Mutexes¶

A mutex is a kernel object that implements a traditional reentrant mutex. A mutex allows multiple threads to safely share an associated hardware or software resource by ensuring mutually exclusive access to the resource.

Concepts
- Reentrant Locking
- Priority Inheritance
Implementation
Suggested Uses
Configuration Options
API Reference

Concepts ¶

Any number of mutexes can be defined. Each mutex is referenced by its memory address.

A mutex has the following key properties:

A lock count that indicates the number of times the mutex has be locked by the thread that has locked it. A count of zero indicates that the mutex is unlocked.
An owning thread that identifies the thread that has locked the mutex, when it is locked.

A mutex must be initialized before it can be used. This sets its lock count to zero.

A thread that needs to use a shared resource must first gain exclusive rights to access it by locking the associated mutex. If the mutex is already locked by another thread, the requesting thread may choose to wait for the mutex to be unlocked.

After locking a mutex, the thread may safely use the associated resource for as long as needed; however, it is considered good practice to hold the lock for as short a time as possible to avoid negatively impacting other threads that want to use the resource. When the thread no longer needs the resource it must unlock the mutex to allow other threads to use the resource.

Any number of threads may wait on a locked mutex simultaneously. When the mutex becomes unlocked it is then locked by the highest-priority thread that has waited the longest.

Note

Mutex objects are not designed for use by ISRs.

Reentrant Locking ¶

A thread is permitted to lock a mutex it has already locked. This allows the thread to access the associated resource at a point in its execution when the mutex may or may not already be locked.

A mutex that is repeatedly locked by a thread must be unlocked an equal number of times before the mutex becomes fully unlocked so it can be claimed by another thread.

Priority Inheritance ¶

The thread that has locked a mutex is eligible for priority inheritance. This means the kernel will temporarily elevate the thread’s priority if a higher priority thread begins waiting on the mutex. This allows the owning thread to complete its work and release the mutex more rapidly by executing at the same priority as the waiting thread. Once the mutex has been unlocked, the unlocking thread resets its priority to the level it had before locking that mutex.

Note

The CONFIG_PRIORITY_CEILING configuration option limits how high the kernel can raise a thread’s priority due to priority inheritance. The default value of 0 permits unlimited elevation.

When two or more threads wait on a mutex held by a lower priority thread, the kernel adjusts the owning thread’s priority each time a thread begins waiting (or gives up waiting). When the mutex is eventually unlocked, the unlocking thread’s priority correctly reverts to its original non-elevated priority.

The kernel does not fully support priority inheritance when a thread holds two or more mutexes simultaneously. This situation can result in the thread’s priority not reverting to its original non-elevated priority when all mutexes have been released. It is recommended that a thread lock only a single mutex at a time when multiple mutexes are shared between threads of different priorities.

Implementation ¶

Defining a Mutex ¶

A mutex is defined using a variable of type k_mutex. It must then be initialized by calling k_mutex_init().

The following code defines and initializes a mutex.

struct k_mutex my_mutex;

k_mutex_init(&my_mutex);

Alternatively, a mutex can be defined and initialized at compile time by calling K_MUTEX_DEFINE.

The following code has the same effect as the code segment above.

K_MUTEX_DEFINE(my_mutex);

Locking a Mutex ¶

A mutex is locked by calling k_mutex_lock().

The following code builds on the example above, and waits indefinitely for the mutex to become available if it is already locked by another thread.

k_mutex_lock(&my_mutex, K_FOREVER);

The following code waits up to 100 milliseconds for the mutex to become available, and gives a warning if the mutex does not become available.

if (k_mutex_lock(&my_mutex, K_MSEC(100)) == 0) {
    /* mutex successfully locked */
} else {
    printf("Cannot lock XYZ display\n");
}

Unlocking a Mutex ¶

A mutex is unlocked by calling k_mutex_unlock().

The following code builds on the example above, and unlocks the mutex that was previously locked by the thread.

k_mutex_unlock(&my_mutex);

Suggested Uses ¶

Use a mutex to provide exclusive access to a resource, such as a physical device.

Configuration Options ¶

Related configuration options:

CONFIG_PRIORITY_CEILING

API Reference ¶

group mutex_apis

Defines

K_MUTEX_DEFINE(name)¶

Statically define and initialize a mutex.

The mutex can be accessed outside the module where it is defined using:

extern struct k_mutex <name>; 

Parameters

name: Name of the mutex.

Functions

int k_mutex_init(struct k_mutex *mutex)¶

Initialize a mutex.

This routine initializes a mutex object, prior to its first use.

Upon completion, the mutex is available and does not have an owner.

Parameters

mutex: Address of the mutex.

Return Value

0: Mutex object created

int k_mutex_lock(struct k_mutex *mutex, k_timeout_t timeout)¶

Lock a mutex.

This routine locks mutex. If the mutex is locked by another thread, the calling thread waits until the mutex becomes available or until a timeout occurs.

A thread is permitted to lock a mutex it has already locked. The operation completes immediately and the lock count is increased by 1.

Mutexes may not be locked in ISRs.

Parameters

mutex: Address of the mutex.
timeout: Waiting period to lock the mutex, or one of the special values K_NO_WAIT and K_FOREVER.

Return Value

0: Mutex locked.
-EBUSY: Returned without waiting.
-EAGAIN: Waiting period timed out.

int k_mutex_unlock(struct k_mutex *mutex)¶

Unlock a mutex.

This routine unlocks mutex. The mutex must already be locked by the calling thread.

The mutex cannot be claimed by another thread until it has been unlocked by the calling thread as many times as it was previously locked by that thread.

Mutexes may not be unlocked in ISRs, as mutexes must only be manipulated in thread context due to ownership and priority inheritance semantics.

Parameters

mutex: Address of the mutex.

Return Value

0: Mutex unlocked.
-EPERM: The current thread does not own the mutex
-EINVAL: The mutex is not locked

struct k_mutex¶: #include <kernel.h>
Mutex Structure