Win32 Read/Write Lock Using Only Critical Sections
I have to implement a read/write lock in C++ using the Win32 api as part of a project at work. All of the existing solutions use kernel objects (semaphores and mutexes) that require a context switch during execution. This is far too slow for my application.
I would like implement one using only critical sections, if possible. The lock does not have to be process safe, only threadsafe. Any ideas on how to go about this?
Answer
If you can target Vista or greater, you should use the built-in SRWLock's. They are lightweight like critical sections, entirely user-mode when there is no contention.
Joe Duffy's blog has some recent entries on implementing different types of non-blocking reader/writer locks. These locks do spin, so they would not be appropriate if you intend to do a lot of work while holding the lock. The code is C#, but should be straightforward to port to native.
You can implement a reader/writer lock using critical sections and events - you just need to keep enough state to only signal the event when necessary to avoid an unnecessary kernel mode call.