Important Notice

The pages on this site contain documentation for very old MS-DOS software, purely for historical purposes. If you're looking for up-to-date documentation, particularly for programming, you should not rely on the information found here, as it will be woefully out of date.

◄Using Section►                                       ◄Up► ◄Next► ◄Previous►
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
                             About Multitasking
 
This topic describes processes, threads, sessions, and the Microsoft
Operating System/2 multitasking functions used to create and manage them.
You should also be familiar with the following topics:
 
    ◄Interprocess communication►
    ◄File systems►
    ◄Dynamic-link libraries►
 
Multitasking, one of the principal features of MS OS/2, is the ability of
the system to manage the execution of more than one program at a time. A
multitasking system such as MS OS/2 lets users simultaneously run all the
programs they need to complete their work. This ability helps to optimize
use of the computer, since time normally spent by a program waiting for user
input is distributed to other programs that may be printing a document or
recalculating a spreadsheet. Also, running more than one program at a time
makes working with multiple programs easier, because the user can readily
move from one program to another as the work requires.
 
Although MS OS/2 provides multitasking in the traditional sense of having
more than one program run at a time, it also extends this concept to permit
a single program to run more than one copy of itself at the same time and to
provide a means of quickly moving between programs without disrupting the
display or execution of the programs.
 
Processes and Threads
 
An MS OS/2 program that has been loaded into memory and prepared for
execution is called a process. Each process has at least one thread, called
the main thread or thread 1. The process consists of the program code, data,
and other resources, such as files, pipes, and queues, that belong to the
program. The thread consists of the current register values, the stack, and
the state of execution of the program. When MS OS/2 executes a program, it
confirms that the process's code and data are in memory and that the
thread's registers and stack are set before it passes execution control.
Each program has access to all the computer's resources, such as memory,
disk drives, screen, keyboard, and the CPU itself. The system carefully
manages these resources so that programs can access them without conflict.
 
A process can have more than one thread. Each thread runs independently,
keeping its own register, stack, and execution state. Threads share the same
data segment (that is, they share the program's globally defined variables).
Although a thread can execute any part of the program, including a part
being executed by another thread, threads are typically used to execute
separate parts. This distributes the available CPU time and lets a program
carry out several tasks simultaneously──for example, loading a file and
prompting the user for input at the same time.
 
Since the system can create and execute threads quickly, the preferred
multitasking method is to distribute tasks among parts of the same program
instead of between programs.
 
A process does not have to rely on MS OS/2 to control execution of its
threads. A process can use the DosSuspendThread and DosResumeThread
functions to suspend and resume the execution of a given thread. When a
process suspends a thread, the thread remains suspended until the process
calls the DosResumeThread function.
 
A process or thread ends when it calls the DosExit function. MS OS/2
automatically closes any files or other resources left open by the process
when the process ends, but when a thread ends, any resources it may have
open remain open until another thread closes them or the process ends. A
process can direct MS OS/2 to carry out other actions when the process ends
by using the DosExitList function to create a list of termination functions.
MS OS/2 calls the termination functions, in the order given, when the
process is about to end.
 
Threads in a process must be given a stack when they are created. The stack
can be in the automatic data segment of the process (that is, be defined as
a global variable in the program), or it can be a segment that is explicitly
allocated for use as a stack. In either case, a program that uses multiple
threads may need to disable code used to check for available space in the
stack if that code assumes that the program has only one stack.
 
Although each thread in a process has its own registers, a new thread
inherits some registers, including the es register, from the thread that
creates it. This may lead to an unexpected protection violation if the
selector in the es register is later freed or invalidated by the first
thread and the new thread unwittingly uses the register. (This can happen in
high-level-language programs in which the es register is automatically saved
and restored. Restoring an invalid selector may cause a protection
violation.) A new thread can avoid a protection violation by clearing the
es register when it first starts. Alternatively, an existing thread can
clear the es register before creating a new thread. The following
assembly-language routine, ClearES, clears the es register:
 
ClearES proc far
        sub ax,ax
        mov es,ax
ClearES endp
 
The Scheduler
 
The MS OS/2 system scheduler determines how to distribute execution control
among the programs currently running. The scheduler uses time slicing to
distribute execution control. This means the scheduler periodically gives
each thread in each process a small slice of CPU time. The thread executes
until its time is up; then the scheduler stops the thread and starts
another. The amount of time in each time slice is defined by the timeslice
command in the config.sys file. Timeslice sets a maximum and minimum number
of milliseconds for the system's time slices.
 
The scheduler does not share CPU time equally among all threads. It uses a
priority scheme to determine when a thread receives a time slice. The
scheduler has three priority classes: time-critical, regular, and idle-time.
A time-critical thread always receives a time slice before a regular thread,
and a regular thread always receives a time slice before an idle-time
thread.
 
Time-critical is a special class for threads that must react to events
outside the system. Time-critical threads should execute quickly and then
relinquish the CPU for other work until another time-critical event occurs.
A thread in a communications program that is responsible for reading data
from the communications device is a good example. The thread needs enough
time to read all incoming data. Since this amount of time may be more than a
regular time slice, a time-critical classification ensures that the thread
gets all the time it needs.
 
Idle-time is a special class for threads that need very little CPU time.
Idle-time threads get CPU time only when there is no other work to do.
 
Regular class is for all other threads.
 
Within each class, the scheduler maintains a priority level for a thread.
The priority level can be from 0 through 31. A thread with priority level 31
always receives a time slice before a thread with priority level 30, and so
on. If two or more threads have the same priority level, the scheduler
distributes the CPU time equally by using a round-robin scheme; that is, the
scheduler gives a time slice to first one, then another, and so on, and then
goes back to the first. A process can set and retrieve the priority level by
using the DosSetPrty and DosGetPrty functions.
 
Although you can set the priority level of a thread at any time, you should
do so only for programs that use more than one thread or process. The best
use of priority is to speed up threads or processes on which other threads
or processes depend. For example, you might temporarily increase the
priority of a thread loading a file if another thread is waiting for that
file to be loaded.
 
Since the priority of a thread is relative to all other threads in the
system, increasing the priority of the threads in your program merely to get
the extra CPU time will adversely affect the overall operation of the
system.
 
On personal computers, most programs spend a considerable amount of time
interacting with the user. A program may occasionally execute without
interaction for a period of time, such as when recalculating a column of
numbers or formatting a paragraph of text, but for the majority of the time
the program is either processing input from the user or waiting for more
input. MS OS/2 can dynamically alter the priority of a process based on
whether the user is using it. If the priority command in the config.sys file
specifies dynamic, MS OS/2 grants higher priority to the foreground process
than to background processes. This ensures that the foreground process──the
process most likely to be in use──receives enough CPU time to provide quick
response to user input. If priority specifies absolute, all processes
receive CPU time based on the priority established by the DosSetPrty
function.
 
Child Processes
 
Programs can load and execute other programs by using the DosExecPgm
function. The new program, once loaded, is called a child process. The
process that starts the new program is called the parent process. A child
process is like any other process. It has its own program code and data and
its own threads. The child process inherits the other resources of the
parent process, such as files, pipes, and queues. The child process can use
the inherited resources without preparing them. For example, if the parent
process opens a file for reading and then starts the child process, the
child process can read from the file immediately; it does not have to open
the file for itself. Once the child process has been created, however, any
additional resources that the parent process may create are not available to
the child process. Similarly, any resources that the child process may
create are not available to the parent process.
 
The parent process determines how the child process should run. A child
process can run independently of the parent process──that is, both can run
at the same time──or the parent process can wait until the child process
ends before continuing execution. A process can use the DosCwait function to
retrieve the termination status of a child process that runs independently.
 
Program Start-Up
 
Unlike MS-DOS, MS OS/2 does not prepare a program segment prefix (PSP) for
protected-mode programs. Instead, it creates an environment segment that
contains the definitions for environment variables and the command line used
to start the program. When a program first starts, MS OS/2 gives the program
access to this environment segment, as well as to information about the
version of MS OS/2.
 
A program can retrieve definitions from the environment segment by first
using the DosGetEnv function to retrieve the segment selector. The
DosScanEnv and DosSearchPath functions also permit the program to use the
information in the environment segment.
 
When MS OS/2 first starts a program, it sets the CPU registers to the
following values:
 
Value  Description
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
cs:ip  Contains the program's initial entry point. This is the same as the
       entry point specified in the executable file.
 
ss:sp  Contains the starting address of the stack. This is the same stack
       address as specified in the executable file.
 
ds     Contains the segment selector of the automatic data segment. The
       automatic data segment is specified in the executable file.
 
es     Contains zero.
 
ax     Contains the segment selector of the environment segment. The
       environment segment contains the environment strings and command-line
       arguments for the program.
 
bx     Contains the offset to the start of the program command line from the
       beginning of the environment segment.
 
cx     Contains the size (in bytes) of the automatic data segment. If this
       value is zero, the segment is 65,536 bytes.
 
bp     Contains zero.
 
A program written in assembly language can use these registers to access the
command line and environment string. Programs written in high-level
languages can retrieve the environment-segment selector and command-line
offset by using the DosGetEnv function.
 
When MS OS/2 starts a dynamic-link library, it sets the CPU registers to the
following values:
 
Value  Description
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
cs:ip  Contains the entry-point address of the library initialization
       function.
 
ss:sp  Contains the address of the current system stack. The initialization
       function can use the stack to define local variables and call other
       functions, but it must restore the stack to its previous state before
       returning.
 
ds     Contains the segment selector of the library's automatic data segment
       (if it has one), or contains the selector for the data-segment
       program or system library that called the DosLoadModule function to
       load the library.
 
ax     Contains the module handle of the dynamic-link library.
 
All other register values are undefined.
 
The initialization function can carry out any task, but it must return by
using an intersegment return instruction. All registers except ax and dx
must be restored to their previous values. The function can use the ax
register to indicate whether it was successful. The system expects the
function to set the ax register to a nonzero value if the function was
successful, or to zero if the function failed.
 
Sessions
 
MS OS/2 uses sessions to help the user move from one program to the next
without disrupting the screen display of a program. A session consists of at
least one process and either a full, character-based screen or a
Presentation Manager window. When the system creates a session, the process
in the session displays output in the screen or window. The user can view
the output and supply input by moving to the session. The user moves to a
session by pressing the ALT+ESC key combination or by selecting the title of
the session from the list of program titles in the Task Manager window.
 
A process creates and controls sessions by using the MS OS/2 session-manager
functions. Processes that use these functions have much the same control
over sessions as does Task Manager, but only for the sessions they create.
The functions are typically used by debugging programs to keep output of the
program being debugged separate from the debugger's output.
 
A process creates a new session by using the DosStartSession function. The
function uses a STARTDATA structure that specifies the name of the program
to start in the session. It also specifies whether the session should be
full-screen or in a window. When a session is created, MS OS/2 adds the
program title for the session to the list of titles in Task Manager.
 
A session can be either a child session or an unrelated session. A child
session, created by setting the Related field in STARTDATA to TRUE, is under
the control of the process that created it. The process can select, set, or
stop a child session by using the DosSelectSession, DosSetSession, or
DosStopSession function, respectively. DosStartSession gives the child
session a unique session identifier for use in these functions.
 
An unrelated session, created by setting the Related field to FALSE, is not
under the process's control. Once an unrelated session starts, it is
controlled entirely by the user.
 
A session can be either a foreground or a background session. A process can
create a foreground session only if the process is in the current foreground
session or if one of the sessions created by the process is the current
foreground session.
 
A process can select a child session by using the session identifier in the
DosSelectSession function. Selecting a child session causes that session to
move to the foreground. A process can make a child session "unselectable" by
using the DosSetSession function to change the SelectInd field in the
STATUSDATA structure. This prevents the user from selecting the session from
Task Manager but does not prevent a process from selecting the child session
by using DosSelectSession.
 
A process can also bind a child session to its own session by using the
DosSetSession function. Binding a session causes that session to move to the
foreground whenever the user selects the parent session from Task Manager.
 
A process can use a session identifier with the DosSetSession function only
if the process created the identifier. It cannot use session identifiers
created by other processes.
 
Although a child session is related to the session that started it, the
processes in the child and original sessions are not related. This means
that even though DosStartSession supplies the process identifier of the
process in the child session, the identifier cannot be used with MS OS/2
functions such as DosSetPrty.
 
A process can stop a child session by using the DosStopSession function.
Stopping the session terminates the process in the session. It also stops
any sessions related to the child session. If a child session is in the
foreground when it is stopped, the parent session becomes the foreground
session. The DosStopSession function breaks any bond that exists between the
parent session and the specified child session.
 
A process running in the session specified in the DosStopSession function
can refuse to terminate. If this happens, DosStopSession still returns zero
(indicating success). The only way to be certain that the child session has
terminated is to wait for notification through the termination queue that is
specified in the DosStartSession function. MS OS/2 writes a data element
into the specified queue when the child session terminates. The process in
the parent session must call the DosReadQueue function to retrieve this data
element, which contains the session identifier for the child session and the
result code for the process in the child session. DosReadQueue also sets the
request word to zero. Only the process that created the child session can
read the data element. After reading and processing the data element, the
process must free the segment that contains the data element by using the
DosFreeSeg function.
 
Because the DosStartSession function does not supply a session identifier
for an unrelated session, the process that created the unrelated session
cannot select it, bind it, stop it, or make it unselectable.
 
 
                                      ♦