Fast on Average, Predictable in the Worst Case: Exploring Real-Time Futexes in LITMUSRT

Abstract

This paper explores the problem of how to improve the average-case performance of real-time locking protocols, preferably without significantly deteriorating worst-case performance. Motivated by the futex implementation in Linux, where uncontended lock operations under the Priority Inheritance Protocol (PIP) do not incur mode-switching overheads, we extend this concept to more sophisticated protocols, namely the PCP, the MPCP and the FMLP+. We identify the challenges involved in implementing futexes for these protocols and present the design and evaluation of their implementations in LITMUSRT, a real-time extension of the Linux kernel. Our evaluation shows substantial improvements in the uncontended case (e.g., A futex implementation of the PCP lowers lock acquisition and release overheads by up to 75% and 92%, respectively), at the expense of some increases in worst-case overhead on par with Linux's existing futex implementation.