C++ Programming for Linux Systems: Create robust enterprise software for Linux and Unix-based operating systems

C++ Programming for Linux Systems....2

Foreword....7

Contributors....8

About the author(s)....8

About the reviewer(s)....9

Preface....19

Who this book is for....20

What this book covers....21

To get the most out of this book....23

Download the example code files....24

Conventions used....24

Get in touch....24

Share Your Thoughts....25

Download a free PDF copy of this book....25

Part 1:Securing the Fundamentals....27

Chapter 1: Getting Started with Linux Systems and the POSIX Standard....28

Technical requirements....29

Getting familiar with the concept of OSs....29

Types of OSs....30

Linux in short....31

Getting to know the Linux kernel....32

Introducing the system call interface and system programming....34

Navigating through files, processes, and threads....37

File....37

Process and thread....38

Types of processes based on their running mode....41

Running services with init and systemd....42

Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX)....48

Summary....49

Chapter 2: Learning More about Process Management....51

Technical requirements....51

Disassembling process creation....52

Memory segments....55

Continuing with process states and some scheduling mechanisms....59

Scheduling mechanisms....62

Scheduling at a high level....62

Scheduling at a low level....62

Learning more about process creation....65

Introducing fork()....66

exec and clone()....67

Terminating a process....70

Blocking a calling process....71

Introducing the system calls for thread manipulation in C++....73

Joining and detaching threads....74

Thread termination....75

Summary....75

Chapter 3: Navigating through the Filesystems....77

Technical requirements....77

Going through Linux’s filesystem fundamentals....78

Linux’s FS....79

Directory structure and partitioning....81

Linux FS objects....84

Executing FS operations with C++....89

IPC through anonymous pipes and named pipes....93

Anonymous or unnamed pipes....94

Named pipes....100

Briefly observing signal handling....107

Summary....108

Chapter 4: Diving Deep into the C++ Object....109

Technical requirements....110

Understanding the C++ object model....110

Declaration versus definition....110

Scope, storage duration, and lifetimes....111

The object....113

The reference....116

Understanding why initialization matters....116

Functors and lambdas....122

Exploring functional objects....122

Lambda expressions....128

Summary....133

Chapter 5: Handling Errors with C++....134

Technical requirements....134

Handling errors from POSIX APIs with C++....135

Using std::error_code and std::error_condition....137

From error codes to exceptions....142

std::system_error....143

Throw by value, catch by reference....147

try/catch … finally....150

Summary....153

Part 2:Advanced Techniques for System Programming....154

Chapter 6: Concurrent System Programming with C++....155

Technical requirements....155

What is concurrency?....156

Threads versus processes....159

Concurrency with C++....161

Demystifying race conditions and data races....162

How do we avoid them?....167

Practical multithreading....167

Hello C++ jthread....167

Canceling threads – is this really possible?....171

std::stop_source....174

Sharing data during parallel execution....176

Barriers and latches....178

Summary....185

Chapter 7: Proceeding with Inter-Process Communication....187

Technical requirements....187

Introducing MQs and the pub/sub mechanism....188

The pub/sub mechanism....192

Guaranteeing atomic operations through semaphores and mutual exclusions....194

Semaphore....196

Mutual exclusion (mutex)....200

Using shared memory....204

Learning about mmap() and shm_open()....207

Communicating through the network with sockets....210

Overview of the OSI model....210

Getting familiar with networking through UDP....212

Thinking about robustness through TCP....218

Summary....225

Chapter 8: Using Clocks, Timers, and Signals in Linux....226

Technical requirements....226

Handling time in Linux....227

Linux epoch....228

Using timers in Linux....228

POSIX timer characteristics....231

Handling time in C++....231

Using clocks, timers, and ratios....234

More about clocks in C++20....237

Using calendar and time zone capabilities....239

Working with time zones in C++....242

Summary....243

Chapter 9: Understanding the C++ Memory Model....245

Technical requirements....245

Getting to know smart pointers and optionals in C++....246

Retracing RAII via smart pointers....247

Doing a lazy initialization in C++....250

Learning about condition variables, read-write locks, and ranges in C++....253

Cooperative cancellation through condition variables....254

Combining smart pointers, condition variables, and shared memory....256

Implementing read-write locks and ranges with C++....258

Discussing multiprocessor systems – cache locality and cache friendliness in C++....262

Considering cache locality through cache-friendly code....263

A glance at false sharing....265

Sharing resources larger than a cache line in C++....268

Revisiting shared resources through the C++ memory model via spinlock implementation....270

Introducing the memory_order type in C++....270

Designing spinlocks for multiprocessor systems in C++....272

Summary....276

Chapter 10: Using Coroutines in C++ for System Programming....277

Technical requirements....277

Introducing coroutines....278

The coroutine facility in C++....281

Network programming and coroutines in C++....288

Revisiting the shared memory problem through coroutines in C++....291

Final thoughts on coroutines and their implementations in C++....294

Summary....295

Index....297

Why subscribe?....318

Other Books You May Enjoy....318

Packt is searching for authors like you....322

Share Your Thoughts....322

Download a free PDF copy of this book....322

Around 35 million Linux and almost 2 billion Android users rely on C++ for everything from the simplest embedded and IoT devices to cloud services, supercomputing, and space exploration. To help you produce high-quality software, two industry experts have transformed their knowledge and experience into practical examples in system programming with C++ Programming for Linux Systems.

In this book, you'll explore the latest C++20 features, while working on multiple specific use cases. You'll get familiar with the coroutines and modern approaches in concurrent and multithreaded programming. You'll also learn to reshape your thinking when analyzing system behavior in Linux (POSIX) environments. Additionally, you'll discover advanced discussions and novel solutions for complex challenges, while approaching trivial system operations with a new outlook and learning to choose the best design for your particular case.

You can use this workbook as an introduction to system programming and software design in Linux or any Unix-based environment. You'll also find it useful as a guideline or a supplement to any C++ book.

By the end of this book, you'll have gained advanced knowledge and skills for working with Linux or any Unix-based environment.

What You Will Learn:

• Use C++20 features to craft elegant, efficient, and modern code for Linux systems
• Acquire essential system programming skills with hands-on examples
• Develop a deep understanding of Linux programming, from embedded systems to cloud services
• Tailor your applications to exploit the strengths and mitigate the weaknesses of different architectures
• Merge advanced C++, system programming, Linux insights, and architecture to create exceptional software
• Boost your code quality by using system programming techniques to refine and optimize your codebase

Who this book is for:

This book is for every software developer looking to improve and update their C++ development skills. Both students and professionals will find this book useful as the examples are curated to match any area of expertise and are easily adaptable. At the same time, they don't lose focus of the system specifics. A basic understanding of operating systems' interfaces is a must along with experience in software development.