Reordering constraints for pthread-style locks

Abstract

C or C++ programs relying on the pthreads interface for concurrency are required to use a specified set of functions to avoid data races, and to ensure memory visibility across threads. Although the detailed rules are not completely, it is not hard to refine them to a simple set of clear and uncontroversial rules for at least a subset of the C language that excludes structures (and hence bit-fields).