CPU Scheduling

• Basic Concepts
• Scheduling Criteria
• Scheduling Algorithms
• Multiple-Processor Scheduling
• Real-Time Scheduling
• Algorithm Evaluation

Operating System Concepts

Basic Concepts
• Maximum CPU utilization is obtained with multiprogramming
• CPU–I/O Burst Cycle – Process execution consists of a cycle of CPU execution and I/O wait.
• CPU burst distribution

Operating System Concepts

Alternating Sequence of CPU And I/O Bursts

Operating System Concepts

Histogram of CPU-burst Times

Operating System Concepts

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.

Operating System Concepts

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.

Operating System Concepts

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 time-
sharing environment)

Operating System Concepts

Optimization Criteria
• Max CPU utilization
• Max throughput
• Min turnaround time
• Min waiting time
• Min response time

Operating System Concepts

 First-Come, First-Served (FCFS) Scheduling

• Example: Process Burst Time

P1 24
P2 3
P3 3
• Suppose that the processes arrive in the order: P1 , P2 , P3
The Gantt Chart for the schedule is:

P1 P2 P3

0 24 27 30
• Waiting time for P1 = 0; P2 = 24; P3 = 27
• Average waiting time: (0 + 24 + 27)/3 = 17

Operating System Concepts

FCFS Scheduling (Cont.)
Suppose that the processes arrive in the order
P2 , P3 , P1 .
• The Gantt chart for the schedule is:

P2 P3 P1

0 3 6 30
• 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

Operating System Concepts

Shortest-Job-First (SJR) Scheduling
• Associate with each process the length of its next CPU burst. Use these lengths to schedule the process with
the shortest time.
• Two schemes:
• nonpreemptive – once CPU given to the process it cannot be preempted until completes its CPU burst.
• Preemptive – if a new process arrives with CPU burst length less than remaining time of current
executing process, preempt. This scheme is know as the
Shortest-Remaining-Time-First (SRTF).
• SJF is optimal – gives minimum average waiting time for a given set of processes.

Operating System Concepts

Example of Non-Preemptive SJF
Process Arrival Time Burst Time
P1 0.0 7
P2 2.0 4
P3 4.0 1
P4 5.0 4
• SJF (non-preemptive)

P1 P3 P2 P4

0 3 7 8 12 16

• Average waiting time = (0 + 6 + 3 + 7)/4 - 4

Operating System Concepts

Example of Preemptive SJF
Process Arrival Time Burst Time
P1 0.0 7
P2 2.0 4
P3 4.0 1
P4 5.0 4
• SJF (preemptive)

P1 P2 P3 P2 P4 P1

0 2 4 5 7 11 16

• Average waiting time = (9 + 1 + 0 +2)/4 - 3

Operating System Concepts

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. tn  actual lenght of nth CPU burst

2.  n 1  predicted value for the next CPU burst
3.  , 0    1
4. Define :

 n 1   tn  1    n .

Operating System Concepts

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 -1 + …
+(1 -  )n=1 tn 0
• Since both  and (1 - ) are less than or equal to 1, each successive term has less weight than its
predecessor.

Operating System Concepts

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.

Operating System Concepts

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.

Operating System Concepts

Example: RR with Time Quantum = 20
Process Burst Time
P1 53
P2 17
P3 68
P4 24
• The Gantt chart is:

P1 P2 P3 P4 P1 P3 P4 P1 P3 P3

0 20 37 57 77 97 117 121 134 154 162

• Typically, higher average turnaround than SJF, but better response.

Operating System Concepts

How a Smaller Time Quantum Increases Context Switches

Operating System Concepts

Turnaround Time Varies With The Time Quantum

Operating System Concepts

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

Operating System Concepts

Multilevel Queue Scheduling

Operating System Concepts

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

Operating System Concepts

Multilevel Feedback Queues

Operating System Concepts

Example of Multilevel Feedback Queue
• Three queues:
• Q0 – time quantum 8 milliseconds
• Q1 – 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.

Operating System Concepts

Multiple-Processor Scheduling
• CPU scheduling more complex when multiple CPUs are available.
• Homogeneous processors within a multiprocessor.
• Load sharing
• Asymmetric multiprocessing – only one processor accesses the system data structures, alleviating the need
for data sharing.

Operating System Concepts

Real-Time Scheduling
• Hard real-time systems – required to complete a critical task within a guaranteed amount of time.
• Soft real-time computing – requires that critical processes receive priority over less fortunate ones.

Operating System Concepts

Dispatch Latency

Operating System Concepts

Algorithm Evaluation
• Deterministic modeling – takes a particular predetermined workload and defines the performance of each
algorithm for that workload.
• Queuing models
• Implementation

Operating System Concepts

Evaluation of CPU Schedulers by Simulation

Operating System Concepts