mutex c

  1. Include the necessary header files:
  2. #include <stdio.h>: This line includes the standard input/output library, which provides functions for reading from and writing to the console.

  3. #include <pthread.h>: This line includes the POSIX threads library, which provides support for creating and managing threads.

  4. Declare the mutex variable:

  5. pthread_mutex_t mutex;: This line declares a mutex variable named mutex. A mutex is used to synchronize access to shared resources between multiple threads.

  6. Initialize the mutex:

  7. pthread_mutex_init(&mutex, NULL);: This line initializes the mutex variable mutex using the pthread_mutex_init function. The second argument NULL indicates that the mutex should be initialized with the default attributes.

  8. Lock the mutex:

  9. pthread_mutex_lock(&mutex);: This line locks the mutex using the pthread_mutex_lock function. If the mutex is already locked by another thread, the calling thread will block until the mutex becomes available.

  10. Perform critical section operations:

  11. Within the locked section, you can perform operations that need to be synchronized between threads. For example, you can update a shared variable or access a shared data structure.

  12. Unlock the mutex:

  13. pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex);: This line unlocks the mutex using the pthread_mutex_unlock function. This allows other threads to acquire the mutex and access the shared resources.

  14. Destroy the mutex:

  15. pthread_mutex_destroy(&mutex);: This line destroys the mutex using the pthread_mutex_destroy function. This releases any system resources associated with the mutex.

Note: It's important to handle errors appropriately when working with mutexes. Error checking is omitted in this explanation for simplicity.