Re: kernel threading/clone() improvements in 2.1?

Rajnish Sinha (joot@vnet.ibm.com)
Tue, 23 Jul 1996 16:32:07 -0400 (EDT)


>
> > Are there any official (or unofficial) plans to fix some of the problems
> > with clone() in 2.1 and/or get it added officially to libc?
>
> I would love to see threading in stock libc -- especually now that
> there are several working kernel thread libraries.
>
> The big problemo is that the libc author has elected to make
> threadsafe functions by putting locks around all the functions. I and
> most of the people on the Linux-kernel mailing list think this is dead
> wrong, and would rather see thread-safe functions done as functions
> taking pointers to storage normally provided for by global varibles --
> the locking mechanism around malloc() should be enough. I am
> particular would like to take things one step farther where the normal
> libc functions are wrappers for the threadsafe ones that work with the
> traditional global varible.

I took a look at the alpha glibc ( which linux libc will be migrating
to after a while ), and it seemed that things were being
done in the sensible fashion ( foo calls foo_r, rather than the other
way around. ) So, I don't think this is just a big problemo -- it's
just a matter of time.

--
 Peeter Joot          TOROLAB(PJOOT)         joot@vnet.ibm.com
 IBM Canada           Tie Line 778-3186      Phone 416-448-3186