Chapter 5: CPU Scheduling

Chapter 5: CPU Scheduling

Basic Concepts
Scheduling Criteria
Scheduling Algorithms
Thread Scheduling
Multiple-Processor Scheduling
Operating Systems Examples
Algorithm Evaluation

Objectives
To introduce CPU scheduling, which is the basis for multiprogrammed

operating systems

To describe various CPU-scheduling algorithms

To discuss evaluation criteria for selecting a CPU-scheduling algorithm

for a particular system

Basic Concepts
Maximum CPU utilization obtained with multiprogramming
CPUI/O Burst Cycle Process execution consists of a cycle of CPU

execution and I/O wait

CPU burst distribution

Histogram of CPU-burst Times

Alternating Sequence of CPU And I/O Bursts

CPU Scheduler
Selects from among the processes in memory that are ready to

execute, and allocates the CPU to one of them

CPU scheduling decisions may take place when a process:

1. Switches from running to waiting state

2. Switches from running to ready state
3. Switches from waiting to ready
4.

Terminates

Scheduling under 1 and 4 is nonpreemptive

All other scheduling is preemptive

Dispatcher
Dispatcher module gives control of the CPU to the process selected

by the short-term scheduler; this involves:

switching context

switching to user mode

jumping to the proper location in the user program to restart that

program

Dispatch latency time it takes for the dispatcher to stop one

process and start another running

Scheduling Criteria
CPU utilization keep the CPU as busy as possible
Throughput # of processes that complete their execution per time

unit

Turnaround time amount of time to execute a particular process

Waiting time amount of time a process has been waiting in the

ready queue

Response time amount of time it takes from when a request was

submitted until the first response is produced, not output (for timesharing environment)

Scheduling Algorithm Optimization Criteria

Max CPU utilization
Max throughput
Min turnaround time
Min waiting time
Min response time

First-Come, First-Served (FCFS) Scheduling

Process

Burst Time

P1

24

P2

P3

Suppose that the processes arrive in the order: P1 , P2 , P3

The Gantt Chart for the schedule is:

P1
0

P2
24

Waiting time for P1 = 0; P2 = 24; P3 = 27

Average waiting time: (0 + 24 + 27)/3 = 17

P3
27

30

FCFS Scheduling (Cont.)

Suppose that the processes arrive in the order:
P2 , P3 , P1
The Gantt chart for the schedule is:

P2
0

P3
3

P1
6

Waiting time for P1 = 6; P2 = 0; P3 = 3

Average waiting time: (6 + 0 + 3)/3 = 3
Much better than previous case
Convoy effect short process behind long process

30

Shortest-Job-First (SJF) Scheduling

Associate with each process the length of its next CPU burst. Use

these lengths to schedule the process with the shortest time

SJF is optimal gives minimum average waiting time for a given set of

processes

The difficulty is knowing the length of the next CPU request

Example of SJF
Process

Arrival Time

Burst Time

P1

0.0

P2

2.0

P3

4.0

P4

5.0

SJF scheduling chart

P1

P4
0

P3
9

P2
16

Average waiting time = (3 + 16 + 9 + 0) / 4 = 7

24

Determining Length of Next CPU Burst

Can only estimate the length
Can be done by using the length of previous CPU bursts, using

exponential averaging

1. t n actual length of n th CPU burst

2. n 1 predicted value for the next CPU burst
3. , 0 1
4. Define :

n 1 t n 1 n .

Prediction of the Length of the Next CPU Burst

Examples of Exponential Averaging

=0

n+1 = n

Recent history does not count

=1

n+1 = tn
Only the actual last CPU burst counts

If we expand the formula, we get:

n+1 = tn+(1 - ) tn -1 +
+(1 - )j tn -j +
+(1 - )n +1 0
Since both and (1 - ) are less than or equal to 1, each successive

term has less weight than its predecessor

Priority Scheduling
A priority number (integer) is associated with each process
The CPU is allocated to the process with the highest priority (smallest

integer highest priority)

Preemptive

Nonpreemptive

SJF is a priority scheduling where priority is the predicted next CPU

burst time

Problem Starvation low priority processes may never execute

Solution Aging as time progresses increase the priority of the

process

Round Robin (RR)

Each process gets a small unit of CPU time (time quantum), usually

10-100 milliseconds. After this time has elapsed, the process is

preempted and added to the end of the ready queue.

If there are n processes in the ready queue and the time quantum is

q, then each process gets 1/n of the CPU time in chunks of at most
q time units at once. No process waits more than (n-1)q time units.

Performance

q large FIFO

q small q must be large with respect to context switch,

otherwise overhead is too high

Example of RR with Time Quantum = 4

Process

Burst Time

P1

24

P2

P3

The Gantt chart is:

P1
0

P2
4

P3
7

P1
10

P1
14

P1
18 22

P1
26

P1
30

Typically, higher average turnaround than SJF, but better response

Time Quantum and Context Switch Time

Turnaround Time Varies With

The Time Quantum

Multilevel Queue
Ready queue is partitioned into separate queues:

foreground (interactive)
background (batch)

Each queue has its own scheduling algorithm

foreground RR

background FCFS

Scheduling must be done between the queues

Fixed priority scheduling; (i.e., serve all from foreground then from
background). Possibility of starvation.

Time slice each queue gets a certain amount of CPU time which
it can schedule amongst its processes; i.e., 80% to foreground in
RR

20% to background in FCFS

Multilevel Queue Scheduling

Multilevel Feedback Queue

A process can move between the various queues; aging can be

implemented this way

Multilevel-feedback-queue scheduler defined by the following

parameters:

number of queues

scheduling algorithms for each queue

method used to determine when to upgrade a process

method used to determine when to demote a process

method used to determine which queue a process will enter when

that process needs service

Example of Multilevel Feedback Queue

Three queues:

Q0 RR with time quantum 8 milliseconds

Q1 RR time quantum 16 milliseconds

Q2 FCFS

Scheduling

A new job enters queue Q0 which is served FCFS. When it gains

CPU, job receives 8 milliseconds. If it does not finish in 8
milliseconds, job is moved to queue Q1.

At Q1 job is again served FCFS and receives 16 additional

milliseconds. If it still does not complete, it is preempted and
moved to queue Q2.

Multilevel Feedback Queues

Thread Scheduling
Distinction between user-level and kernel-level threads
Many-to-one and many-to-many models, thread library schedules user-

level threads to run on LWP

Known as process-contention scope (PCS) since scheduling

competition is within the process

Kernel thread scheduled onto available CPU is system-contention

scope (SCS) competition among all threads in system

Pthread Scheduling
API allows specifying either PCS or SCS during thread creation

PTHREAD SCOPE PROCESS schedules threads using PCS

scheduling

PTHREAD SCOPE SYSTEM schedules threads using SCS

scheduling.

Pthread Scheduling API

#include <pthread.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#define NUM THREADS 5
int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
int i;
pthread t tid[NUM THREADS];
pthread attr t attr;
/* get the default attributes */
pthread attr init(&attr);
/* set the scheduling algorithm to PROCESS or SYSTEM */
pthread attr setscope(&attr, PTHREAD SCOPE SYSTEM);
/* set the scheduling policy - FIFO, RT, or OTHER */
pthread attr setschedpolicy(&attr, SCHED OTHER);
/* create the threads */
for (i = 0; i < NUM THREADS; i++)
pthread create(&tid[i],&attr,runner,NULL);

Pthread Scheduling API

/* now join on each thread */
for (i = 0; i < NUM THREADS; i++)
pthread join(tid[i], NULL);
}
/* Each thread will begin control in this function */
void *runner(void *param)
{
printf("I am a thread\n");
pthread exit(0);
}

Multiple-Processor Scheduling
CPU scheduling more complex when multiple CPUs are available
Homogeneous processors within a multiprocessor
Asymmetric multiprocessing only one processor accesses the

system data structures, alleviating the need for data sharing

Symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) each processor is self-

scheduling, all processes in common ready queue, or each has its

own private queue of ready processes

Processor affinity process has affinity for processor on which it is

currently running

soft affinity

hard affinity

NUMA and CPU Scheduling

Multicore Processors
Recent trend to place multiple processor cores on same physical chip
Faster and consume less power
Multiple threads per core also growing

Takes advantage of memory stall to make progress on another

thread while memory retrieve happens

Multithreaded Multicore System

Operating System Examples

Solaris scheduling
Windows XP scheduling
Linux scheduling

Solaris Dispatch Table

Solaris Scheduling

Windows XP Priorities

Linux Scheduling
Constant order O(1) scheduling time
Two priority ranges: time-sharing and real-time
Real-time range from 0 to 99 and nice value from 100 to 140
(figure 5.15)

Priorities and Time-slice length

List of Tasks Indexed According to Priorities

Algorithm Evaluation
Deterministic modeling takes a particular predetermined workload

and defines the performance of each algorithm for that workload

Queueing models
Implementation

Evaluation of CPU schedulers by Simulation

End of Chapter 5

5.08

In-5.7

In-5.8

In-5.9

Dispatch Latency

Java Thread Scheduling

JVM Uses a Preemptive, Priority-Based Scheduling Algorithm
FIFO Queue is Used if There Are Multiple Threads With the Same

Priority

Java Thread Scheduling (Cont.)

JVM Schedules a Thread to Run When:
1.

The Currently Running Thread Exits the Runnable State

2.

A Higher Priority Thread Enters the Runnable State

* Note the JVM Does Not Specify Whether Threads are Time-Sliced or
Not

Time-Slicing
Since the JVM Doesnt Ensure Time-Slicing, the yield() Method May Be

Used:

while (true) {
// perform CPU-intensive task
...
Thread.yield();
}
This Yields Control to Another Thread of Equal Priority

Thread Priorities
Priority

Comment

Thread.MIN_PRIORITY

Minimum Thread Priority

Thread.MAX_PRIORITY

Maximum Thread Priority

Thread.NORM_PRIORITY

Default Thread Priority

Priorities May Be Set Using setPriority() method:

setPriority(Thread.NORM_PRIORITY + 2);

Solaris 2 Scheduling