avoiding deadlock

Inducing a lock ordering to avoid deadlock

private static final Object tieLock = new Object();
public void transferMoney(final Account fromAcct,
		final Account toAcct,
		final DollarAmount amount)
				throws InsufficientFundsException {
	class Helper {
		public void transfer() throws InsufficientFundsException {
			if (fromAcct.getBalance().compareTo(amount) < 0)
				throw new InsufficientFundsException();
			else {
				fromAcct.debit(amount);
				toAcct.credit(amount);
			}
		}
	}
	int fromHash = System.identityHashCode(fromAcct);
	int toHash = System.identityHashCode(toAcct);
	if (fromHash < toHash) {
		synchronized (fromAcct) {
			synchronized (toAcct) {
				new Helper().transfer();
			}
		}
	} else if (fromHash > toHash) {
		synchronized (toAcct) {
			synchronized (fromAcct) {
				new Helper().transfer();
			}
		}
	} else {
		synchronized (tieLock) {
			synchronized (fromAcct) {
				synchronized (toAcct) {
					new Helper().transfer();
				}
			}
		}
	}
}

Using open calls to avoiding deadlock between cooperating objects

@ThreadSafe
class Taxi {
	@GuardedBy("this") private Point location, destination;
	private final Dispatcher dispatcher;
	...
	public synchronized Point getLocation() {
		return location;
	}
	public void setLocation(Point location) {
		boolean reachedDestination;
		synchronized (this) {
			this.location = location;
			reachedDestination = location.equals(destination);
		}
		if (reachedDestination)
			dispatcher.notifyAvailable(this);
	}
}

@ThreadSafe
class Dispatcher {
	@GuardedBy("this") private final Set<Taxi> taxis;
	@GuardedBy("this") private final Set<Taxi> availableTaxis;
	...
	public synchronized void notifyAvailable(Taxi taxi) {
		availableTaxis.add(taxi);
	}
	public Image getImage() {
		Set<Taxi> copy;
		synchronized (this) {
			copy = new HashSet<Taxi>(taxis);
		}
		Image image = new Image();
		for (Taxi t : copy)
			image.drawMarker(t.getLocation());
		return image;
	}
}

Avoiding lock-ordering deadlock using tryLock.

public boolean transferMoney(Account fromAcct, Account toAcct, DollarAmount amount, long timeout, TimeUnit unit)
		throws InsufficientFundsException, InterruptedException {
	long fixedDelay = getFixedDelayComponentNanos(timeout, unit);
	long randMod = getRandomDelayModulusNanos(timeout, unit);
	long stopTime = System.nanoTime() + unit.toNanos(timeout);
	while (true) {
		if (fromAcct.lock.tryLock()) {
			try {
				if (toAcct.lock.tryLock()) {
					try {
						if (fromAcct.getBalance().compareTo(amount) < 0)
							throw new InsufficientFundsException();
						else {
							fromAcct.debit(amount);
							toAcct.credit(amount);
							return true;
						}
					} finally {
						toAcct.lock.unlock();
					}
				}
			} finally {
				fromAcct.lock.unlock();
			}
		}
		if (System.nanoTime() > stopTime)
			return false;
		NANOSECONDS.sleep(fixedDelay + rnd.nextLong() % randMod);
	}
}