libc Sleep api performs a busy waiting

[Steve Holden]

Mahesh wrote:
> Hi,
> 
>  I am having a problem while using sleep function from libc , the
> thread in which i am calling it is getting struck and not allowing
> other threads to execute.  Here is a simple code that i am trying to
> exeute
> 
> import threading
> import time
> import dl
> 
> 
> def dummy1():
>     a=dl.open('/lib/libc.so.6')
>     print "in thread 1 Start"
>     a.call('sleep',2)
>     #time.sleep(2)
>     print "in thread 1 End"
> 
> def dummy2():
>     print "in thread 2 Start"
>     time.sleep(1)
>     print "in thread 2 End"
> newThread1=threading.Thread(None,dummy1)
> newThread2=threading.Thread(None,dummy2)
> newThread1.start()
> newThread2.start()
> 
> print "in main"
> 
> 
> 
> The out put of this program is  (In this case thread 1 even though i
> am calling a sleep function its not allowing other threads to execute,
> other threads execute only after the completion of first thread)
> 
> in thread 1 Start
> in thread 1 End
> in thread 2 Start
> in main
> in thread 2 End
> 
> 
> where as if i use time.sleep instead of a.call(sleep) the out put is
> (which i guess is right behaviour, because it start the threads and
> suspends them because the have sleep , and continue executing the main
> thread)
> in thread 1 Start
> in thread 2 Start
> in main
> in thread 2 End
> in thread 1 End
> 
> 
Why not just use the time module's sleep function? Unlike the libc code
it releases Python's GIL (global interpreter lock), thus allowing other
threads to run.

regards
 Steve
-- 
Steve Holden           +1 571 484 6266   +1 800 494 3119
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