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A queue based mutual exclusion algorithm

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Abstract

A new elegant and simple algorithm for mutual exclusion of N processes is proposed. It only requires shared variables in a memory model where shared variables need not be accessed atomically. We prove mutual exclusion by reformulating the algorithm as a transition system (automaton), and applying simulation of automata. The proof has been verified with the higher-order interactive theorem prover PVS. Under an additional atomicity assumption, the algorithm is starvation free, and we conjecture that no competing process is passed by any other process more than once. This conjecture was verified by model checking for systems with at most five processes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Computer Science Program, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, V2N4Z9, Canada

    Alex A. Aravind

  2. Department of Computing Science, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 407, 9700 AK, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Wim H. Hesselink

Authors
  1. Alex A. Aravind
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  2. Wim H. Hesselink
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Correspondence to Wim H. Hesselink.

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Aravind, A.A., Hesselink, W.H. A queue based mutual exclusion algorithm. Acta Informatica 46, 73–86 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00236-008-0086-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00236-008-0086-z

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