Process Process Creation / Termination

n A process (sometimes called a task, or a n Reasons for process creation

job) is, informally, a program in execution ● User logs on

n “Process” is not the same as “program” ● User starts a program

● We distinguish between a passive ● OS creates process to provide a service

program stored on disk, and an actively (e.g., printer daemon to manage printer)
executing process ● Program starts another process (e.g.,
n Multiple people can run the same netscape calls xv to display a picture)
program; each running copy corresponds
to a distinct process
n Reasons for process termination
● The program is only part of a process; the
● Normal completion
process also contains the execution state
● Arithmetic error, or data misuse (e.g.,
n List processes (HP UNIX): wrong type)

● ps — my processes, little detail ● Invalid instruction execution

● ps -fl — my processes, more detail ● Insufficient memory available, or memory

bounds violation
● ps -efl — all processes, more detail
● Resource protection error
n Note user processes and OS processes ● I/O failure
1 Fall 1998, Lecture 05 2 Fall 1998, Lecture 05

Process Execution A Two-State Process Model

n Conceptual model of 4 processes n This process model says that either a

executing: process is running, or it is not running
(one Program Counter per process)
time

process process process

n State transition diagram:
A B C
dispatch

process enter not exit

running running
D

pause

n Queuing diagram:
queue
n Actual interleaved execution of the 4 enter dispatch
CPU
exit
processes:
(one Program Counter)
time
pause
process A
process B
process C
process A n CPU scheduling (round-robin)
process B
process C
process A ● Queue is first-in, first-out (FIFO) list
process C
process A
process D ● CPU scheduler takes process at head of
process C
process D queue, runs it on CPU for one time slice,
process C
then puts it back at tail of queue
3 Fall 1998, Lecture 05 4 Fall 1998, Lecture 05
 Process Transitions in
Waiting on Something to Happen…
the Two-State Process Model

n When the OS creates a new process, it is n Some reasons why a process that might
initially placed in the not-running state otherwise be running needs to wait:
● It’s waiting for an opportunity to execute ● Wait for user to type the next key
● Wait for output to appear on the screen
n At the end of each time slice, the CPU
scheduler selects a new process to run ● Program tried to read a file — wait while
OS decides which disk blocks to read,
● The previously running process is paused and then actually reads the requested
— moved from the running state into the information into memory
not-running state (at tail of queue)
● Netscape tries to follow a link (URL) —
● The new process (at head of queue) is wait while OS determines address,
dispatched — moved from the not- requests data, reads packets, displays
running state into the running state requested web page
n If the running process completes its
execution, it exits, and the CPU scheduler n OS must distinguish between:
is invoked again
n If it doesn’t complete, but its time is up, it ● Processes that are ready to run and are
gets moved into the not-running state waiting their turn for another time slice
anyway, and the CPU scheduler chooses
a new process to execute ● Processes that are waiting for something
to happen (OS operation, hardware
event, etc.)
5 Fall 1998, Lecture 05 6 Fall 1998, Lecture 05

State Transitions in Five-State

A Five-State Process Model
Process Model

n The not-running state in the two-state n new → ready

model has now been split into a ready ● Admitted to ready queue; can now be
state and a blocked state considered by CPU scheduler
● Running — currently being executed
n ready → running
● Ready — prepared to execute
● CPU scheduler chooses that process to
● Blocked — waiting for some event to
execute next, according to some
occur (for an I/O operation to complete, or
scheduling algorithm
a resource to become available, etc.)
● New — just been created n running → ready
● Exit — just been terminated ● Process has used up its current time slice

n State transition diagram: n running → blocked

new
admit
ready
dispatch
running
release
exit ● Process is waiting for some event to
timeout
occur (for I/O operation to complete, etc.)
event
occurs event
wait n blocked → ready
blocked
● Whatever event the process was waiting
on has occurred
7 Fall 1998, Lecture 05 8 Fall 1998, Lecture 05
 Process State Process Control Block (PCB)

n The process state consists of (at least): n For every process, the OS maintains a
● Code for the program
Process Control Block (PCB), a data
structure that represents the process and
● Program’s static and dynamic data its state:
● Program’s procedure call stack ● Process id number
● Contents of general purpose registers ● Userid of owner
● Contents of Program Counter (PC) ● Memory space (static, dynamic)
—address of next instruction to be
executed ● Program Counter, Stack Pointer, general
purpose registers
● Contents of Stack Pointer (SP)
● Process state (running, not-running, etc.)
● Contents of Program Status Word (PSW)
— interrupt status, condition codes, etc. ● CPU scheduling information (e.g., priority)

● OS resources in use (e.g., memory, open ● List of open files

files, connections to other programs) ● I/O states, I/O in progress
● Accounting information ● Pointers into CPU scheduler’s state
queues (e.g., the waiting queue)
åEverything necessary to resume the
● …
process’ execution if it is somehow put
9
aside temporarily Fall 1998, Lecture 05 10 Fall 1998, Lecture 05