2
\$\begingroup\$

I have read the book "C++ concurrency in action" and understood the thread_pool implementation. I have changed a few things according to my project requirements.

I have used std::variant to support heterogeneous work-queue to store different task arriving on a epoll-event loop. Currently In my project I have only two different types of task arrive on the epoll loop. Those are TaskECB and TaskRPCB. I have created classes for both of them and overloaded the operator()

#define THREAD_POOL_SIZE 100
std::map<std::string,std::string> tidToTname;

template<typename T>
class threadSafeQueue {
    private:
        mutable std::mutex mut;
        std::queue<std::shared_ptr<T>> taskQueue;   /*  task as pushed here and 
                                                        task are processed in FIFO
                                                        style */
        std::condition_variable dataCond;           /* used to protect the queue */
    public:
        threadSafeQueue(){}
        void waitAndPop(T& value);      /* wait untill task is not available in 
                                           the queue */
        std::shared_ptr<T> waitAndPop();/* same but returns a shared pointer */
        bool tryPop(T& value);          /* does not block */
        std::shared_ptr<T> tryPop();    /* does not block and returns a pointer*/
        void Push(T newData);
        bool Empty() const;             /* check if queue is empty or not */
        void notifyAllThreads();        /* notify all the waiting threads
                                           used in Thpool decallocation */
};

template<typename T>
void threadSafeQueue<T>::notifyAllThreads() {
    dataCond.notify_all();
}
template<typename T>
void threadSafeQueue<T>::waitAndPop(T& value) {
    std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lk(mut);
    dataCond.wait(lk,[this](){return !taskQueue.empty();});
    value = std::move(*taskQueue.front());
    taskQueue.pop();
}
template<typename T>
std::shared_ptr<T> threadSafeQueue<T>::waitAndPop() {
    std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lk(mut);
    dataCond.wait(lk,[this](){return !taskQueue.empty();});
    std::shared_ptr<T> res = taskQueue.front();
    taskQueue.pop();
    return res;
}

template<typename T>
bool threadSafeQueue<T>::tryPop(T& value) {
    std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mut);
    if(taskQueue.empty())
        return false;
    value = std::move(*taskQueue.front());
    taskQueue.pop();
    return true;
}
template<typename T>
std::shared_ptr<T> threadSafeQueue<T>::tryPop() {
    std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mut);
    if(taskQueue.empty())
        return std::shared_ptr<T>(); /* return nullptr */
    std::shared_ptr<T> res = taskQueue.front();
    taskQueue.pop();
    return res;
}
template<typename T>
void threadSafeQueue<T>::Push(T newData) { /* TODO: size check before pushing */
    std::shared_ptr<T> data(std::make_shared<T>(std::move(newData)));
                                           /* construct the object before lock*/
    std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mut);
    taskQueue.push(data);
    dataCond.notify_one();
}
template<typename T>
bool threadSafeQueue<T>::Empty() const {
    std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mut);
    return taskQueue.empty();
}

class TaskRPCB { /* Task RecvAndProcessCallbacks */
    private:
        int len;
        uint fdId;
        int streamId;
        void* msgBlob;
        std::function<void(void*,int,uint,int)> func;
    public:
        TaskRPCB(std::function<void(void*,int,uint,int)>&f , void* msgBlob,int len,
            uint fdId, int streamId) {
            this->func = f;
            this->msgBlob = msgBlob;
            this->len = len;
            this->fdId = fdId;
            this->streamId = streamId;
        }
        void operator()() {
            higLog("%s","TaskRPCB function is executing...");
            func(msgBlob,len,fdId,streamId);
        }
};

class TaskECB { /* Task eventCallBack */
    private:
        std::function<void(void)> func;
    public:
        TaskECB(std::function<void(void)>&f) : func(f) {}
        void operator()() {
            higLog("%s","TaskECB function is executing...");
            func();
        }
};

typedef variant<TaskECB,TaskRPCB> taskTypes;

class Thpool {
    std::atomic_bool done;
    threadSafeQueue<taskTypes> workQ;
    std::vector<std::thread> threads;
    void workerThread() {
        auto tid = std::this_thread::get_id();
        std::stringstream ss;
        ss << tid;
        std::string s = ss.str();
        while(!done) {
            auto task = workQ.waitAndPop();
            if(task != nullptr and !done) {
                printf("%s is executing now : ",tidToTname[s].c_str());
                if((*task).index() == 0) {      // TODO: change 0 and 1 to enums
                    auto func = get<TaskECB>(*task);
                    func();
                }else if((*task).index() == 1) {
                    auto func = get<TaskRPCB>(*task);
                    func();                 
                }
            }
        }
    }
    public:
        Thpool(): done(false) {
        // unsigned const maxThreadCount = std::thread::hardware_concurrency();
        unsigned const maxThreadCount = THREAD_POOL_SIZE;
        printf("ThreadPool Size = %d",maxThreadCount);
            /* save thread names for logging purpose */
            std::vector<std::string> tnames;
            for(unsigned int i = 0;i<maxThreadCount;i++) {
                tnames.push_back("Thread_" + std::to_string(i+1));
            }

            try { /* exception might arise due to thread creation */
                for(unsigned int i = 0;i<maxThreadCount;i++) {
                    threads.push_back(std::thread(&Thpool::workerThread,this));
                    /*map this ith threadID to a name Thread_i*/
                    auto tid = threads[i].get_id();
                    std::stringstream ss;
                    ss << tid;
                    tidToTname[ss.str()] = tnames[i];
                }
            }catch(...) {
                done = true;
                throw;
            }
        }
        ~Thpool() {
            // done = true;
        }
        template<typename taskType>
        void submit(taskType task) {
            workQ.Push(task);
        }
        void deAllocatePool() {
            done = true;
            workQ.notifyAllThreads();
            // unsigned const maxThreadCount = std::thread::hardware_concurrency();
            unsigned const maxThreadCount = THREAD_POOL_SIZE;
            for(unsigned int i = 0;i<maxThreadCount;) {
                if(threads[i].joinable()) {
                    threads[i].join();
                    i++; /* go for the next thread in the pool */
                }else {
                    workQ.notifyAllThreads();
                }
            }
        }
};
/*============== Thread Pool code ends ============== */

How I use this thread_pool ?

Thpool pool;

Following code will be inserted in required functions. I am showing for the TaskRPCB type task only.

std::function<void(void*,int,uint,int)> func = NFVInstance->CallBackTable[channel];
/* create a task object : members of it :
    - the callback function
    - msgBlob
    - len of the msgBlob
    - some other ID
    - stream ID on which this message was received
*/
TaskRPCB task(func,msg,rc,fdd.id,streamId);
/* submit this task to the pool.
    one of the waiting threads will pick this task
*/
pool.submit(task);
\$\endgroup\$
3
  • \$\begingroup\$ sorry for mixing tags. I would like to have suggestions regarding thread pool implementation overall and the use of` std:: variant` ? is it ok ? or does it have some performance penalty? \$\endgroup\$
    – Debashish
    Mar 29, 2019 at 12:43
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ I've edited tags to C++17 (since std::variant requires that). I hope you get good reviews! \$\endgroup\$ Mar 29, 2019 at 14:04
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ THREAD_POOL_SIZE 100 I hope you are running on some large hardware. The point os a thread pool is that you create a thread for each available processor (or very close to that) then each processor gets new work from the pool without having to switch threads (as that is a relatively expensive operation). \$\endgroup\$ Apr 1, 2019 at 18:40

2 Answers 2

4
\$\begingroup\$

Naming nits:

  • Why threadSafeQueue instead of ThreadSafeQueue? You CamelCaps all your other class names. Why not this one?

  • class TaskECB { /* Task eventCallBack */ is a very verbose way of writing class TaskEventCallback {. If you have to spell it out in a comment anyway, just spell it out in the code. Your readers will thank you.

  • bool threadSafeQueue<T>::Empty() const: Since you're diverging from the traditional STL naming convention anyway (Empty is not empty), I recommend prefixing boolean accessors with Is, as in, myQueue.IsEmpty(). This way you don't confuse it with the verb "to empty," as in, "this function empties the queue." Orthogonally, you might mark this function [[nodiscard]] just to emphasize that it has no side effects.

  • deAllocatePool() would more traditionally be spelled deallocatePool(). "Deallocate" is a single word in English.


template<typename T>
void threadSafeQueue<T>::Push(T newData) { /* TODO: size check before pushing */
    std::shared_ptr<T> data(std::make_shared<T>(std::move(newData)));
                                           /* construct the object before lock*/
    std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mut);
    taskQueue.push(data);
    dataCond.notify_one();
}

Personally, I would simplify this to

template<class T>
void threadSafeQueue<T>::Push(T newData) { /* TODO: size check */
    auto data = std::make_shared<T>(std::move(newData));
    std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mut);
    taskQueue.push(std::move(data));
    dataCond.notify_one();
}

Notice the use of = for initialization — it helps distinguish bool foo(int) from bool foo(true), and helps readability in general. I also put a std::move on the push, so that we're not unnecessarily copying the shared_ptr and incurring an extra atomic increment and decrement of the refcount. (No big deal.) Notice that we are still incurring an extra call to T's move-constructor; we might want to take T by reference here, in which case we might want two versions — one that takes const T& and one that takes T&&.

In fact, we might want to cut out the middleman entirely:

template<class T>
template<class... Args>
void threadSafeQueue<T>::Emplace(Args&&... args) { /* TODO: size check */
    auto data = std::make_shared<T>(std::forward<Args>(args)...);
    std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mut);
    taskQueue.push(std::move(data));
    dataCond.notify_one();
}

typedef variant<TaskECB,TaskRPCB> taskTypes;

You're missing a std:: there. Also, isn't it weird to have a single type named taskTypes (plural)? When I see the name "taskTypes", I expect to see multiple types — like a parameter pack or something. Here I think this type alias wants to be just a taskType or taskVariant, singular.


    auto tid = std::this_thread::get_id();
    std::stringstream ss;
    ss << tid;
    std::string s = ss.str();

Yuck. In an ideal world, std::to_string(std::this_thread::get_id()) would Do The Right Thing; but we don't live in an ideal world.

However, why are you using std::string as your map key, anyway? Why not just define

std::map<std::thread::id, std::string> tidToTname;

and skip the expensive stringification?

Then, instead of

printf("%s is executing now : ",tidToTname[s].c_str());

you would write simply

printf("%s is executing now : ",tidToTname.at(tid).c_str());

(notice that we no longer risk modifying tidToTname accidentally!), and instead of

tidToTname[ss.str()] = tnames[i];

you'd write simply

tidToTname.insert_or_assign(tid, tnames[i]);

(Still beware: using emplace instead of insert_or_assign will still compile, but it will do the wrong thing if the key is already present! The STL's map is a very tricky beast. You have to be careful with it.)


if((*task).index() == 0) {      // TODO: change 0 and 1 to enums
    auto func = get<TaskECB>(*task);
    func();
}else if((*task).index() == 1) {
    auto func = get<TaskRPCB>(*task);
    func();                 
}

First of all, (*task).index() is traditionally spelled task->index(), and I strongly recommend that you do so. Nested parentheses make things hard to read. That's why the -> operator was added to C back in the '70s! (Probably late '60s, actually. Maybe earlier.)

Second, this is not a typical way to interact with std::variant. The library really intends you to interact with it like this:

std::visit([](auto& callback) {
    callback();
}, *task);

If you want to preserve your inefficient copying, just change auto& to auto.

Really, IMO, it should be const auto&; but in order to make that work, you'll have to make your callback types const-callable. Right now their operator()s are non-const member functions:

void operator()() /* NO CONST HERE -- INTENTIONAL? */ {
    higLog("%s","TaskECB function is executing...");
    func();
}

If you're allergic to visit — which you shouldn't be! — but if you are, then a slightly more idiomatic way to write your chain of ifs would be

if (auto *func = std::get_if<TaskECB>(task.get())) {
    (*func)();
} else if (auto *func = std::get_if<TaskRPCB>(task.get())) {
    (*func)();
}

Having to use task.get() to get a raw pointer, instead of just task or *task, definitely isn't ideal API design on the STL's part. But again, the ideal solution is to just use std::visit! You should use std::visit.


I didn't check the multithreading parts. Odds are, there are bugs. Multithreaded code always has at least one bug. :)

\$\endgroup\$
1
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ You mentioned -> was created in the 70s, maybe the 60s. At least in C, it wouldn't have been added before struct, and thanks to some UNIX preservation work, we can put that in the 1972 - 1973 timeframe. bell-labs.com/usr/dmr/www/primevalC.html The last1120c version has no struct support. prestruct-c does (including ->); it's the last version before the compiler began to make use of struct itself. \$\endgroup\$
    – Joe Z
    Sep 12, 2021 at 3:16
2
\$\begingroup\$

Some additions to the review from @Quuxpluson.

With regard to threadsafety, i'd be concerned that you are not calling deAllocatePool in the destructor. It's undefined behavior to call a destructor on std::mutex when the mutex is locked. It is also a bad thing to call the destructor on std::thread when it is considered joinable. Both of these may happen if you destruct your threadpool without clearing out the work queue.

Looking further at your deAllocatePool, I think that you could get into cases where you can't end a thread. You are setting done but if the queue is empty, the thread could be waiting in waitAndPop(). While the notifyAllThreads will cause it to wake the lambda expression that you are using in your wait statement

dataCond.wait(lk,[this](){return !taskQueue.empty();});

would immediately go back into a wait state after awoken. If you manage to call join() on this kind of thread your deallocatePool would hang. I think is that checking for an abort condition inside the wait would mitigate that. If this hasn't happened yet there could be a variety of issues, i could be wrong, your use pattern has prevented this, or just pure coincidence ...

Both of your task types could be reduced to a functor with the type std::function<void(void)>. You could use either lambdas or std::bind to enclose the state information, this would reduce the complexity inside your threadpool.

\$\endgroup\$

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.