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Threads, Shared State, and Non-Atomic Operations

This generated surface maps a learner-facing curriculum unit to its canonical source routes.

Curriculum surface

  • Open learner-facing unit
  • Curriculum path: content/curriculum/systems/semester-05-os-networking/module-03-concurrency-synchronization/concepts/cluster-01-race-condition-problem/01-threads-shared-state-and-non-atomic-operations-primary.md
  • App: systems
  • Semester: semester-05-os-networking
  • Module: module-03-concurrency-synchronization
  • Unit kind: concept
  • Curation level: module_curated

Learning objectives

  • Explain Threads, Shared State, and Non-Atomic Operations in terms of interleavings, invariants, and failure modes rather than prose alone.
  • Use Threads, Shared State, and Non-Atomic Operations to predict what can go wrong in shared-state code before reaching for an implementation fix.
  • Use operating-system-concepts, ostep to connect the learner page to real synchronization APIs, scheduling effects, and recovery strategies.

Prerequisites

  • Comfort with threads, process state, and interleaving from earlier operating-systems concepts.

Source books

  • operating-system-concepts
  • ostep

Source routes

Operating System Concepts

Ostep

Supporting curriculum routes

No supporting curriculum routes linked yet.

External enrichment

  • man 3 pthread_mutex_lock (official_docs_companion) - Grounds lock and critical-section concepts in the semantics of a real API learners will encounter.
  • Linux Kernel Documentation: Locking (optional_deep_dive) - Useful after the learner understands the basics and wants to see how locking issues scale in real systems.

AI companion modes

  • Explain simply
  • Socratic tutor
  • Quiz me
  • Diagnose my confusion
  • Generate extra practice

Source-of-truth note

This teaching unit is learner-facing guidance assembled from multiple canonical book routes. Use the listed source books as the primary conceptual spine for Threads, Shared State, and Non-Atomic Operations, and treat outside material as supporting enrichment only.