- 1 year ago
How to use std::shared_mutex on Vista/Server 2008?
std::shared_mutex
is a C++17 feature that provides support for shared locks and exclusive locks, allowing multiple threads to read shared data simultaneously or a single thread to modify the data exclusively. However, C++17 support may not be available on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, as they have older versions of Visual C++ compilers that do not fully support C++17.
If you are using an older version of Visual C++ compiler without C++17 support, you won't have std::shared_mutex
available directly. To work around this limitation, you have a few options:
Upgrade Compiler: The simplest solution is to upgrade to a more recent version of Visual C++ that supports C++17. For example, Visual Studio 2017 or later provides better C++17 support.
Use Third-Party Library: If you cannot upgrade the compiler, consider using a third-party library that provides a similar functionality to
std::shared_mutex
. Libraries like Boost (boost::shared_mutex) offer similar functionality tostd::shared_mutex
and work with older C++ versions.To use Boost, you need to download and install the Boost libraries, and then include the appropriate header file in your code:
cpp#include <boost/thread/shared_mutex.hpp>
You can then use
boost::shared_mutex
in a similar way tostd::shared_mutex
.Implement Your Own Shared Mutex: If you don't want to use third-party libraries and are limited to an older compiler, you can implement your own shared mutex using other synchronization primitives available in the standard library, such as
std::mutex
andstd::condition_variable
. However, implementing a full-featured shared mutex can be complex and error-prone, so this option requires careful design and testing.Use Platform-Specific Features: If you are specifically targeting Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008, you can also use Windows-specific synchronization primitives like
SRWLock
(Slim Reader/Writer Lock) or Critical Sections (CRITICAL_SECTION
). These are available in Windows Vista and provide similar functionality to shared mutexes.Keep in mind that platform-specific features may make your code less portable, as they tie it to a specific operating system.
Overall, the best approach is to upgrade your compiler or use a third-party library like Boost that provides C++17-like features, including boost::shared_mutex
. This will ensure better compatibility and maintainability of your code.