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Comments about RTS threads
==========================

I have tried to use the RTS thread packages with MySQL but stumbled on
the following problems:

They use an old version of a lot of POSIX calls and it is very tedious
to make wrappers for all functions. I am inclined to think that it would
be easier to change the thread libraries to the newest POSIX
specification.

Some wrappers are already written. See `mysys/my_pthread.c' for more
info.

At least the following should be changed:

`pthread_get_specific' should use one argument.  `sigwait' should take
two arguments.  A lot of functions (at least `pthread_cond_wait',
`pthread_cond_timedwait') should return the error code on error. Now
they return -1 and set `errno'.

Another problem is that user-level threads use the `ALRM' signal and
this aborts a lot of functions (`read', `write', `open'...).  MySQL
should do a retry on interrupt on all of these but it is not that easy
to verify it.

The biggest unsolved problem is the following:

To get thread-level alarms I changed `mysys/thr_alarm.c' to wait between
alarms with `pthread_cond_timedwait()', but this aborts with error
`EINTR'.  I tried to debug the thread library as to why this happens,
but couldn't find any easy solution.

If someone wants to try MySQL with RTS threads I suggest the following:

   * Change functions MySQL uses from the thread library to POSIX.
     This shouldn't take that long.

   * Compile all libraries with the `-DHAVE_rts_threads'.

   * Compile `thr_alarm'.

   * If there are some small differences in the implementation, they
     may be fixed by changing `my_pthread.h' and `my_pthread.c'.

   * Run `thr_alarm'. If it runs without any "warning", "error" or
     aborted messages, you are on the right track. Here is a successful
     run on Solaris:
          Main thread: 1
          Thread 0 (5) started
          Thread: 5  Waiting
          process_alarm
          Thread 1 (6) started
          Thread: 6  Waiting
          process_alarm
          process_alarm
          thread_alarm
          Thread: 6  Slept for 1 (1) sec
          Thread: 6  Waiting
          process_alarm
          process_alarm
          thread_alarm
          Thread: 6  Slept for 2 (2) sec
          Thread: 6  Simulation of no alarm needed
          Thread: 6  Slept for 0 (3) sec
          Thread: 6  Waiting
          process_alarm
          process_alarm
          thread_alarm
          Thread: 6  Slept for 4 (4) sec
          Thread: 6  Waiting
          process_alarm
          thread_alarm
          Thread: 5  Slept for 10 (10) sec
          Thread: 5  Waiting
          process_alarm
          process_alarm
          thread_alarm
          Thread: 6  Slept for 5 (5) sec
          Thread: 6  Waiting
          process_alarm
          process_alarm
          
          ...
          thread_alarm
          Thread: 5  Slept for 0 (1) sec
          end