diff --git a/include/CAcquisition.h b/include/CAcquisition.h
index 234cfda50d9d8a919e2cfdd94804e4847a49cd70..ad5e4eee0b9bed1f1a1d022c87f3a025d4d6a607 100644
--- a/include/CAcquisition.h
+++ b/include/CAcquisition.h
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 #include <boost/thread.hpp>
 
 #include <DaqTypes.h>
+#include <Flock.hpp>
 #include <stdint.h>
 
 #include "CAcquisitionBuffer.h"
@@ -75,6 +76,14 @@ public:
    */
   virtual ~CAcquisition();
 
+  /**
+   * configure lockFile for the acquisition thread
+   * @param[in] lockFile lock file path
+   * @details the lock will be held when acquisition thread is running
+   * @details use an empty string to disable the feature
+   */
+  void setLockFile(const std::string &lockFile);
+
   /**
    * Start the acquisition threads
    */
@@ -175,6 +184,7 @@ private:
   std::mutex startMutex_;
   std::condition_variable startCV_;
   bool startAcquisition_;
+  std::shared_ptr<ntof::utils::Flock> lockFile_;
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/include/CDaq.h b/include/CDaq.h
index 7e27a60a17361fe74e883421f8d39d21a53ccce8..30afa00a421a5205c4f296d562d6a822e404609e 100644
--- a/include/CDaq.h
+++ b/include/CDaq.h
@@ -122,8 +122,9 @@ public:
   void InitServiceDim();
   /**
    * Initialize acquisition and writer threads
+   * @param[in] lockFile advisory lock for writer and acquisition threads
    */
-  void InitializeThreads();
+  void InitializeThreads(const std::string &lockFile = std::string());
   /**
    * Update card's configuration after the reception of valid parameters through
    * DIM service
diff --git a/include/CWriter.h b/include/CWriter.h
index 9fff89693eb9a87f6749000e4dcd122036e765fe..56e6703dc554354156eeb1948dae3368e0afff4f 100644
--- a/include/CWriter.h
+++ b/include/CWriter.h
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 
 #include <boost/thread.hpp>
 
+#include <Flock.hpp>
 #include <numa.h>
 #include <stdint.h>
 
@@ -72,6 +73,14 @@ public:
    */
   virtual ~CWriter();
 
+  /**
+   * configure lockFile for the writer thread
+   * @param[in] lockFile lock file path
+   * @details the lock will be held when writer thread is running
+   * @details use an empty string to disable the feature
+   */
+  void setLockFile(const std::string &lockFile);
+
   /**
    * Start the writer thread
    */
@@ -265,6 +274,7 @@ private:
   acqc acqcHeader_;
   std::vector<ntof::ZeroSuppression::zsMaster> zsMasterList_;
   ntof::ZeroSuppression::zsMode zsMode_;
+  std::shared_ptr<ntof::utils::Flock> lockFile_;
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/include/typedefs.h b/include/typedefs.h
index d7662c1696fc10eec271e2101ad778ba0bb07801..5da8c28c0eb73e6f9da7e143b379e862e17b9ea3 100644
--- a/include/typedefs.h
+++ b/include/typedefs.h
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ typedef struct
   int nbVirtualCards;
   int acqPoolSize;
   bool spdLogTrace;
+  std::string lockFile;
 } CMD_LINE_PARAM_t;
 
 template<class T, std::size_t Alignment>
diff --git a/src/CAcquisition.cpp b/src/CAcquisition.cpp
index a2bc74dc8446d7b4e21dbc9eefb8fb0630ec044a..81ff9c60ca6431175e3027ce0690e71ade3e0b1e 100644
--- a/src/CAcquisition.cpp
+++ b/src/CAcquisition.cpp
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@
 //#define TIME_SERVER_ENABLE
 //#define SINGLE_THREAD
 
+using ntof::utils::Flock;
+
 int CAcquisition::bufferPoolIndex_ = -1;
 
 CAcquisition::CAcquisition(
@@ -102,6 +104,14 @@ CAcquisition::CAcquisition(
 
 CAcquisition::~CAcquisition() {}
 
+void CAcquisition::setLockFile(const std::string &lockFile)
+{
+  if (lockFile.empty())
+    lockFile_.reset();
+  else
+    lockFile_.reset(new Flock(Flock::Shared, lockFile));
+}
+
 ACQUISITION_STATE_t CAcquisition::GetState()
 {
   return static_cast<ACQUISITION_STATE_t>(state_.getValue());
@@ -260,6 +270,11 @@ void CAcquisition::Acquisition()
   state_.clearWarnings();
   state_.setValue(static_cast<int32_t>(ACQUISITION_STATE_t::THREAD_INIT));
 
+  std::shared_ptr<Flock> lockFile(lockFile_);
+  std::unique_lock<Flock> fileLocker;
+  if (lockFile)
+    fileLocker = std::unique_lock<Flock>(*lockFile);
+
   while (static_cast<WRITER_STATE_t>(writerState_->getValue()) !=
            WRITER_STATE_t::ERROR &&
          (stop_ != true))
diff --git a/src/CDaq.cpp b/src/CDaq.cpp
index bcbbdff1a57e7164861c9e9aa8b6ced7e28b6ea8..ee0b0e8f718bb23fd6ad99124b1027292319168b 100644
--- a/src/CDaq.cpp
+++ b/src/CDaq.cpp
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ void CDaq::InitServiceDim()
   LOG_TRACE << "Exiting CDaq::InitServiceDim";
 }
 
-void CDaq::InitializeThreads()
+void CDaq::InitializeThreads(const std::string &lockFile)
 {
   LOG_TRACE << "Entering CDaq::InitializeThreads";
 
@@ -122,9 +122,12 @@ void CDaq::InitializeThreads()
   {
     writer_ = std::make_shared<CWriter>(hwConfigFilename_, hostName_, acqQueue_,
                                         cards_, &state_, cmdLineParams_);
+    writer_->setLockFile(lockFile);
+
     acq_ = std::make_shared<CAcquisition>(
       hostName_, acqQueue_, cards_, writer_->GetState(),
       cmdLineParams_.timingEventName, cmdLineParams_);
+    acq_->setLockFile(lockFile);
   }
   catch (const std::bad_alloc &ex)
   {
diff --git a/src/CWriter.cpp b/src/CWriter.cpp
index e341261228c219a611db3b6bff0f560d990febd5..e328a930cf44d5fd7218e5a3c13505e30fa6405f 100644
--- a/src/CWriter.cpp
+++ b/src/CWriter.cpp
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 
 using namespace boost::interprocess;
 using namespace ntof;
+using ntof::utils::Flock;
 
 CWriter::CWriter(std::string hwConfigFilename,
                  std::string hostName,
@@ -95,6 +96,14 @@ CWriter::CWriter(std::string hwConfigFilename,
   zsMode_ = ZeroSuppression::zsMode::INDEPENDENT;
 }
 
+void CWriter::setLockFile(const std::string &lockFile)
+{
+  if (lockFile.empty())
+    lockFile_.reset();
+  else
+    lockFile_.reset(new Flock(Flock::Shared, lockFile));
+}
+
 ntof::dim::DIMState *CWriter::GetState()
 {
   return &state_;
@@ -347,6 +356,11 @@ void CWriter::Writer()
   state_.clearWarnings();
   state_.setValue(static_cast<int32_t>(WRITER_STATE_t::INIT));
 
+  std::shared_ptr<Flock> lockFile(lockFile_);
+  std::unique_lock<Flock> fileLocker;
+  if (lockFile)
+    fileLocker = std::unique_lock<Flock>(*lockFile);
+
   while (!stop_)
   {
     try
diff --git a/src/DaqManager.cpp b/src/DaqManager.cpp
index 08683198b3c93728345228c7346aba70c5c11278..133a20f2324a390fceef84a173ce7b1fcde90819 100644
--- a/src/DaqManager.cpp
+++ b/src/DaqManager.cpp
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
   cmdLineParams.nbVirtualCards = 2;
   cmdLineParams.acqPoolSize = 20;
   cmdLineParams.spdLogTrace = false;
+  cmdLineParams.lockFile = "/run/lock/puppetlock";
 
   // Catch ctrl+c signal
   struct sigaction action;
@@ -263,7 +264,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
         try
         {
           daq.FindDevices();
-          daq.InitializeThreads();
+          daq.InitializeThreads(cmdLineParams.lockFile);
         }
         catch (const CDaqException &ex)
         {
@@ -542,8 +543,13 @@ static int ProcessCmdLineParams(int argc,
       "log-path",
       boost::program_options::value<std::string>(&cmd_line_params.logPath)
         ->default_value("/DAQ/log/DaqManager/"),
-      "set path for log file")("v", "set logger to debug level")(
-      "vv", "set logger to trace level")("no-cal", "disable card calibration")(
+      "set path for log file")(
+      "lock-file",
+      boost::program_options::value<std::string>(&cmd_line_params.lockFile)
+        ->default_value("/run/lock/puppetlock"),
+      "set flock(2) file to lock during operation")(
+      "v", "set logger to debug level")("vv", "set logger to trace level")(
+      "no-cal", "disable card calibration")(
       "dim-dns",
       boost::program_options::value<std::string>(&cmd_line_params.dimDnsServer)
         ->default_value("ntofproxy-1"),