Lecture 04

Process Management
• A process needs resources (CPU, memory, files…) to do a task
• These resources are either given to the process when it is created, or allocated to it while it is running
• A program is a passive entity
• A process is an active entity, with a program counter giving the next instruction to execute
• The execution of a process must be sequential
• Process termination requires reclaim of any reusable resources
• Single-threaded process has one program counter specifying location of next instruction to execute
• Process executes instructions sequentially, one at a time, until completion
• Multi-threaded process has one program counter per thread specifying location of next instruction to
execute in each thread
• Typically system has many processes, some user, some operating system (kernel) running concurrently on
one or more CPUs
 • Concurrency by multiplexing the CPUs among the processes / threads
• Processes can execute concurrently by multiplexing the CPU
• In connection with process management, the OS is responsible for
• Scheduling processes and threads on the CPUs
• Creating and deleting both user & system processes
• Suspending and resuming processes
• Providing mechanisms for process synchronization
• Providing mechanisms for process communication
• Providing mechanisms for deadlock handling

PART TWO: PROCESS MANAGEMENT

• A process can be thought as a program in execution.
• A process will need resources - such as CPU time, memory, files, and I/O devices - to accomplish its
task.
• These resources are allocated to the process either when it is created or while it is executed.
• A process is the unit of work in most systems.
• Systems consist of a collection of processes:
• Operating-system processes execute system code
• User processes execute user code
• All these processes may execute concurrently.
• Although traditionally a process contained only a single thread of control as it ran, most modern
operating systems now support processes that have multiple threads.
• The operating system is responsible for the following activities in connection with process and thread
management:
• The creation and deletion of both user and system processes;
• The scheduling of processes;
• and the provision of mechanisms for synchronization, communication, and deadlock handling for
processes.

Chapter 3: Process Concept

• Objectives:
• To introduce the notion of a process - a program in execution, which forms the basis of all
computation.
• To describe the various features of processes, including scheduling, creation and termination, and
communication.
• To describe communication in client-server systems.

Process Concepts
• An operating system executes a variety of programs:
• Batch system –jobs
• Time-shared systems –user programs or tasks
• Textbook uses the terms job and process almost interchangeably
The Process
• Process = an active entity, with a program counter (to indicate the current activity), process stack (with
temporary data), and a data section (with global variables)
• Text section = the program code
• If you run many copies of a program, each is a separate process (The text sections are equivalent, but the
data sections vary)
• Process–a program in execution; process execution must progress in sequential fashion
• A process includes:
• program counter
• stack
• data section
• A process in memory

• p.102 give description of stack, heap, data and text areas

Process State
• Each process may be in one of the following states:
• New (Process is being created)
• Running (Instructions are being executed)
• Waiting (Process is waiting for an event, e.g. I/O)
• Ready (Process is waiting to be assigned to a processor)
• Terminated (Process has finished execution)
• Only one process can be running on any processor at any instant
Process Control Block

• Contains information associated with a specific process:

1. Process state (as above)
2. Program counter (indicating the next instruction’s address)
3. CPU registers (Info must be saved when an interrupt occurs)
 • CPU-scheduling info (includes process priority, pointers…)
• Memory-management info (includes value of base registers…)
• Accounting info (includes amount of CPU time used…)
• I/O status info (includes a list of I/O devices allocated…)

Threads
• Many OS's allow processes to perform more than one task at a time