New thread_self=42 syscall backs runtime.Thread.getCurrentId (the calling
thread's kernel task id). thread-test gains an id mode: two workers read
getCurrentId and the main thread confirms all three ids are non-zero and
distinct. Per-thread threadlocal TLS is deferred by design (no consumer; it would
need context-switched fs.base for an unused feature), as are RwLock/WaitGroup.
Marks the threading feature built (M1-M6): threading.md + docs/README.md status
updated, all thread-* cases wired into qemu_test.py.
Gate thread-id PASS; full suite green: 21/21 (thread-spawn/join/futex/mutex/id,
aspace-refcount, + 15 guardrail cases), zig build clean, zig build test green.
runtime.Thread.Mutex is the classic three-state futex mutex (unlocked/locked/
contended): the fast path is a single CAS and only a contended lock enters the
kernel. Condition is a futex sequence counter (wait/timedWait/signal/broadcast,
spurious wakeups allowed, use in a predicate loop); a signal racing the unlock
bumps the seq so it is never missed. Semaphore is permits guarded by
Mutex+Condition. All mirror std.Thread's shapes, ported onto runtime.Thread.Futex.
thread-test gains a mutex mode: 2 producers + 2 consumers move 2000 unique items
through an 8-slot ring (small enough that both sides block); the consumed
checksum and tally match exactly, proving the lock and condvars correct under
real cross-core contention.
Deferred with rationale (see docs/threading-plan.md): migrating join to a futex
completion word needs kernel clear-on-exit (else use-after-free munmapping a live
stack); host unit tests need a mockable Futex seam.
Gate thread-mutex PASS (3x); 17 guardrail/thread cases green; build + host tests
clean.
New private syscalls futex_wait(addr, expected, timeout_ns)=40 and
futex_wake(addr, count)=41. A waiter is a .blocked task tagged with
Task.futex_addr (no queue linkage); futex_wait reads the user word under the big
lock and parks only if it still equals expected, so a concurrent wake can't slip
between the check and the block. futex_wake scans the task table and readies up
to count waiters in the same address space. A timed wait also sets wake_at so the
existing wakeExpired times it out; futex_addr staying non-zero (only futex_wake
clears it) distinguishes timeout from a real wake. Waiters park in-kernel, so an
idle core still halts (no busy-wait).
runtime.Thread.Futex mirrors std.Thread.Futex (wait/timedWait/wake). thread-test
gains a futex mode: a waiter parks, the main thread wakes it (serial order
waiting/waking/woke, asserted by the case regex), and timedWait reports a
timeout.
Gate thread-futex PASS (3x); 18 guardrail cases green incl. sleep/event/ipc
blocking paths; build + host tests clean.
thread_spawn takes a 4th arg, an exit-endpoint handle: spawnThreadSupervised
resolves and refcounts it under the spawn lock (like spawnProcessSupervised), so
a thread's death posts a child-exit notification carrying its tid. runtime
Thread.join blocks in replyWait on that (private) endpoint for its tid, then
munmaps the stack; detach relinquishes the join (stack reclaimed at process
exit, for now). New current_core=39 syscall + Thread.currentCore() lets a worker
observe which core it ran on.
The closure now lives at the top of the thread's own (private) stack instead of
the heap, so spawn/join never touch the not-yet-thread-safe runtime heap.
thread-test gains a join mode: 4 workers x 100k atomic increments, joined, with
counter == N*K and >1 core stamped (real parallelism), plus a detached worker.
Gate thread-join PASS (4x, non-flaky); 17 guardrail/M1/M2 cases green; build +
host tests clean.
A thread is a task sharing the caller's address space. New private syscalls
thread_spawn(entry, stack_top, arg)=37 and thread_exit=38: thread_spawn goes
through scheduler.spawnThread (retains the shared aspace), thread_exit ends the
task like a process exit(0) (terminateCurrent -> releaseAspace, so the space
survives while siblings hold it). The closure pointer reaches the new thread in
rdi via a new jump_to_user_arg asm path and a per-task user_arg (0 for a normal
process, whose _start ignores it) - so the runtime trampoline is a plain C-ABI
Zig function, no naked asm.
runtime.Thread (library/runtime/thread.zig) mirrors std.Thread.spawn: mmap a
stack, heap-allocate the args closure, hand the kernel the trampoline + closure.
addThreadedUserBinary opts a binary into single_threaded=false; thread-test is
the first, and proves a worker runs in the shared address space via a shared
global the main thread polls.
Gate thread-spawn PASS; 16 guardrail cases green (incl. args/init/process on the
new jump_to_user_arg path) + aspace-refcount; build + host tests clean.
Route address-space lifetime through a refcount keyed by the page-table root
(scheduler.zig aspace_refs): retainAspace on the spawnUserLocked success path,
releaseAspace from both teardown paths (exitUserLocked, destroyTaskLocked),
destroying the space only when the last task on it exits. Behaviour is identical
today (every space has exactly one task); this is the foundation shared-address-
space threads (docs/threading.md) build on.
Test-observable liveAspaceCount/aspaceDestroyCount + a new aspace-refcount kernel
self-test and QEMU case: spawn and reap 5 ring-3 probes, assert live spaces return
to baseline and destructions advance by exactly 5 (destroyed once each, no leak,
no double-free). Gate passes; 13 guardrail cases green; build + host tests clean.
Add docs/threading.md (native runtime.Thread mirroring std.Thread over a
private thread ABI) and docs/threading-plan.md (6 milestones, each with a
serial-checkable gate + guardrail, plus an unattended /loop execution
contract). Index both in docs/README.md.
Daniel Samson