Trying to get a Boost named_semaphore to use the Windows semaphore API

Question

I have legacy applications that use the Windows semaphore API (CreateSemaphore etc.), and am writing a new multiplatform app in which I am using the Boost libraries.

Using a default Boost build in Windows, it creates named_semaphore's in the filesystem.

The file \boost\interprocess\detail\workaround.hpp seems to define flags which I had hoped would achieve this (by defining WIN32 and commenting out #define BOOST_INTERPROCESS_FORCE_GENERIC_EMULATION)

Here is an extract from that file:

#if defined(_WIN32) || defined(__WIN32__) || defined(WIN32) 
    #define BOOST_INTERPROCESS_WINDOWS
    // #define BOOST_INTERPROCESS_FORCE_GENERIC_EMULATION
    #define BOOST_INTERPROCESS_HAS_KERNEL_BOOTTIME 
    //Define this to connect with shared memory created with versions < 1.54
    //#define BOOST_INTERPROCESS_BOOTSTAMP_IS_LASTBOOTUPTIME
#else

However, stepping through the Boost code for creating this semaphore (using the defines as above) shows that it still tries to create a file in a default shared directory, and this leads to an exception when Boost tries to lock it.

Does anyone perhaps know if this is possible using Boost (yet?)

Many thanks, Kevin

Answer 1

Windows synchronization lifetime guarantees are not POSIX, which is what Boost Interprocess implements. So, no, it is not possible.