read/writes to shared variable b/w pthread not synchronized - multithreading

Question

I am trying to implement a simple producer/consumer code using pthreads. The only common shared data between producer and consumer thread is the count variable used for counting the number of available elements in the shared array. What is happening is the count updated in one thread is not getting reflected in other. How can I make sure the writes to count in one thread appear in other as well? Am I missing something?
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <pthread.h>
#define ARRAY_SIZE 100
int array[ARRAY_SIZE];
volatile int count;
int head;
int tail;
pthread_cond_t full = PTHREAD_COND_INITIALIZER;
pthread_cond_t empty = PTHREAD_COND_INITIALIZER;
pthread_mutex_t mutex = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
void *producer(void *args)
{
int res = 0;
while (1) {
pthread_mutex_lock(&mutex);
if (count == ARRAY_SIZE) {
printf("\nNo space for new items waiting for consumer to consume");
pthread_cond_wait(&empty, &mutex);
// Sometimes, why is count variable still ARRAY_SIZE.
// How do I make sure writes to 'count' variable in
// consumer thread is visible immediately in producer
// thread?
if (count == ARRAY_SIZE) {
printf("\ncount is still ARRAY_SIZE");
exit(0);
}
}
head %= ARRAY_SIZE;
count++;
array[head] = head;
printf("\nproduced %d/%d", head, count);
head++;
pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex);
pthread_cond_signal(&full);
}
}
void *consumer(void *args)
{
int res = 0;
while (1) {
pthread_mutex_lock(&mutex);
if (count == 0) {
printf("\nNo items available waiting for producer to produce");
pthread_cond_wait(&full, &mutex);
// Sometimes, why is count variable still zero. How do I
// make sure writes to 'count' variable in producer
// thread is visible immediately in consumer thread?
if (count == 0) {
printf("\ncount is still zero");
exit(0);
}
}
tail %= ARRAY_SIZE;
int ele = array[tail];
count--;
printf("\nconsumed %d/%d", tail, count);
tail++;
pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex);
pthread_cond_signal(&empty);
}
}
int main()
{
pthread_t producer_thread;
pthread_t consumer_thread;
int ret = 0;
setbuf(stdout, NULL);
ret = pthread_create(&producer_thread, NULL, producer, NULL);
if (ret != 0) {
printf("\nUnable to create producer thread %d", ret);
goto exit;
}
ret = pthread_create(&consumer_thread, NULL, consumer, NULL);
if (ret != 0) {
printf("\nUnable to create consumer thread %d", ret);
goto exit;
}
pthread_join(producer_thread, NULL);
pthread_join(consumer_thread, NULL);
exit:
return ret;
}
produced 72/99
produced 73/100
No space for new items waiting for consumer to consume
consumed 74/99
consumed 75/98
consumed 76/97
consumed 77/96
produced 74/97
produced 75/98
produced 76/99
produced 77/100
No space for new items waiting for consumer to consume
count is still ARRAY_SIZE <------ incorrect
consumed 21/2
consumed 22/1
consumed 23/0
No items available waiting for producer to produce
produced 24/1
consumed 24/0
No items available waiting for producer to produce
produced 25/1
produced 26/2
produced 27/3
consumed 25/2
consumed 26/1
consumed 27/0
No items available waiting for producer to produce
count is still zero <------ incorrect
Solution that worked after the fix from Zan Lynx
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <pthread.h>
#define ARRAY_SIZE 100
int array[ARRAY_SIZE];
volatile int count;
int head;
int tail;
pthread_cond_t full = PTHREAD_COND_INITIALIZER;
pthread_cond_t empty = PTHREAD_COND_INITIALIZER;
pthread_mutex_t mutex = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
void *producer(void *args)
{
int res = 0;
while (1) {
pthread_mutex_lock(&mutex);
if (count == ARRAY_SIZE) {
printf("\nNo space for new items waiting for consumer to consume");
// Spurious wakeups from the pthread_cond_timedwait() or
// pthread_cond_wait() functions may occur. Since the
// return from pthread_cond_timedwait() or
// pthread_cond_wait() does not imply anything about the
// value of this predicate, the predicate should be
// re-evaluated upon such return.
while (count == ARRAY_SIZE)
pthread_cond_wait(&empty, &mutex);
}
head %= ARRAY_SIZE;
count++;
array[head] = head;
printf("\nproduced %d/%d", head, count);
head++;
pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex);
pthread_cond_signal(&full);
}
return NULL;
}
void *consumer(void *args)
{
int res = 0;
while (1) {
pthread_mutex_lock(&mutex);
if (count == 0) {
printf("\nNo items available waiting for producer to produce");
// Spurious wakeups from the pthread_cond_timedwait() or
// pthread_cond_wait() functions may occur. Since the
// return from pthread_cond_timedwait() or
// pthread_cond_wait() does not imply anything about the
// value of this predicate, the predicate should be
// re-evaluated upon such return.
while (count == 0)
pthread_cond_wait(&full, &mutex);
}
tail %= ARRAY_SIZE;
int ele = array[tail];
count--;
printf("\nconsumed %d/%d", tail, count);
tail++;
pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex);
pthread_cond_signal(&empty);
}
return NULL;
}
int main()
{
pthread_t producer_thread;
pthread_t consumer_thread;
int ret = 0;
setbuf(stdout, NULL);
ret = pthread_create(&producer_thread, NULL, producer, NULL);
if (ret != 0) {
printf("\nUnable to create producer thread %d", ret);
goto exit;
}
ret = pthread_create(&consumer_thread, NULL, consumer, NULL);
if (ret != 0) {
printf("\nUnable to create consumer thread %d", ret);
goto exit;
}
pthread_join(producer_thread, NULL);
pthread_join(consumer_thread, NULL);
exit:
return ret;
}

Answer 1

I believe you missed the fact that condition waits must always check the predicate again after the wait returns. There must be a loop.
The wait may end for all sorts of reasons besides a signal/notify call.