Acquiring a RwLock for read and keep it beyond the scope - multithreading

I have a thread that periodically calls a callback function. Depending on the state, the callback function shall acquire an RwLock of a resource shared with other threads and keep the resource locked even beyond the scope of the callback function. It shall then again depending on the state release the resource again in a later callback cycle.
My idea was to put an Option<RwLockReadGuard<T>> into a struct which would be None when the resource is not locked and Some(RwLockReadGuard<T>) when the resource is locked.
Unfortunately, I can't make this work. I have to set up the struct which contains the Option<RwLockReadGuard<T>> outside the thread of the callback function. Even though at the time the struct is moved into the thread the Option is None, the compiler won't let me pass the option because the trait bound ``std::sync::RwLockReadGuard<'_, T>: std::marker::Send`` is not satisfied.
Maybe some code. I hope it's self-explaining enough.
use std::thread;
use std::sync::{Arc, RwLock, RwLockReadGuard};
struct Handler<'a> {
resource: Arc<RwLock<String>>,
locked_resource: Option<RwLockReadGuard<'a, String>>,
counter: usize,
}
impl<'a> Handler<'a> {
fn callback(&'a mut self) {
println!("Callback {}", self.counter);
if self.counter == 0 {
println!("Locking resource");
let res = self.resource.read().unwrap();
self.locked_resource = Some(res);
}
self.counter += 1;
if self.counter == 100 {
println!("Releasing resource");
self.locked_resource = None;
}
if self.counter == 200 {
self.counter = 0;
}
}
}
fn main() {
let resource = Arc::new(RwLock::new("foo".to_string()));
let handler = Handler {
resource: resource.clone(),
locked_resource: None,
counter: 0
};
// This gives E0277
let thread = thread::spawn( move || {
loop {
handler.callback();
}
});
}

The problem is: locking and unlocking need to occur on the same thread. This is, for example, a limitation of pthread.
Fortunately, the Rust type system is expressive enough to model this: by making RwLockReadGuard be !Send, it prevents locks to be accidentally shared! All hail Rust!
So you can lock and unlock in different callback functions... but on the same thread.
In your example, this is as simple as moving the creation of handler inside the thread. In your real application, it might be a bit more complicated, but rest assured: the compiler will hold your hand along the way ;)
fn main() {
let resource = Arc::new(RwLock::new("foo".to_string()));
let thread = thread::spawn( move || {
let handler = Handler {
resource: resource,
locked_resource: None,
counter: 0
};
loop {
handler.callback();
}
});
}

Related

Separate thread for loop in struct implementation

I'm working with a struct where I need to read the GPIO pin of a Raspberry Pi, and increment a 'register' within the struct every time the pin goes high. Concurrently with this, I would like to be able to sample the register every now and then to see what the current value is.
When implementing this, my thought was to spawn a thread that continuously loops checking if the pin has gone from Low to High, and increment the register from within the thread. Then, from the parent thread, I can read the value of the register and report it.
After doing some research, it seems that a scoped thread would not be the correct implementation of this, because the child thread would never hand over ownership of the register to the parent thread.
Rather, I believe I should use an Arc/Mutex combination guarding the register and only momentarily take control over the lock to increment the register. Is this the correct interpretation of multithreading in Rust?
Assuming the above is correct, I'm unsure of how to implement this in Rust.
struct GpioReader {
register: Arc<Mutex<i64>>,
input_pin: Arc<Mutex<InputPin>>,
}
impl GpioReader {
pub fn new(input_pin: InputPin) -> Self {
Self {
register: Arc::New(Mutex::from(0)),
input_pin: Arc::new(Mutex::from(input_pin))
}
}
pub fn start(&self) {
let pin = self.input_pin.lock().unwrap(); // ???
let register = self.register.lock().unwrap(); // ???
let handle = spawn(move || loop {
match pin.read() { // ???
High => register += 1, // ???
Low => (),
}
sleep(Duration::from_millis(SLEEP_TIME));
});
handle.join().expect("Failed to join thread.");
}
pub fn get_register(&self) -> i64 {
let reg_val = self.register.lock().unwrap();
return reg_val;
}
}
Given the above, how do I declare the pin and register variables in such a way that I can read off the pin and increment the register within the loop? My best guess is I'll have to instantiate some kind of reference to these members of the struct outside of the loop, and then pass the reference into the loop at which point I can use the lock() method of the Arc.
Edit: Using RaspberryPi 3A+ running Raspbian. The InputPin in question is from the rppal crate.
Mutex<i64> is an anti-pattern. Replace it with AtomicI64.
Arc is meant to be cloned with Arc::clone() to create new references to the same object.
Don't use shared ownership if not necessary. InputPin is only used from within the thread, so move it in instead.
I'm unsure why you do handle.join(). If you want it to continue in the background, don't wait for it with .join().
use std::{
sync::{
atomic::{AtomicI64, Ordering},
Arc,
},
thread::{self, sleep},
time::Duration,
};
use rppal::gpio::InputPin;
struct GpioReader {
register: Arc<AtomicI64>,
input_pin: Option<InputPin>,
}
const SLEEP_TIME: Duration = Duration::from_millis(1000);
impl GpioReader {
pub fn new(input_pin: InputPin) -> Self {
Self {
register: Arc::new(AtomicI64::new(0)),
input_pin: Some(input_pin),
}
}
pub fn start(&mut self) {
let register = Arc::clone(&self.register);
let pin = self.input_pin.take().expect("Thread already running!");
let handle = thread::spawn(move || loop {
match pin.read() {
High => {
register.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
}
Low => (),
}
sleep(SLEEP_TIME);
});
}
pub fn get_register(&self) -> i64 {
self.register.load(Ordering::Relaxed)
}
}
If you want to stop the thread automatically when the GpioReader object is dropped, you can use Weak to signal it to the thread:
use std::{
sync::{
atomic::{AtomicI64, Ordering},
Arc,
},
thread::{self, sleep},
time::Duration,
};
use rppal::gpio::InputPin;
struct GpioReader {
register: Arc<AtomicI64>,
input_pin: Option<InputPin>,
}
const SLEEP_TIME: Duration = Duration::from_millis(1000);
impl GpioReader {
pub fn new(input_pin: InputPin) -> Self {
Self {
register: Arc::new(AtomicI64::new(0)),
input_pin: Some(input_pin),
}
}
pub fn start(&mut self) {
let register = Arc::downgrade(&self.register);
let pin = self.input_pin.take().expect("Thread already running!");
let handle = thread::spawn(move || loop {
if let Some(register) = register.upgrade() {
match pin.read() {
High => {
register.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
}
Low => (),
}
sleep(SLEEP_TIME);
} else {
// Original `register` got dropped, cancel the thread
break;
}
});
}
pub fn get_register(&self) -> i64 {
self.register.load(Ordering::Relaxed)
}
}

Avoid deadlock in rust when multiple spawns execute code in a loop

I am trying to run 2 threads in parallel and share some data between them. When either one of the threads contain a loop statement, the shared data in the other thread goes into a deadlock.
But if I were to add a line to code to break out of the loop statement after a certain number of iterations, the deadlock gets released and the operation in the next thread starts.
Rust Playground
Code:
use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
use std::thread;
use std::time::Duration;
#[derive(Clone, Copy)]
struct SomeNetwork {
is_connected: bool,
}
impl SomeNetwork {
fn connection_manager(&mut self) {
loop {
// if I exit the loop after a few iterations then the deadlock is removed
// eg: when I use `for i in 0..10 {` instead of `loop`
println!("connection_manager thread...");
thread::sleep(Duration::from_millis(2000));
}
}
fn api_calls(&self) {
loop {
if self.is_connected {
//make_an_api_call()
}
println!("api_calls thread...");
thread::sleep(Duration::from_millis(5000));
}
}
pub fn start() {
let self_arc = SomeNetwork {
is_connected: false,
};
let self_arc = Arc::new(Mutex::new(self_arc));
let self_cloned1 = Arc::clone(&self_arc);
let self_cloned2 = Arc::clone(&self_arc);
thread::Builder::new()
.spawn(move || {
let mut n = self_cloned1.lock().unwrap();
n.connection_manager();
})
.unwrap();
thread::Builder::new()
.spawn(move || {
let n = self_cloned2.lock().unwrap(); // <---- deadlock here
n.api_calls();
})
.unwrap();
loop {
thread::sleep(Duration::from_millis(5000))
}
}
}
fn main() {
SomeNetwork::start();
}
Output:
connection_manager thread...
connection_manager thread...
connection_manager thread...
connection_manager thread...
connection_manager thread...
....
Wouldn't the underlying OS take care of the scheduling once a thread goes into sleep?
What could be done here, so that I can run both threads in parallel?
The issue is the mutex you created stays locked during connection_manager.
The way you use a mutex in Rust is that it wraps the data it locks. When you lock the mutex, it blocks the current thread until it can obtain the mutex. Once it has, it gives you a MutexGuard which you can think of as a wrapper for a reference to the mutex. The MutexGuard gives you mutable access to the data inside the mutex. Then once the MutexGuard is no longer needed Rust invokes MutexGuard's implementation of Drop which unlocks the mutex and allows other threads to obtain it.
// Block until mutex is locked for this thread and return MutexGuard
let mut n = self_cloned1.lock().unwrap();
// Do stuff with the locked mutex
n.connection_manager();
// MutexGuard is no longer needed so it gets dropped and the mutex is released
As you can see, if connection_manager never exits the mutex will remain locked for the first thread to obtain the mutex.
What you want is probably to use a mutex with a condvar so the mutex can be released while the thread is sleeping.
Edit:
Here is a rough idea of what that using condvars to handle connecting and channels to pass jobs to workers would look like. Playground Link
use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex, Condvar};
use std::thread::{self, current};
use std::time::Duration;
use crossbeam_channel::{unbounded, Receiver};
#[derive(Clone, Copy)]
struct SomeNetwork {
is_connected: bool,
}
const TIMEOUT: Duration = Duration::from_secs(5);
impl SomeNetwork {
fn connect(&mut self) {
println!("connection_manager thread...");
self.is_connected = true;
}
fn api_calls(&self, job: i32) {
//println!("api_calls thread...");
println!("[Worker {:?}] Handling job {}", current().id(), job);
thread::sleep(Duration::from_millis(50))
}
pub fn start_connection_thread(
self_data: Arc<Mutex<Self>>,
connect_condvar: Arc<Condvar>,
worker_condvar: Arc<Condvar>,
) {
thread::Builder::new()
.spawn(move || {
let mut guard = self_data.lock().unwrap();
loop {
// Do something with the data
if !guard.is_connected {
guard.connect();
// Notify all workers that the connection is ready
worker_condvar.notify_all();
}
// Use condvar to release mutex and wait until signaled to start again
let (new_guard, _) = connect_condvar.wait_timeout(guard, TIMEOUT).unwrap();
guard = new_guard;
}
})
.unwrap();
}
pub fn start_worker_thread(
self_data: Arc<Mutex<Self>>,
connect_condvar: Arc<Condvar>,
worker_condvar: Arc<Condvar>,
requests: Receiver<i32>,
) {
thread::Builder::new()
.spawn(move || {
loop {
// Wait until a request is received
let request = requests.recv().unwrap();
// Lock mutex once we have a request
let mut guard = self_data.lock().unwrap();
// Make sure we are connected before starting tasks
while !guard.is_connected {
// Wake up 1 connection thread if the connection breaks
connect_condvar.notify_one();
// Sleep until signaled that the connection has been fixed
let (new_guard, _) = worker_condvar.wait_timeout(guard, TIMEOUT).unwrap();
guard = new_guard;
}
// Now that we have verified we are connected, handle the request
guard.api_calls(request);
}
})
.unwrap();
}
pub fn start() {
let self_arc = SomeNetwork {
is_connected: false,
};
let self_arc = Arc::new(Mutex::new(self_arc));
let connect_condvar = Arc::new(Condvar::new());
let worker_condvar = Arc::new(Condvar::new());
// Create a channel to send jobs to workers
let (send, recv) = unbounded();
Self::start_connection_thread(self_arc.clone(), connect_condvar.clone(), worker_condvar.clone());
// Start some workers
for _ in 0..5 {
Self::start_worker_thread(self_arc.clone(), connect_condvar.clone(), worker_condvar.clone(), recv.clone());
}
// Send messages to workers
for message in 1..100 {
send.send(message);
}
loop {
thread::sleep(Duration::from_millis(5000))
}
}
}
fn main() {
SomeNetwork::start();
}

Wait for backend thread to finish after application.run in Rust

I want to wait for a backend thread (Like this but in my case the backend manages a database which I want to close properly before the application actually exits) to finish (e.g. join it) after application.run() has finished.
My actual non working main.rs (the closure needs to be non-mut)
the thread to wait for
use gio::prelude::*;
use gtk::prelude::*;
use gtk::{ApplicationWindow, Label};
use std::env::args;
use std::thread;
fn main() {
let application = gtk::Application::new(
Some("com.github.gtk-rs.examples.communication_thread"),
Default::default(),
)
.expect("Initialization failed...");
let (thr, mut receiver) = start_communication_thread();
application.connect_activate(move |application| {
build_ui(application, receiver.take().unwrap())
});
application.run(&args().collect::<Vec<_>>());
thr.join();
}
fn build_ui(application: &gtk::Application, receiver: glib::Receiver<String>) {
let window = ApplicationWindow::new(application);
let label = Label::new(None);
window.add(&label);
spawn_local_handler(label, receiver);
window.show_all();
}
/// Spawn channel receive task on the main event loop.
fn spawn_local_handler(label: gtk::Label, receiver: glib::Receiver<String>) {
receiver.attach(None, move |item| {
label.set_text(&item);
glib::Continue(true)
});
}
/// Spawn separate thread to handle communication.
fn start_communication_thread() -> (thread::JoinHandle<()>, Option<glib::Receiver<String>>) {
let (sender, receiver) = glib::MainContext::channel(glib::PRIORITY_DEFAULT);
let thr = thread::spawn(move || {
let mut counter = 0;
loop {
let data = format!("Counter = {}!", counter);
println!("Thread received data: {}", data);
if sender.send(data).is_err() {
break
}
counter += 1;
thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(100));
}
});
(thr, Some(receiver))
}
As mentioned above, the only error remaining is that application.connect_activate() takes an Fn closure, the current implementation is FnMut.
The error message is:
error[E0596]: cannot borrow `receiver` as mutable, as it is a captured variable in a `Fn` closure
--> src/main.rs:17:31
|
17 | build_ui(application, receiver.take().unwrap())
| ^^^^^^^^ cannot borrow as mutable
So you cannot use "receiver" mutably, which is necessary for you to take() its contents.
But if you wrap the receiver inside a Cell, then you can access the immutable Cell's contents mutably. So add this line directly after the line with start_communication_thread():
let receiver = Cell::new(receiver);
There might be some more correct answer as I am only a beginner at Rust, but at least it seems to work.
Please note that this changes the take() call to be called against the Cell instead of Option, whose implementation has the same effect, replacing the Cell's contents with None.

How to let struct hold a thread and destroy thread as soon as it go out of scope

struct ThreadHolder{
state: ???
thread: ???
}
impl ThreadHolder {
fn launch(&mut self) {
self.thread = ???
// in thread change self.state
}
}
#[test]
fn test() {
let mut th = ThreadHolder{...};
th.launch();
// thread will be destroy as soon as th go out of scope
}
I think there is something to deal with lifetime, but I don't know how to write it.
What you want is so simple that you don't even need it to be mutable in any way, and then it becomes trivial to share it across threads, unless you want to reset it. You said you need to leave a thread, for one reason or another, therefore I'll assume that you don't care about this.
You instead can poll it every tick (most games run in ticks so I don't think there will be any issue implementing that).
I will provide example that uses sleep, so it's not most accurate thing, it is painfully obvious on the last subsecond duration, but I am not trying to do your work for you anyway, there's enough resources on internet that can help you deal with it.
Here it goes:
use std::{
sync::Arc,
thread::{self, Result},
time::{Duration, Instant},
};
struct Timer {
end: Instant,
}
impl Timer {
fn new(duration: Duration) -> Self {
// this code is valid for now, but might break in the future
// future so distant, that you really don't need to care unless
// you let your players draw for eternity
let end = Instant::now().checked_add(duration).unwrap();
Timer { end }
}
fn left(&self) -> Duration {
self.end.saturating_duration_since(Instant::now())
}
// more usable than above with fractional value being accounted for
fn secs_left(&self) -> u64 {
let span = self.left();
span.as_secs() + if span.subsec_millis() > 0 { 1 } else { 0 }
}
}
fn main() -> Result<()> {
let timer = Timer::new(Duration::from_secs(10));
let timer_main = Arc::new(timer);
let timer = timer_main.clone();
let t = thread::spawn(move || loop {
let seconds_left = timer.secs_left();
println!("[Worker] Seconds left: {}", seconds_left);
if seconds_left == 0 {
break;
}
thread::sleep(Duration::from_secs(1));
});
loop {
let seconds_left = timer_main.secs_left();
println!("[Main] Seconds left: {}", seconds_left);
if seconds_left == 5 {
println!("[Main] 5 seconds left, waiting for worker thread to finish work.");
break;
}
thread::sleep(Duration::from_secs(1));
}
t.join()?;
println!("[Main] worker thread finished work, shutting down!");
Ok(())
}
By the way, this kind of implementation wouldn't be any different in any other language, so please don't blame Rust for it. It's not the easiest language, but it provides more than enough tools to build anything you want from scratch as long as you put effort into it.
Goodluck :)
I think I got it work
use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
use std::thread::{sleep, spawn, JoinHandle};
use std::time::Duration;
struct Timer {
pub(crate) time: Arc<Mutex<u32>>,
jh_ticker: Option<JoinHandle<()>>,
}
impl Timer {
fn new<T>(i: T, duration: Duration) -> Self
where
T: Iterator<Item = u32> + Send + 'static,
{
let time = Arc::new(Mutex::new(0));
let arc_time = time.clone();
let jh_ticker = Some(spawn(move || {
for item in i {
let mut mg = arc_time.lock().unwrap();
*mg = item;
drop(mg); // needed, otherwise this thread will always hold lock
sleep(duration);
}
}));
Timer { time, jh_ticker }
}
}
impl Drop for Timer {
fn drop(&mut self) {
self.jh_ticker.take().unwrap().join();
}
}
#[test]
fn test_timer() {
let t = Timer::new(0..=10, Duration::from_secs(1));
let a = t.time.clone();
for _ in 0..100 {
let b = *a.lock().unwrap();
println!("{}", b);
sleep(Duration::from_millis(100));
}
}

Second lock on same variable in a single expression blocks indefinitely

I have a Node containing a Mutex on a shared Protocol which is in turn used among different threads within a thread pool:
use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
pub struct Node {
thread_pool: ThreadPool,
protocol: Arc<Mutex<Protocol>>,
}
pub struct Protocol {}
impl Protocol {
pub fn is_leader(&self) -> bool {
// Do stuff...
}
pub fn is_co_leader(&self) -> bool {
// Do stuff...
}
}
When I try to acquire a lock on the protocol of the Node within the same if-statement, the code within that statement is never executed.
impl Node {
pub fn sign(&mut self) {
let protocol_handler = Arc::clone(&self.protocol);
self.thread_pool.execute(move || {
if !protocol_handler.lock().unwrap().is_leader()
&& !protocol_handler.lock().unwrap().is_co_leader()
{
// This is never executed
}
// And this neither...
})
}
}
However, if the values of the method invocations are assigned to two variables, everything works as intended:
impl Node {
pub fn sign(&mut self) {
let protocol_handler = Arc::clone(&self.protocol);
self.thread_pool.execute(move || {
let is_leader = protocol_handler.lock().unwrap().is_leader();
let is_co_leader = protocol_handler.lock().unwrap().is_co_leader();
if !is_leader && !is_co_leader {
// Either this will be executed
}
// or this ...
})
}
}
Is there any specific cause for Rust's behaviour to wait indefinitely in the first case?
Here is an MCVE for your problem:
use std::sync::Mutex;
fn main() {
let foo = Mutex::new(42i32);
let f1 = (*foo.lock().unwrap()).count_ones();
println!("f1: {}", f1);
let f2 = (*foo.lock().unwrap()).count_zeros();
println!("f2: {}", f2);
let tot = (*foo.lock().unwrap()).count_ones() + (*foo.lock().unwrap()).count_zeros();
println!("tot: {}", tot);
}
playground
When running this code it will print f1 and f2, then hang when trying to compute tot.
The problem is that Mutex::lock returns a MutexGuard which releases the lock automatically when it goes out of scope. In the example above, the guards go out of scope at the end of the expressions in which they are used. So when I write:
let f1 = (*foo.lock().unwrap()).count_ones();
I acquire the lock, read the value, and release the lock. Therefore the lock is free when computing f2.
However, when I write:
let tot = (*foo.lock().unwrap()).count_ones() + (*foo.lock().unwrap()).count_zeros();
I acquire the lock, read the value, try to acquire the lock again and only release both guards at the end of the line. This causes the code to deadlock when I try to acquire the lock for the second time without having released it first.
Note as commented by trentcl that your two steps example is subject to race conditions if things are changed between the two times the mutex is locked. You should rather use something like this:
impl Node {
pub fn sign(&mut self) {
let protocol_handler = Arc::clone(&self.protocol);
self.thread_pool.execute(move || {
let handler = protocol_handler.lock().unwrap();
if !handler.is_leader && !handler.is_co_leader {
// Either this will be executed
}
// or this ...
})
}
}

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