Category: Synchronization
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Understanding Cache Coherency in the Linux Kernel
Cache Coherency is a critical concept in modern multi-core processor systems that ensures data consistency across multiple caches in the system. In a multi-core system, each CPU core often has its own private cache, and ensuring that all cores see the same data, even when it is cached locally, is essential for system stability and…
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Understanding RCU (Read-Copy-Update) in the Linux Kernel
Read-Copy-Update (RCU) is one of the most sophisticated and fundamental synchronization mechanisms in the Linux kernel. It is primarily used for ensuring efficient read access in multi-threaded environments, allowing for multiple readers to access data concurrently while still permitting safe updates. RCU is especially useful in scenarios where there are more readers than writers, making…
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Understanding Spinlocks in the Linux Kernel
In the world of operating systems, managing access to shared resources in a multi-threaded environment is critical to ensuring data integrity and system stability. The Linux kernel, being a preemptive multitasking operating system, employs several synchronization mechanisms to manage concurrent access to shared resources. One of the most fundamental synchronization primitives used within the Linux…