Reactive Synchronization Algorithms for Multiprocessors

Synchronization algorithms that are efficient across a wide range of applications and operating conditions are hard to design because their performance depends on unpredictable run-time factors. The designer of a synchronization algorithm has a choice of protocols to use for implementing the synchronization operation. For example, candidate protocols for locks include test-and-set protocols and queueing protocols. Frequently, the best choice of protocols depends on the level of contention: previous research has shown that test-and-set protocols for locks outperform queueing protocols at low contention, while the opposite is true at high contention. This paper investigates reactive synchronizationalgorithms that dynamically chooseprotocols in responseto the level of contention. We describe reactive algorithms for spin locks and fetch-and-op that choose among several shared-memory and message-passing protocols. Dynamically choosing protocols presents a challenge: a reactive algorithm ne...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1994
• Where: ASPLOS
• Authors: Beng-Hong Lim, Anant Agarwal
• Keywords: ASPLOS 1994, Programming Languages, Reactive Algorithms, Synchronization Algorithm, Test-and-set Protocols