当线程需要同时持有多个锁时,有可能产生死锁。考虑如下情形:
线程A当前持有互斥所锁lock1,线程B当前持有互斥锁lock2。接下来,当线程A仍然持有lock1时,它试图获取lock2,因为线程B正持有lock2,因此线程A会阻塞等待线程B对lock2的释放。如果此时线程B在持有lock2的时候,也在试图获取lock1,因为线程A正持有lock1,因此线程B会阻塞等待A对lock1的释放。二者都在等待对方所持有锁的释放,而二者却又都没释放自己所持有的锁,这时二者便会一直阻塞下去。这种情形称为死锁。
下面给出一个两个线程间产生死锁的示例,如下:
public class Deadlock extends Object { private String objID; public Deadlock(String id) { objID = id; } public synchronized void checkOther(Deadlock other) { print("entering checkOther()"); try { Thread.sleep(2000); } catch ( InterruptedException x ) { } print("in checkOther() - about to " + "invoke 'other.action()'"); //调用other对象的action方法,由于该方法是同步方法,因此会试图获取other对象的对象锁 other.action(); print("leaving checkOther()"); } public synchronized void action() { print("entering action()"); try { Thread.sleep(500); } catch ( InterruptedException x ) { } print("leaving action()"); } public void print(String msg) { threadPrint("objID=" + objID + " - " + msg); } public static void threadPrint(String msg) { String threadName = Thread.currentThread().getName(); System.out.println(threadName + ": " + msg); } public static void main(String[] args) { final Deadlock obj1 = new Deadlock("obj1"); final Deadlock obj2 = new Deadlock("obj2"); Runnable runA = new Runnable() { public void run() { obj1.checkOther(obj2); } }; Thread threadA = new Thread(runA, "threadA"); threadA.start(); try { Thread.sleep(200); } catch ( InterruptedException x ) { } Runnable runB = new Runnable() { public void run() { obj2.checkOther(obj1); } }; Thread threadB = new Thread(runB, "threadB"); threadB.start(); try { Thread.sleep(5000); } catch ( InterruptedException x ) { } threadPrint("finished sleeping"); threadPrint("about to interrupt() threadA"); threadA.interrupt(); try { Thread.sleep(1000); } catch ( InterruptedException x ) { } threadPrint("about to interrupt() threadB"); threadB.interrupt(); try { Thread.sleep(1000); } catch ( InterruptedException x ) { } threadPrint("did that break the deadlock?"); } }
运行结果如下:
从结果中可以看出,在执行到other.action()时,由于两个线程都在试图获取对方的锁,但对方都没有释放自己的锁,因而便产生了死锁,在主线程中试图中断两个线程,但都无果。
大部分代码并不容易产生死锁,死锁可能在代码中隐藏相当长的时间,等待不常见的条件地发生,但即使是很小的概率,一旦发生,便可能造成毁灭性的破坏。避免死锁是一件困难的事,遵循以下原则有助于规避死锁:
1、只在必要的最短时间内持有锁,考虑使用同步语句块代替整个同步方法;
2、尽量编写不在同一时刻需要持有多个锁的代码,如果不可避免,则确保线程持有第二个锁的时间尽量短暂;
3、创建和使用一个大锁来代替若干小锁,并把这个锁用于互斥,而不是用作单个对象的对象级别锁;