What are software locking mechanisms?

What are software locking mechanisms?

Software locking mechanisms are techniques used to control access to resources in a software environment, ensuring that only one process can access a resource at a time.

Can you give me some examples of these mechanisms?

Sure! Common examples include mutexes, semaphores, and file locks. Each serves to prevent concurrent access to shared resources.

How do mutexes work specifically?

Mutexes, or mutual exclusions, allow only one thread to access a resource at a time. When a thread locks a mutex, other threads must wait until it is unlocked.

What happens if a thread forgets to unlock a mutex?

If a thread forgets to unlock a mutex, it can lead to a deadlock situation, where other threads are indefinitely blocked from accessing the resource.