Thread Validator x64 enters BETA

By Stephen Kellett
6 August, 2010

Thread Validator x64 is now available for beta testing.

Thread Locking Timeline

Thread Validator x64 is the 64 bit version of our successful 32 bit Thread Validator software tool that runs on Microsoft Windows operating systems. Thread Validator x64 is a deadlock detection and thread analysis software tool, running on Windows 7 64 bit, Windows Vista 64 bit and Windows XP 64 bit.

Thread Validator has multiple displays to provide you with different perspectives onto the data you have collected.

What does Thread Validator do?

Thread Validator x64 identifies thread deadlocks, potential deadlocks and locks with a high contention rate.

Thread deadlocks usually mean that one or more threads can no longer function correctly because they are waiting on a lock that will never be released. This is an error condition and usually manifests as an unresponsive computer program.

Potential deadlocks are locking sequences that have not triggered a deadlock but may lead to a deadlock under slightly different conditions.

High contention rate locks result in your program spending too much time waiting for access to a lock. A different program design can often reduce a high contention rate to a less demanding contention rate.

How does Thread Validator work?

Thread Validator instruments your computer program so that it can monitor the appropriate synchronization APIs used to control access to locks, mutexes, semaphores and wait conditions. Using the information gained from monitoring these APIs, Thread Validator can calculate deadlock conditions, potential deadlock conditions and detect locks with high contention rates.

Thread Validator gathers data for all locks, all threads, all mutexes, all semaphores and all wait conditions. The data is organised into various displays allowing you to view information:

    • All active locks.
    • All active locks, organized by thread.
    • All locks that are locked at a given time.
    • Allocation information for all allocated synchronization objects, showing callstack and source code.
    • Thread locking history. View all threads, see what each threads is doing and when.
    • Thread lock order. View the order locks are acquired across threads for a given lock sequence.
    • List of all application objects that can be used in wait conditions.

How Thread Validator helps you be more productive

Thread Validator x64 can help you:

      • Identify deadlocks in your application – quickly identify and fix hard threading problems.
      • Identify potential deadlocks in your application – prevent problems before they get serious.
      • Identify busy contended critical sections in your application – improve performance.
      • View thread locking behaviour in real time.
      • Improve your software quality by modifying your threading behaviour.
      • View all open handles that your application can wait on.

Join the beta test

If you are developing 64 bit software and have some multi-threading problems you would like to analyze, please join the beta, analyze your multi-threading problems and let us know your thoughts.

Fully functional, free for 30 days