cmpxchg example for 64 bit integer

Question

I am using cmpxchg (compare-and-exchange) in i686 architecture for 32 bit compare and swap as follows.

(Editor\'s note: the original 32-bit example was buggy, but th

Answer 1

The x64 architecture supports a 64-bit compare-exchange using the good, old cmpexch instruction. Or you could also use the somewhat more complicated cmpexch8b instruction (from the "AMD64 Architecture Programmer's Manual Volume 1: Application Programming"):

The CMPXCHG instruction compares a value in the AL or rAX register with the first (destination) operand, and sets the arithmetic flags (ZF, OF, SF, AF, CF, PF) according to the result. If the compared values are equal, the source operand is loaded into the destination operand. If they are not equal, the first operand is loaded into the accumulator. CMPXCHG can be used to try to intercept a semaphore, i.e. test if its state is free, and if so, load a new value into the semaphore, making its state busy. The test and load are performed atomically, so that concurrent processes or threads which use the semaphore to access a shared object will not conflict.

The CMPXCHG8B instruction compares the 64-bit values in the EDX:EAX registers with a 64-bit memory location. If the values are equal, the zero flag (ZF) is set, and the ECX:EBX value is copied to the memory location. Otherwise, the ZF flag is cleared, and the memory value is copied to EDX:EAX.

The CMPXCHG16B instruction compares the 128-bit value in the RDX:RAX and RCX:RBX registers with a 128-bit memory location. If the values are equal, the zero flag (ZF) is set, and the RCX:RBX value is copied to the memory location. Otherwise, the ZF flag is cleared, and the memory value is copied to rDX:rAX.

Different assembler syntaxes may need to have the length of the operations specified in the instruction mnemonic if the size of the operands can't be inferred. This may be the case for GCC's inline assembler - I don't know.