Patent attributes
Method and apparatus for barrier synchronization of threads, for example work-stealing threads. Embodiments may provide a consensus barrier synchronization mechanism that allows a “stop world” operation being performed by two or more worker threads configured to “steal” work from other threads to complete, even if one or more of the threads are not scheduled/started by the thread scheduler and thus do not rendezvous or “check in” at a consensus barrier in a timely manner. In embodiments, portions (subtasks) of the overall task which were assigned to the tardy thread may have been completed by other work-stealing threads, and one of the other threads may check in the tardy thread at the consensus barrier upon determining that the thread is dormant and does not have any more apportioned work to be performed. In one embodiment, the task being performed may be garbage collection for a process.
