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Week 3

Pipes are a key feature in operating systems that facilitate inter-process communication (IPC) and data transfer between processes. They are categorized into anonymous pipes, which are temporary and used for related processes, and named pipes, which are persistent and allow communication between unrelated processes. Pipes enhance data flow efficiency, simplify automation in scripts, and are essential for modern computing applications.

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3 views2 pages

Week 3

Pipes are a key feature in operating systems that facilitate inter-process communication (IPC) and data transfer between processes. They are categorized into anonymous pipes, which are temporary and used for related processes, and named pipes, which are persistent and allow communication between unrelated processes. Pipes enhance data flow efficiency, simplify automation in scripts, and are essential for modern computing applications.

Uploaded by

tejas.j.h8055
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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ACTIVITY – 3

Concept of Pipes in File Systems

Pipes are a fundamental concept in operating systems and file systems, enabling inter-process
communication (IPC) and efficient data transfer between processes. They allow the output of
one process to be used as the input for another, facilitating seamless data flow in command-
line operations and scripts.

Types of Pipes

Pipes in file systems can be classified into two main categories:

1. Anonymous (Unnamed) Pipes

 Exist only during the execution of processes.


 Used for communication between related processes (e.g., parent-child processes).
 Implemented using the | (pipe) operator in Unix/Linux and Windows command-line
environments.
 Example in Linux:

ls -l | grep ".txt"

In this example, ls -l lists files, and the output is passed to grep ".txt", which
filters text files.

2. Named Pipes (FIFOs - First In, First Out)

 Persistent and appear as special files in the file system.


 Enable communication between unrelated processes.
 Created using the mkfifo command in Linux or CreateNamedPipe API in Windows.
 Example in Linux:

mkfifo mypipe
echo "Hello, Pipe!" > mypipe &
cat mypipe
Here, mypipe is a named pipe that transfers data between processes.

Functionality and Use Cases

 Inter-Process Communication (IPC): Pipes allow different processes to exchange


data efficiently.
 Shell Scripting & Automation: Used extensively in Linux shell scripts to process
data in stages.
 Data Processing Pipelines: Commonly used in data filtering, logging, and stream
processing.
 Process Synchronization: Named pipes help in synchronizing data exchange
between multiple programs.

Advantages of Pipes

 Simplifies data flow between processes.


 Reduces the need for temporary storage files.
 Enhances performance by allowing real-time data streaming.

Limitations of Pipes

 Unnamed pipes work only for related processes.


 Data flows in a unidirectional manner (except for some advanced cases like
bidirectional named pipes).
 Limited buffer size may cause blocking if not handled properly.

Conclusion

Pipes are an essential mechanism in operating systems for managing data flow between
processes. They enable efficient IPC and enhance the functionality of command-line
operations and software applications. Whether using unnamed pipes for quick command-line
tasks or named pipes for complex application communication, they play a crucial role in
modern computing.

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