if there is something wrong here, how do I correct it so as to allow only one thread to enter the method?

Thanks,
NP
 
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Both MyThread instances synchronize on itself - their synchronization is separated.

The following will work as you expect:
This is because the same MyThread instance is used (as a Runnable) in two different threads.
 
Natalie Ap
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Hi Rob,

I tried doing that. But my output is as follows:

FirstThread
FirstThread
FirstThread
FirstThread
FirstThread
FirstThread
FirstThread
SecondThread
SecondThread
SecondThread
SecondThread
SecondThread
SecondThread

Why does the Second thread enter the method at all when it is a synchronized method and when there is an infinite loop within it!

NP


Rob Prime wrote:Both MyThread instances synchronize on itself - their synchronization is separated.

The following will work as you expect:
This is because the same MyThread instance is used (as a Runnable) in two different threads.

 
Rob Spoor
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That's odd. I tried it myself just now, and after about 12 seconds I aborted without a single "SecondThread" - after almost 1 million "FirstThread"s.
 
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it might be something with the thread schedular
 
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Rob's code worked for me.

Thread scheduling shouldn't have anything to do with it, since locking is involved.
 
Cody Long
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there are never any gaurentees when it comes to the schedular
 
Rob Spoor
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Correct; you can't guarantee which of the threads fires first. However, the synchronization should enforce you either get only "FirstThread"s or only "SecondThread"s - not both.
 
Cody Long
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Very true but your output also depends on the JVM.
 
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Cody Long wrote:there are never any gaurentees when it comes to the schedular



Yes, but there are limits on what can actually happen. It doesn't matter how bad the scheduler is... schedulling a thread that doesn't own the lock to execute code that requires the lock, doesn't make the thread execute the code -- a thread that is in a blocked state will just release its timeslice.

Very true but your output also depends on the JVM.



Again true. But that doesn't mean that there is a JVM out there that doesn't honor synchronization locks -- at least one that has been certified as a valid JVM.

Henry
 
Don't get me started about those stupid light bulbs.
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