Linux mutexes

• The main locking primitive since Linux 2.6.16.

• Better than counting semaphores when binary ones are enough.

• The process requesting the lock blocks when the lock is already held. Mutexes can therefore only be used in contexts where sleeping is allowed.

• Mutex definition: #include <linux/mutex.h>

• Initializing a mutex statically: DEFINE_MUTEX(name);

• Or initializing a mutex dynamically: void mutex_init(struct mutex *lock);