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Case Study IPC in Linux

1) Interprocess communication in Linux allows processes to synchronize and share data. Common methods include signals, semaphores, pipes, and network facilities. 2) The Linux kernel uses scheduling states and wait queues rather than signals for communication between kernel-mode processes. 3) Processes can wait on wait queues to be notified when asynchronous events like I/O completion occur. This allows multiple processes to synchronize on a single event.

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1K views

Case Study IPC in Linux

1) Interprocess communication in Linux allows processes to synchronize and share data. Common methods include signals, semaphores, pipes, and network facilities. 2) The Linux kernel uses scheduling states and wait queues rather than signals for communication between kernel-mode processes. 3) Processes can wait on wait queues to be notified when asynchronous events like I/O completion occur. This allows multiple processes to synchronize on a single event.

Uploaded by

veguruprasad
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Case study: IPC in Linux

Interprocess Communication UNIX provides a rich environment for processes to communicate with each other. Communication may be just a matter of ettin! another process "now that some event has occurred# or it may invo ve transferrin! data from one process to another. Synchronization and Signals $he standard UNIX mechanism for informin! a process that an event has occurred is the si!na . %i!na s can be sent from any process to any other process# with restrictions on si!na s sent to processes owned by another user. &owever# a imited number of si!na s are avai ab e# and they cannot carry information: 'n y the fact that a si!na occurred is avai ab e to a process. %i!na s are not !enerated on y by processes. $he "erne a so !enerates si!na s interna y( for examp e# it can send a si!na to a server process when data arrive on a networ" channe # to a parent process when a chi d terminates# or to a waitin! process when a timer expires. Interna y# the Linux "erne does not use si!na s to communicate with processes runnin! in "erne mode. If a "erne )mode process is expectin! an event to occur# it wi not norma y use si!na s to receive notification of that event. *ather# communication about incomin! asynchronous events within the "erne is performed throu!h the use of schedu in! states and wait)+ueue structures. $hese mechanisms a ow "erne )mode processes to inform one another about re evant events# and they a so a ow events to be !enerated by device drivers or by the networ"in! system. ,henever a process wants to wait for some event to comp ete# it p aces itse f on a wait queue associated with that event and te s the schedu er that it is no on!er e i!ib e for execution. 'nce the event has comp eted# it wi wa"e up every process on the wait +ueue. $his procedure a ows mu tip e processes to wait for a sin! e event. - thou!h si!na s have a ways been the main mechanism for communicatin! asynchronous events amon! processes# - process can wait on a semaphore as easi y as it can wait for a si!na # but semaphores have two advanta!es: Lar!e numbers of semaphores can be shared amon! mu tip e independent processes# and operations on mu tip e semaphores can be performed

atomica y. Interna y# the standard Linux wait +ueue mechanism synchroni.es processes that are communicatin! with semaphores. Passing of Data among Processes Linux offers severa mechanisms for passin! data amon! processes. $he standard UNIX pipe mechanism a ows a chi d process to inherit a communication channe from its parent( data written to one end of the pipe can be read at the other. Under Linux# pipes appear as just another type of inode to virtua )fi esystem software# and each pipe has a pair of wait +ueues to synchroni.e the reader and writer. UNIX a so defines a set of networ"in! faci ities that can send streams of data to both oca and remote processes.

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