COSC6490A

A solution to the readers-writers problem using semaphores in Java. First, a Reader.

package semaphore;
 
import java.util.Random;
import java.util.concurrent.Semaphore;
 
/**
 * A reader.
 *
 * @author Franck van Breugel
 */
public class Reader extends Thread
{
  private static int readers = 0;
  private static final Semaphore mutex = new Semaphore(1);
 
  /**
   * Initializes this reader.
   */
  public Reader()
  {
    super();
  }
 
  /**
   * Reads.
   */
  public void run()
  {
    try
    {
      Reader.mutex.acquire();
      Reader.readers++;
      if (Reader.readers == 1)
      {
        Writer.writer.acquire();
      }
      Reader.mutex.release();
      // read
      Reader.mutex.acquire();
      Reader.readers--;
      if (Reader.readers == 0)
      {
        Writer.writer.release();
      }
      Reader.mutex.release();
    }
    catch (InterruptedException e) {}
  }
}

Then, a Writer.

package semaphore;
 
import java.util.Random;
import java.util.concurrent.Semaphore;
 
/**
 * A writer.
 *
 * @author Franck van Breugel
 */
public class Writer extends Thread
{
  public static final Semaphore writer = new Semaphore(1, true);
 
  /**
   * Initializes this writer.
   */
  public Writer()
  {
    super();
  }
 
  /**
   * Writes.
   */
  public void run()
  {
    try
    {
      Writer.writer.acquire();
      // write
      Writer.writer.release();
    }
    catch (InterruptedException e) {}
  }
}

And finally an app.

package semaphore;
 
/**
 * This app creates a number of readers and writers.
 *
 * @author Franck van Breugel
 */
public class ReadersWriters
{
  /**
   * @param args[0] numbers of readers.
   * @param args[1] number of writers.
   */
  public static void main(String[] args)
  {
    try
    {
      int readers = Integer.parseInt(args[0]);
      int writers = Integer.parseInt(args[1]);
      for (int i = 0; i < writers; i++)
      {
        new Writer().start();
      }
      for (int i = 0; i < readers; i++)
      {
        new Reader().start();
      }
    }
    catch (Exception e)
    {
      System.out.println("Usage: java ReadersWriters < number of readers> <number of writers>");
    }
  }
}

Below, we present another solution to the readers-writers problem.

/**
 * This class represents a database.  There are many 
 * competing threads wishing to read and write.  It is 
 * acceptable to have multiple processes reading at the 
 * same time, but if one thread is writing then no other 
 * process may either read or write.
 */
public class Database
{
  private int readers; // number of active readers
 
  /**
   * Initializes this database.
   */
  public Database()
  {
    this.readers = 0;
  }
 
  /**
   * Read from this database.
   */
  public void read(int number)
  {
    synchronized(this)
    {
      this.readers++;
    }
    // read
    synchronized(this)
    {
      this.readers--;
      if (this.readers == 0)
      {
        this.notifyAll();
      }
    }
  }
 
  /**
   * Writes to this database.
   */
  public synchronized void write(int number)
  {
    while (this.readers != 0)
    {
      try
      {
        this.wait();
      }
      catch (InterruptedException e) {}
    }
    // write
    this.notifyAll();
  }
}