python threads and the linuxthread pthread library

[anton wilson]

I've been attempting to understand how python threads will interact with my 
Linux system (mainly the linuxthread library and the scheduler). I've 
concluded that the python interpreter's context switching every 10 byte-codes 
will rely on the Linux scheduler to somehow switch between threads after one 
thread releases the global interpreter lock. However, I am a bit confused on 
how threads interact with the python interpreter at a low level. Is the 
Python Virtual Machine it's own thread? How do threads aquire the global 
interpreter lock once they are awoken? How exactly do the byte-codes for a 
particular thread get run by the Python interpreter? Does each thread run the 
interpreter?

If anyone has any explanations, links, or pointers please let me know.

Thanks,

Anton Wilson




-- 
Camotion
Software Development