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Thread::Semaphore(3pm)                Perl Programmers Reference Guide                Thread::Semaphore(3pm)



NAME
       Thread::Semaphore - thread-safe semaphores

SYNOPSIS
           use Thread::Semaphore;
           my $s = new Thread::Semaphore;
           $s->down;   # Also known as the semaphore P operation.
           # The guarded section is here
           $s->up;     # Also known as the semaphore V operation.

           # The default semaphore value is 1.
           my $s = new Thread::Semaphore($initial_value);
           $s->down($down_value);
           $s->up($up_value);

DESCRIPTION
       Semaphores provide a mechanism to regulate access to resources. Semaphores, unlike locks, aren't tied
       to particular scalars, and so may be used to control access to anything you care to use them for.

       Semaphores don't limit their values to zero or one, so they can be used to control access to some
       resource that there may be more than one of. (For example, filehandles.) Increment and decrement
       amounts aren't fixed at one either, so threads can reserve or return multiple resources at once.

FUNCTIONS AND METHODS
       new
       new NUMBER
               "new" creates a new semaphore, and initializes its count to the passed number. If no number
               is passed, the semaphore's count is set to one.

       down
       down NUMBER
               The "down" method decreases the semaphore's count by the specified number, or by one if no
               number has been specified. If the semaphore's count would drop below zero, this method will
               block until such time that the semaphore's count is equal to or larger than the amount you're
               "down"ing the semaphore's count by.

               This is the semaphore "P operation" (the name derives from the Dutch word "pak", which means
               "capture" -- the semaphore operations were named by the late Dijkstra, who was Dutch).

       up
       up NUMBER
               The "up" method increases the semaphore's count by the number specified, or by one if no num-ber number
               ber has been specified. This will unblock any thread blocked trying to "down" the semaphore
               if the "up" raises the semaphore count above the amount that the "down"s are trying to decre-ment decrement
               ment it by.

               This is the semaphore "V operation" (the name derives from the Dutch word "vrij", which means
               "release").



perl v5.8.8                                      2001-09-21                           Thread::Semaphore(3pm)