Process and Memory Management | Operating Systems | SNS Institutions скачать в хорошем качестве

Process and Memory Management | Operating Systems | SNS Institutions

#designthinking #snsdesignthinkers #snsinstitutions Process Management in Operating Systems Process management is one of the fundamental responsibilities of an operating system. A process can be defined as a program in execution, along with its current state and allocated resources. While a program is a passive entity stored on disk, a process is an active entity that resides in memory and is executed by the CPU. Efficient process management ensures that multiple programs can run concurrently, providing better utilization of system resources and improved user experience. The operating system handles process management through various functions such as process creation, scheduling, synchronization, communication, and termination. When a user initiates a program, the OS creates a process by allocating memory, assigning a unique process identifier (PID), and creating a Process Control Block (PCB). The PCB stores essential information such as process state, program counter, CPU registers, memory allocation details, and I/O status. This data helps the OS manage and track each process efficiently. Processes exist in different states during their lifecycle. Common states include new, ready, running, waiting, and terminated. A new process is created but not yet loaded into memory. When it is ready to execute, it moves to the ready state. Once the CPU starts executing it, the process enters the running state. If the process waits for I/O operations or other events, it shifts to the waiting state. After completing execution, it enters the terminated state, and the OS releases its allocated resources. Process scheduling is another critical aspect of process management. Since multiple processes compete for CPU time, the operating system uses scheduling algorithms to decide which process should execute next. Scheduling can be categorized into long-term, short-term, and medium-term scheduling. Short-term scheduling, also known as CPU scheduling, determines which ready process gets the CPU. Common scheduling algorithms include First Come First Serve (FCFS), Shortest Job First (SJF), Priority Scheduling, and Round Robin. Each algorithm aims to optimize performance metrics such as turnaround time, waiting time, and CPU utilization. In multitasking environments, processes may need to cooperate with one another. This leads to inter-process communication (IPC) mechanisms such as pipes, message queues, shared memory, and signals. Process synchronization is essential to prevent race conditions when multiple processes access shared resources. Synchronization tools like semaphores, mutex locks, and monitors help maintain data consistency and system stability. Another important function of process management is handling deadlocks and starvation. Deadlocks occur when two or more processes wait indefinitely for resources held by each other. The OS may use prevention, avoidance, or detection techniques to manage deadlocks. Starvation happens when a process never gets CPU time due to continuous priority-based scheduling; aging techniques are used to overcome this issue. In conclusion, process management plays a vital role in ensuring the smooth functioning of an operating system. By efficiently creating, scheduling, synchronizing, and terminating processes, the OS maximizes resource utilization and provides a responsive computing environment. Without proper process management, modern multitasking and multiuser systems would not function effectively.