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author | Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org> | 2024-04-28 13:14:23 +0000 |
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committer | Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org> | 2024-04-28 13:14:23 +0000 |
commit | 73df946d56c74384511a194dd01dbe099584fd1a (patch) | |
tree | fd0bcea490dd81327ddfbb31e215439672c9a068 /doc/go_mem.html | |
parent | Initial commit. (diff) | |
download | golang-1.16-upstream.tar.xz golang-1.16-upstream.zip |
Adding upstream version 1.16.10.upstream/1.16.10upstream
Signed-off-by: Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>
Diffstat (limited to 'doc/go_mem.html')
-rw-r--r-- | doc/go_mem.html | 568 |
1 files changed, 568 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/doc/go_mem.html b/doc/go_mem.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5f1eb68 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/go_mem.html @@ -0,0 +1,568 @@ +<!--{ + "Title": "The Go Memory Model", + "Subtitle": "Version of May 31, 2014", + "Path": "/ref/mem" +}--> + +<style> +p.rule { + font-style: italic; +} +span.event { + font-style: italic; +} +</style> + +<h2>Introduction</h2> + +<p> +The Go memory model specifies the conditions under which +reads of a variable in one goroutine can be guaranteed to +observe values produced by writes to the same variable in a different goroutine. +</p> + + +<h2>Advice</h2> + +<p> +Programs that modify data being simultaneously accessed by multiple goroutines +must serialize such access. +</p> + +<p> +To serialize access, protect the data with channel operations or other synchronization primitives +such as those in the <a href="/pkg/sync/"><code>sync</code></a> +and <a href="/pkg/sync/atomic/"><code>sync/atomic</code></a> packages. +</p> + +<p> +If you must read the rest of this document to understand the behavior of your program, +you are being too clever. +</p> + +<p> +Don't be clever. +</p> + +<h2>Happens Before</h2> + +<p> +Within a single goroutine, reads and writes must behave +as if they executed in the order specified by the program. +That is, compilers and processors may reorder the reads and writes +executed within a single goroutine only when the reordering +does not change the behavior within that goroutine +as defined by the language specification. +Because of this reordering, the execution order observed +by one goroutine may differ from the order perceived +by another. For example, if one goroutine +executes <code>a = 1; b = 2;</code>, another might observe +the updated value of <code>b</code> before the updated value of <code>a</code>. +</p> + +<p> +To specify the requirements of reads and writes, we define +<i>happens before</i>, a partial order on the execution +of memory operations in a Go program. If event <span class="event">e<sub>1</sub></span> happens +before event <span class="event">e<sub>2</sub></span>, then we say that <span class="event">e<sub>2</sub></span> happens after <span class="event">e<sub>1</sub></span>. +Also, if <span class="event">e<sub>1</sub></span> does not happen before <span class="event">e<sub>2</sub></span> and does not happen +after <span class="event">e<sub>2</sub></span>, then we say that <span class="event">e<sub>1</sub></span> and <span class="event">e<sub>2</sub></span> happen concurrently. +</p> + +<p class="rule"> +Within a single goroutine, the happens-before order is the +order expressed by the program. +</p> + +<p> +A read <span class="event">r</span> of a variable <code>v</code> is <i>allowed</i> to observe a write <span class="event">w</span> to <code>v</code> +if both of the following hold: +</p> + +<ol> +<li><span class="event">r</span> does not happen before <span class="event">w</span>.</li> +<li>There is no other write <span class="event">w'</span> to <code>v</code> that happens + after <span class="event">w</span> but before <span class="event">r</span>.</li> +</ol> + +<p> +To guarantee that a read <span class="event">r</span> of a variable <code>v</code> observes a +particular write <span class="event">w</span> to <code>v</code>, ensure that <span class="event">w</span> is the only +write <span class="event">r</span> is allowed to observe. +That is, <span class="event">r</span> is <i>guaranteed</i> to observe <span class="event">w</span> if both of the following hold: +</p> + +<ol> +<li><span class="event">w</span> happens before <span class="event">r</span>.</li> +<li>Any other write to the shared variable <code>v</code> +either happens before <span class="event">w</span> or after <span class="event">r</span>.</li> +</ol> + +<p> +This pair of conditions is stronger than the first pair; +it requires that there are no other writes happening +concurrently with <span class="event">w</span> or <span class="event">r</span>. +</p> + +<p> +Within a single goroutine, +there is no concurrency, so the two definitions are equivalent: +a read <span class="event">r</span> observes the value written by the most recent write <span class="event">w</span> to <code>v</code>. +When multiple goroutines access a shared variable <code>v</code>, +they must use synchronization events to establish +happens-before conditions that ensure reads observe the +desired writes. +</p> + +<p> +The initialization of variable <code>v</code> with the zero value +for <code>v</code>'s type behaves as a write in the memory model. +</p> + +<p> +Reads and writes of values larger than a single machine word +behave as multiple machine-word-sized operations in an +unspecified order. +</p> + +<h2>Synchronization</h2> + +<h3>Initialization</h3> + +<p> +Program initialization runs in a single goroutine, +but that goroutine may create other goroutines, +which run concurrently. +</p> + +<p class="rule"> +If a package <code>p</code> imports package <code>q</code>, the completion of +<code>q</code>'s <code>init</code> functions happens before the start of any of <code>p</code>'s. +</p> + +<p class="rule"> +The start of the function <code>main.main</code> happens after +all <code>init</code> functions have finished. +</p> + +<h3>Goroutine creation</h3> + +<p class="rule"> +The <code>go</code> statement that starts a new goroutine +happens before the goroutine's execution begins. +</p> + +<p> +For example, in this program: +</p> + +<pre> +var a string + +func f() { + print(a) +} + +func hello() { + a = "hello, world" + go f() +} +</pre> + +<p> +calling <code>hello</code> will print <code>"hello, world"</code> +at some point in the future (perhaps after <code>hello</code> has returned). +</p> + +<h3>Goroutine destruction</h3> + +<p> +The exit of a goroutine is not guaranteed to happen before +any event in the program. For example, in this program: +</p> + +<pre> +var a string + +func hello() { + go func() { a = "hello" }() + print(a) +} +</pre> + +<p> +the assignment to <code>a</code> is not followed by +any synchronization event, so it is not guaranteed to be +observed by any other goroutine. +In fact, an aggressive compiler might delete the entire <code>go</code> statement. +</p> + +<p> +If the effects of a goroutine must be observed by another goroutine, +use a synchronization mechanism such as a lock or channel +communication to establish a relative ordering. +</p> + +<h3>Channel communication</h3> + +<p> +Channel communication is the main method of synchronization +between goroutines. Each send on a particular channel +is matched to a corresponding receive from that channel, +usually in a different goroutine. +</p> + +<p class="rule"> +A send on a channel happens before the corresponding +receive from that channel completes. +</p> + +<p> +This program: +</p> + +<pre> +var c = make(chan int, 10) +var a string + +func f() { + a = "hello, world" + c <- 0 +} + +func main() { + go f() + <-c + print(a) +} +</pre> + +<p> +is guaranteed to print <code>"hello, world"</code>. The write to <code>a</code> +happens before the send on <code>c</code>, which happens before +the corresponding receive on <code>c</code> completes, which happens before +the <code>print</code>. +</p> + +<p class="rule"> +The closing of a channel happens before a receive that returns a zero value +because the channel is closed. +</p> + +<p> +In the previous example, replacing +<code>c <- 0</code> with <code>close(c)</code> +yields a program with the same guaranteed behavior. +</p> + +<p class="rule"> +A receive from an unbuffered channel happens before +the send on that channel completes. +</p> + +<p> +This program (as above, but with the send and receive statements swapped and +using an unbuffered channel): +</p> + +<pre> +var c = make(chan int) +var a string + +func f() { + a = "hello, world" + <-c +} + +func main() { + go f() + c <- 0 + print(a) +} +</pre> + +<p> +is also guaranteed to print <code>"hello, world"</code>. The write to <code>a</code> +happens before the receive on <code>c</code>, which happens before +the corresponding send on <code>c</code> completes, which happens +before the <code>print</code>. +</p> + +<p> +If the channel were buffered (e.g., <code>c = make(chan int, 1)</code>) +then the program would not be guaranteed to print +<code>"hello, world"</code>. (It might print the empty string, +crash, or do something else.) +</p> + +<p class="rule"> +The <i>k</i>th receive on a channel with capacity <i>C</i> happens before the <i>k</i>+<i>C</i>th send from that channel completes. +</p> + +<p> +This rule generalizes the previous rule to buffered channels. +It allows a counting semaphore to be modeled by a buffered channel: +the number of items in the channel corresponds to the number of active uses, +the capacity of the channel corresponds to the maximum number of simultaneous uses, +sending an item acquires the semaphore, and receiving an item releases +the semaphore. +This is a common idiom for limiting concurrency. +</p> + +<p> +This program starts a goroutine for every entry in the work list, but the +goroutines coordinate using the <code>limit</code> channel to ensure +that at most three are running work functions at a time. +</p> + +<pre> +var limit = make(chan int, 3) + +func main() { + for _, w := range work { + go func(w func()) { + limit <- 1 + w() + <-limit + }(w) + } + select{} +} +</pre> + +<h3>Locks</h3> + +<p> +The <code>sync</code> package implements two lock data types, +<code>sync.Mutex</code> and <code>sync.RWMutex</code>. +</p> + +<p class="rule"> +For any <code>sync.Mutex</code> or <code>sync.RWMutex</code> variable <code>l</code> and <i>n</i> < <i>m</i>, +call <i>n</i> of <code>l.Unlock()</code> happens before call <i>m</i> of <code>l.Lock()</code> returns. +</p> + +<p> +This program: +</p> + +<pre> +var l sync.Mutex +var a string + +func f() { + a = "hello, world" + l.Unlock() +} + +func main() { + l.Lock() + go f() + l.Lock() + print(a) +} +</pre> + +<p> +is guaranteed to print <code>"hello, world"</code>. +The first call to <code>l.Unlock()</code> (in <code>f</code>) happens +before the second call to <code>l.Lock()</code> (in <code>main</code>) returns, +which happens before the <code>print</code>. +</p> + +<p class="rule"> +For any call to <code>l.RLock</code> on a <code>sync.RWMutex</code> variable <code>l</code>, +there is an <i>n</i> such that the <code>l.RLock</code> happens (returns) after call <i>n</i> to +<code>l.Unlock</code> and the matching <code>l.RUnlock</code> happens +before call <i>n</i>+1 to <code>l.Lock</code>. +</p> + +<h3>Once</h3> + +<p> +The <code>sync</code> package provides a safe mechanism for +initialization in the presence of multiple goroutines +through the use of the <code>Once</code> type. +Multiple threads can execute <code>once.Do(f)</code> for a particular <code>f</code>, +but only one will run <code>f()</code>, and the other calls block +until <code>f()</code> has returned. +</p> + +<p class="rule"> +A single call of <code>f()</code> from <code>once.Do(f)</code> happens (returns) before any call of <code>once.Do(f)</code> returns. +</p> + +<p> +In this program: +</p> + +<pre> +var a string +var once sync.Once + +func setup() { + a = "hello, world" +} + +func doprint() { + once.Do(setup) + print(a) +} + +func twoprint() { + go doprint() + go doprint() +} +</pre> + +<p> +calling <code>twoprint</code> will call <code>setup</code> exactly +once. +The <code>setup</code> function will complete before either call +of <code>print</code>. +The result will be that <code>"hello, world"</code> will be printed +twice. +</p> + +<h2>Incorrect synchronization</h2> + +<p> +Note that a read <span class="event">r</span> may observe the value written by a write <span class="event">w</span> +that happens concurrently with <span class="event">r</span>. +Even if this occurs, it does not imply that reads happening after <span class="event">r</span> +will observe writes that happened before <span class="event">w</span>. +</p> + +<p> +In this program: +</p> + +<pre> +var a, b int + +func f() { + a = 1 + b = 2 +} + +func g() { + print(b) + print(a) +} + +func main() { + go f() + g() +} +</pre> + +<p> +it can happen that <code>g</code> prints <code>2</code> and then <code>0</code>. +</p> + +<p> +This fact invalidates a few common idioms. +</p> + +<p> +Double-checked locking is an attempt to avoid the overhead of synchronization. +For example, the <code>twoprint</code> program might be +incorrectly written as: +</p> + +<pre> +var a string +var done bool + +func setup() { + a = "hello, world" + done = true +} + +func doprint() { + if !done { + once.Do(setup) + } + print(a) +} + +func twoprint() { + go doprint() + go doprint() +} +</pre> + +<p> +but there is no guarantee that, in <code>doprint</code>, observing the write to <code>done</code> +implies observing the write to <code>a</code>. This +version can (incorrectly) print an empty string +instead of <code>"hello, world"</code>. +</p> + +<p> +Another incorrect idiom is busy waiting for a value, as in: +</p> + +<pre> +var a string +var done bool + +func setup() { + a = "hello, world" + done = true +} + +func main() { + go setup() + for !done { + } + print(a) +} +</pre> + +<p> +As before, there is no guarantee that, in <code>main</code>, +observing the write to <code>done</code> +implies observing the write to <code>a</code>, so this program could +print an empty string too. +Worse, there is no guarantee that the write to <code>done</code> will ever +be observed by <code>main</code>, since there are no synchronization +events between the two threads. The loop in <code>main</code> is not +guaranteed to finish. +</p> + +<p> +There are subtler variants on this theme, such as this program. +</p> + +<pre> +type T struct { + msg string +} + +var g *T + +func setup() { + t := new(T) + t.msg = "hello, world" + g = t +} + +func main() { + go setup() + for g == nil { + } + print(g.msg) +} +</pre> + +<p> +Even if <code>main</code> observes <code>g != nil</code> and exits its loop, +there is no guarantee that it will observe the initialized +value for <code>g.msg</code>. +</p> + +<p> +In all these examples, the solution is the same: +use explicit synchronization. +</p> |