Abstract
Recently, thread libraries have become powerful entities to support parallel programming on shared memory multiprocessors and multicomputers. However, the disparity between the primitives offered by the operating systems and thread’s interface creates a challenge for those who wish to create portable threads library. The implementation of PEACE (POSIX Extensions to an Advanced Computing Environment) threads library conforms to the POSIX P1003.4a draft of threads interface standard on top of PARAS advanced computing environment on a PARAM supercomputer advented by C-DAC, India. The prime objective of this implementation is to support standard thread interface and enhance the portability of applications developed on PARAM, which was not possible earlier because of the usage of custom built thread interface (CORE), in the development of applications.
PEACE threads provide portable threads within a single task, while allowing fully concurrent access to the system resources. Threads can be quickly created and synchronization among the multiple threads can be accomplished rapidly. These threads have the potential to liberate software developers from the limitations of the age old fork() model. In this paper, we discuss the parallel operating system model, microkernel, machine architecture, thread model, thread library architecture with implementation issues, and POSIX threads interface.

Click here to download the PEACE Threads Paper (which is in Postscript format)

Appeared in: The 3rd International Conference on Avanced Computing, 1995