Computer Architecture

Process Management

Computer Architecture

WS 06/07

Dr.-Ing. Stefan Freinatis

Process Management
Processes Threads Interprocess Communication (IPC) CPU Scheduling Process Synchronization Deadlocks

Computer Architecture

WS 06/07

Dr.-Ing. Stefan Freinatis

Processes
A process is a set of identifiable, repeatable actions which are ordered in some way and contribute to the fulfillment of an objective.
(General definition)

A process is a program in execution.

(Computer oriented definition)

Program: static, passive

A cooking recipe is a program.

Process: dynamic, active

Acting according to the recipe (cooking) is a process.
Computer Architecture WS 06/07 Dr.-Ing. Stefan Freinatis

Process Model
Several processes are working quasi-parallel. A process is a unit of work. Conceptually, each process has its own virtual CPU.
In reality, the real CPU switches back and forth from process to process. Processes make progress over time Processes

Sequential view

Process model view

Figure from [Ta01 p.72] Computer Architecture WS 06/07 Dr.-Ing. Stefan Freinatis

Processes
A process may be described as either (more or less)

a) CPU-bound
spends more time doing computations few very long CPU bursts.

b) I/O-bound
spends more time doing I/O than computations many short CPU bursts.

Figure from [Ta01 p.134] Computer Architecture WS 06/07 Dr.-Ing. Stefan Freinatis

Address Space
Processes

A process is an executing program, and encompasses the current values of the program counter, of the registers, of the variables and of the stack. code section (text section or segment)
This is the actual program code (the machine instructions).
PC

data section (data segment)

This segment contains global variables (global to the process, not global to the computer system).
CPU SP

CS

DS

stack section (stack segment)

The stack contains temporary data (local variables, return addresses, function parameters).
Computer Architecture WS 06/07

SS Memory
Dr.-Ing. Stefan Freinatis

Process States
Processes

Note: Only in the running state the process needs CPU cycles, in all other states it is actually frozen (or nonexistent any more). Figure from [Sil00 p.89]
Computer Architecture WS 06/07 Dr.-Ing. Stefan Freinatis

Process States
New
The process is created. Resources are allocated. Processes

Ready
The process is ready to be (re)scheduled.

Running
The CPU is allocated to the process, that is, the program instructions are being executed.

Waiting
The process is waiting for some event to occur. Without this event the process cannot continue even if the CPU would be free.

Terminated
Work is done. The process is taken off the system (off the queues) and its resources are freed.

Computer Architecture

WS 06/07

Dr.-Ing. Stefan Freinatis

Processes
Events at which processes are created

Operating System Start-Up

Most of the system processes are created here. A large portion of them are background processes (daemons).

Interactive User Request

A user requests an application to start.

Batch job
Jobs that are scheduled to be carried out when the system has available the resources (e.g. calendar-driven events, low priority jobs)

Existing process gives birth

An existing process (e.g. a user application or a system process) creates a process to carry out some related (sub)tasks.

Computer Architecture

WS 06/07

Dr.-Ing. Stefan Freinatis

Process Creation
Parent process creates a child process
which in turn may create other processes, forming a tree of processes. Processes

Resource sharing
mc alls Un for ix: c Win fork reatin ga () dow chi s: C ld p rea roc teP ess roc : ess ()

Parent and child share all resources. Child shares subset of parents resources. Parent and child share no resources.

Execution
Parent and child execute concurrently. Parent waits until child terminates.

Child is copy of parent Child has program loaded into it

Computer Architecture WS 06/07 Dr.-Ing. Stefan Freinatis

Sys te

Address Space

fork() example
#include <stdio.h>
Process Creation system call that tells a process its pid (process identifier) which is a unique void main() process number within the system. { int result; printf(Parent, my pid is: %d\n", getpid()); result = fork(); from here on if (result == 0) { /* child only */ think parallel printf(Child, my pid is: %d\n", getpid()); ... } else { /* parent only */ printf(Parent, my pid is: %d\n", getpid()); ...

Executed by child

} }
Executed by parent

Computer Architecture

WS 06/07

Dr.-Ing. Stefan Freinatis

fork() example
Terminal output: Parent, my pid is: 189
Child, my pid is: 190 Parent, my pid is: 189
Process Creation order depends on whether parent or child is scheduled first after fork().

Before fork()

After fork()

PC

... fork() ...

PC

... fork() ...

PC

... fork() ...

pid = 189

pid = 189
Computer Architecture WS 06/07

pid = 190
Dr.-Ing. Stefan Freinatis

Process Creation
Processes

A Unix process tree

Figure from [Sil00 p.96] Computer Architecture WS 06/07 Dr.-Ing. Stefan Freinatis

Process Termination
Events at which processes are terminated
Processes

Process asks the OS to delete it

Work is done. Resources are deallocated (memory is freed, open files are closed, used I/O buffers are flushed).

Parent terminates child

Child may have exceeded allocated resources. Task assigned to child is no longer required. Parents parent is exiting.
Some OS do not allow a child to continue when its parent terminates. Cascading termination (a sub tree is deleted).

Computer Architecture

WS 06/07

Dr.-Ing. Stefan Freinatis

Sys tem call s

for self Uni x: e -termin xi atio Win no dow t() fa s: E pro xit ces s: Pro ces s ()

Process Control Block

Processes

Operating system maintains a process table Each entry represents a process Entry often termed PCB (process control block)
A PCB contains all information about a process that must be saved when the process is switched from running into waiting or ready, such that it can later be restarted as if it had never been stopped. Info regarding process management, regarding memory occupation and open files.
Computer Architecture Figure from [Sil00 p.89]

PCB example
Dr.-Ing. Stefan Freinatis

WS 06/07

Process Control Block

Processes

Typical fields of a PCB

Table from [Ta01 p.80] Computer Architecture WS 06/07 Dr.-Ing. Stefan Freinatis

Context Switch
Processes

The task of switching the CPU from one process to another is termed context switch (sometimes also process switch):

Saving the state of old process

Saving the current context of the process in its PCB.

Loading the state of new process

Restoring the former context of the process from its PCB.

Context switching is pure administrative overhead. The duration of a switch lies in the range of 1 ... 1000 s. The switch time depends on the hardware. Processors with multiple sets of registers are faster in switching. Context switching poses a certain bottleneck, which is one reason for the introduction of threads.
Computer Architecture WS 06/07 Dr.-Ing. Stefan Freinatis

Context Switch
Processes
context switch

context switch time

context switch

context switch time

Figure from [Sil00 p.90] Computer Architecture WS 06/07 Dr.-Ing. Stefan Freinatis

Scheduling
On a uniprocessor system there is only one process running, all others have to wait until they are scheduled. They are waiting in some scheduling queue:
Processes

Job Queue
Holds the future processes of the system.

Ready Queue (also called CPU queue)

Holds all processes that reside in memory and are ready to execute.

Device Queue (also called I/O queue)

Each device has a queue holding the processes waiting for I/O completion.

IPC Queue
Holds the processes that wait for some IPC (inter process communication) event to occur.

Computer Architecture

WS 06/07

Dr.-Ing. Stefan Freinatis