Java Threads, Second Edition

Safari Books Online

Java Threads, Second Edition

By: Scott Oaks, Henry Wong
Publisher:: O'Reilly Media
Released:: January 1999
Pages:: 344

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Description

Revised and expanded to cover Java 2, Java Threads shows you how to take full advantage of Java's thread facilities: where to use threads to increase efficiency, how to use them effectively, and how to avoid common mistakes. It thoroughly covers the Thread and ThreadGroup classes, the Runnable interface, and the language's synchronized operator. The book pays special attention to threading issues with Swing, as well as problems like deadlock, race condition, and starvation to help you write code without hidden bugs.

Full Description

Threads aren't a new idea: many operating systems and languages support them. But despite widespread support, threads tend to be something that everyone talks about, but few use. Programming with threads has a reputation for being tricky and nonportable. Not so with Java. Java's thread facilities are easy to use, and--like everything else in Java--are completely portable between platforms. And that's a good thing, because it's impossible to write anything but the simplest applet without encountering threads. If you want to work with Java, you have to learn about threads. This new edition shows you how to take full advantage of Java's thread facilities: where to use threads to increase efficiency, how to use them effectively, and how to avoid common mistakes. Java Threads discusses problems like deadlock, race condition, and starvation in detail, helping you to write code without hidden bugs. It brings you up to date with the latest changes in the thread interface for JDK 1.2. The book offers a thorough discussion of the Thread and ThreadGroup classes, the Runnable interface, the language's synchronized operator. It explains thread scheduling ends by developing a CPUSchedule class, showing you how to implement your own scheduling policy. In addition, Java Threads shows you how to extend Java's thread primitives. Other extended examples include classes that implement reader/writer locks, general locks, locks at arbitrary scope, and asynchronous I/O. This edition also adds extensive examples on thread pools, advanced synchronization technique, like condition variables, barriers, and daemon locks. It shows how to work with classes that are not thread safe, and pays special attention to threading issues with Swing. A new chapter shows you how to write parallel code for multiprocessor machines. In short, Java Threads covers everything you need to know about threads, from the simplest animation applet to the most complex applications. If you plan to do any serious work in Java, you will find this book invaluable. Examples available online. Covers Java 2.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction to Threading
1. Java Terms
2. Thread Overview
3. Why Threads?
4. Summary
Chapter 2 The Java ThreadingAPI
1. Threading Using the Thread Class
2. Threading Using the Runnable Interface
3. The Life Cycle of a Thread
4. Thread Naming
5. Thread Access
6. More on Starting, Stopping, and Joining
7. Summary
Chapter 3 Synchronization Techniques
1. A Banking Example
2. Reading Data Asynchronously
3. A Class to Perform Synchronization
4. The Synchronized Block
5. Nested Locks
6. Deadlock
7. Return to the Banking Example
8. Synchronizing Static Methods
9. Summary
Chapter 4 Wait and Notify
1. Back to Work (at the Bank)
2. Wait and Notify
3. wait(), notify(), and notifyAll()
4. wait() and sleep()
5. Thread Interruption
6. Static Methods (Synchronization Details)
7. Summary
Chapter 5 Useful Examplesof Java Thread Programming
1. Data Structures and Containers
2. Simple Synchronization Examples
3. A Network Server Class
4. The AsyncInputStream Class
5. Using TCPServer with AsyncInputStreams
6. Summary
Chapter 6 Java Thread Scheduling
1. An Overview of Thread Scheduling
2. When Scheduling Is Important
3. Scheduling with Thread Priorities
4. Popular Scheduling Implementations
5. Native Scheduling Support
6. Other Thread-Scheduling Methods
7. Summary
Chapter 7 Java Thread Scheduling Examples
1. Thread Pools
2. Round-Robin Scheduling
3. Job Scheduling
4. Summary
Chapter 8 Advanced Synchronization Topics
1. Synchronization Terms
2. Preventing Deadlock
3. Lock Starvation
4. Thread-Unsafe Classes
5. Summary
Chapter 9 Parallelizing for Multiprocessor Machines
1. Parallelizing a Single-Threaded Program
2. Inner-Loop Threading
3. Loop Printing
4. Multiprocessor Scaling
5. Summary
Chapter 10 Thread Groups
1. Thread Group Concepts
2. Creating Thread Groups
3. Thread Group Methods
4. Manipulating Thread Groups
5. Thread Groups, Threads, and Security
6. Summary

Appendix A Miscellaneous Topics
1. Thread Stack Information
2. General Thread Information
3. Default Exception Handler
4. The ThreadDeath Class
5. The Volatile Keyword
Appendix B Exceptions and Errors
1. InterruptedException
2. InterruptedIOException
3. NoSuchMethodError
4. RuntimeException
Colophon

Product Details

Title:

Java Threads, Second Edition

By:

Scott Oaks, Henry Wong

Publisher:

O'Reilly Media

Formats:

Print
Safari Books Online

Print Release:

January 1999

Pages:

344

Print ISBN:

978-1-56592-418-5

| ISBN 10:

1-56592-418-5

Customer Reviews

About the Authors

Scott Oaks

Scott Oaks is a Java Technologist at Sun Microsystems, where he has worked since 1987. While at Sun, he has specialized in many disparate technologies, from the SunOS kernel to network programming and RPCs. Since 1995, hes focused primarily on Java and bringing Java technology to end-users. Scott also authored OReillys Java Security, Java Threads and Jini in a Nutshell titles.

View Scott Oaks's full profile page.
Henry Wong

Henry Wong is a tactical engineer at Sun Microsystems, where he has worked since 1989. Originally hired as a consultant to help customers with special device drivers, kernel modifications, and DOS interoperability products, Henry has also worked on Solaris ports, performance tuning projects, and multithreaded design and implementations for benchmarks and demos. Since early 1995, Henry has been involved in developing Java prototypes and supporting customers who are using Java. Prior to joining Sun, Henry earned a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from The Cooper Union in 1987. He joined a small software company in 1986 working on SCSI device drivers, image and audio data compression, and graphics tools used for a medical information system. When not in front of a computer, Henry is an instrument rated private pilot, who also likes to dabble in archery, cooking, and traveling to different places with his wife, Nini.

View Henry Wong's full profile page.

Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of Java Threads, Second Edition, is a scyphomedusa (Atolla vanhoeffeni), a luminescent jellyfish common throughout the world's oceans at depths of 500 to 1,000 meters. They are 3 to 5 centimeters in diameter, with 20 short, stiff tentacles and one long tentacle that trails behind. Although they are eaten in some countries, jellyfish aren't particularly nutritious; less than one percent of a jellyfish body is organic matter, and everything else is water. Madeleine Newell was the production editor for Java Threads, 2nd Edition. Cindy Kogut of Editorial Ink copyedited this edition. Quality control was provided by Jane Ellin, Melanie Wang, and Sheryl Avruch. Seth Maislin wrote the index.

The cover was designed by Emma Colby using a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

The inside layout was designed by Nancy Priest. Text was formatted in FrameMaker 5.5 by Mike Sierra. The heading font is Bodoni BT; the text font is New Baskerville. The illustrations that appeared in the first edition of this book were created in Macromedia Freehand 5.0 by Chris Reilley; for this edition, the illustrations were created and updated by Rob Romano using Macromedia Freehand 8 and Adobe Photoshop 5. This colophon was written by Leanne Soylemez.

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O'Reilly Books & Videos

Java Threads, Second Edition

Chapter 1 Introduction to Threading

Java Terms

Thread Overview

Why Threads?

Summary

Chapter 2 The Java ThreadingAPI

Threading Using the Thread Class

Threading Using the Runnable Interface

The Life Cycle of a Thread

Thread Naming

Thread Access

More on Starting, Stopping, and Joining

Summary

Chapter 3 Synchronization Techniques

A Banking Example

Reading Data Asynchronously

A Class to Perform Synchronization

The Synchronized Block

Nested Locks

Deadlock

Return to the Banking Example

Synchronizing Static Methods

Summary

Chapter 4 Wait and Notify

Back to Work (at the Bank)

Wait and Notify

wait(), notify(), and notifyAll()

wait() and sleep()

Thread Interruption

Static Methods (Synchronization Details)

Summary

Chapter 5 Useful Examplesof Java Thread Programming

Data Structures and Containers

Simple Synchronization Examples

A Network Server Class

The AsyncInputStream Class

Using TCPServer with AsyncInputStreams

Summary

Chapter 6 Java Thread Scheduling

An Overview of Thread Scheduling

When Scheduling Is Important

Scheduling with Thread Priorities

Popular Scheduling Implementations

Native Scheduling Support

Other Thread-Scheduling Methods

Summary

Chapter 7 Java Thread Scheduling Examples

Thread Pools

Round-Robin Scheduling

Job Scheduling

Summary

Chapter 8 Advanced Synchronization Topics

Synchronization Terms

Preventing Deadlock

Lock Starvation

Thread-Unsafe Classes

Summary

Chapter 9 Parallelizing for Multiprocessor Machines

Parallelizing a Single-Threaded Program

Inner-Loop Threading

Loop Printing

Multiprocessor Scaling

Summary

Chapter 10 Thread Groups

Thread Group Concepts

Creating Thread Groups

Thread Group Methods

Manipulating Thread Groups

Thread Groups, Threads, and Security

Summary

Appendix A Miscellaneous Topics

Thread Stack Information

General Thread Information

Default Exception Handler

The ThreadDeath Class

The Volatile Keyword

Appendix B Exceptions and Errors

InterruptedException