Computer Science > Operating Systems > Process Management

Process management is a fundamental aspect of operating systems (OS), which deals with the efficient execution, scheduling, and coordination of processes within a computer system. Processes are individual units of work that require system resources such as CPU time, memory space, and I/O devices to execute. Proper management of these processes ensures efficient utilization of system resources, stability, and responsiveness.

Key Concepts in Process Management

1. Process Creation and Termination:
   • Processes can be created by system calls such as fork() in UNIX-like systems or CreateProcess() in Windows.
   • Termination occurs when a process completes its execution or is explicitly killed. This can happen via system calls like exit() or TerminateProcess().
2. Process States:
   • Processes transition through several states including New, Ready, Running, Waiting, and Terminated:
     • New: The process is being created.
     • Ready: The process is prepared to execute as soon as it gets CPU time.
     • Running: The process is currently being executed on the CPU.
     • Waiting: The process is paused, awaiting some event like I/O completion.
     • Terminated: The process has finished execution.
3. Process Scheduling:
   • The OS uses scheduling algorithms to determine which process runs at a given time, aiming to maximize CPU utilization and system throughput while minimizing response time. Common scheduling algorithms include:
     • First-Come, First-Served (FCFS): The first process to request CPU time is the first to be allocated it.
     • Shortest Job Next (SJN): The process with the shortest execution time is chosen next.
     • Round Robin (RR): Processes are executed in a cyclic order, each given a time slice.
     • Multi-Level Feedback Queue: Processes are categorized into multiple queues based on their behavior and CPU burst characteristics, allowing for dynamic adjustments.
4. Process Synchronization:
   • Synchronization mechanisms like semaphores and mutexes ensure that processes sharing resources do not interfere with each other, leading to race conditions or data inconsistency.
   • A semaphore \( S \) can be defined mathematically as an integer variable that is accessed through two atomic operations: \[ \text{wait}(S) \quad \text{or} \quad P(S): \quad \text{if } S > 0 \text{ then } S = S - 1 \quad \text{else block until } S > 0 \] \[ \text{signal}(S) \quad \text{or} \quad V(S): \quad S = S + 1 \]
5. Inter-Process Communication (IPC):
   • Processes often need to communicate with each other to exchange data and synchronize actions. IPC mechanisms include pipes, message queues, shared memory, and sockets.
6. Deadlocks:
   • Deadlocks occur when a set of processes are blocked, each waiting for resources held by the others, forming a cycle of dependencies that can’t be resolved.
   • Four necessary conditions for deadlock (Coffman conditions) are:
     1. Mutual Exclusion: Only one process can use a resource at any given time.
     2. Hold and Wait: Processes holding resources can request additional ones.
     3. No Preemption: Resources cannot be forcibly taken from processes holding them.
     4. Circular Wait: A circular chain of processes exists where each process holds a resource the next process in the chain requires.

Process management is an extensive domain within operating systems, essential for achieving multitasking, maximizing CPU utilization, and ensuring system stability. It comprises a well-coordinated set of policies and mechanisms to handle the lifecycle of processes, inter-process communication, synchronization, scheduling, and resolution of potential deadlocks.