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Interprocess Communication (IPC)

Interprocess communication (IPC) allows processes to exchange data and information. The two main models of IPC are shared memory, where processes access the same memory region, and message passing, where processes exchange messages. Shared memory uses producer-consumer problems to manage access to buffers in shared memory, while message passing establishes communication links and send/receive operations without shared variables. Message passing can be direct, naming specific processes, or indirect, using mailboxes to decouple process identities from communication.

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98 views12 pages

Interprocess Communication (IPC)

Interprocess communication (IPC) allows processes to exchange data and information. The two main models of IPC are shared memory, where processes access the same memory region, and message passing, where processes exchange messages. Shared memory uses producer-consumer problems to manage access to buffers in shared memory, while message passing establishes communication links and send/receive operations without shared variables. Message passing can be direct, naming specific processes, or indirect, using mailboxes to decouple process identities from communication.

Uploaded by

indu kaur
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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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Interprocess Communication

(IPC)
Introduction to IPC
• In order for the cooperating processes to
exchange data and information.
• Two fundamental models – shared memory
and message passing.
• In the former, processes exchange
information by reading and writing data to the
shared region.
• In the latter, messages exchanged between
the cooperating processes.
Communication models : message passing (left)
and shared memory (right).
Shared-Memory Systems
• A region of shared memory needs to be
established by communicating processes.
• Producer-consumer problem.
• A compiler may produce assembly code, which
is consumed by an assembler.
• Buffer of items that is filled by the producer
and emptied by the consumer.
• Will reside in a region of memory shared by
the cooperating processes.
Message-Passing Systems
• Does the function of allowing the processes to
communicate with each other without the
need to use shared variables.
• Particularly useful in a distributed
environment where the communicating
processes may reside on different computers
connected by a network.
• Provision of at least two operations –
send(message) and receive(message).
• Communication link.
Methods for logically implementing a link
and send()/receive() operations
• Direct or indirect communication
• Synchronous or asynchronous communication
• Automatic or explicit buffering
Naming
• Direct communication – each process that
wants to communicate must explicitly name
the recipient or sender of the communication.
send(P, message)—Send a message to process P.
receive (Q, message)—Receive a message from
process Q.
• Communication link properties –
A link is established automatically between every
pair of processes that want to communicate. The
processes need to know only each other's identity
to communicate.
 A link is associated with exactly two processes.
 Between each pair of processes, there exists exactly
one link.
• Symmetry in addressing.
• Asymmetry in addressing - only the sender
names the recipient, the recipient is not required
to name the sender.
 send(P, message) - Send a message to process P.
 receive(id, message) - Receive a message from any
process; the variable id is set to the name of the
process with which communication has taken place.
• Disadvantage – limited modularity.
• Indirect communication – messages are sent
to and received from mailboxes or ports.
• A mailbox can be viewed abstractly as an
object into which messages can be placed by
processes and from which messages can be
removed.
• Each mailbox has a unique identification.
• A process can communicate with some other
process via a number of different mailboxes.
• Two processes can communicate only if the
processes have a shared mailbox.
send(A, message)—Send a message to mailbox A.
receive(A, message)—Receive a message from
mailbox A.
• Communication link properties –
A link is established between a pair of processes
only if both members of the pair have a shared
mailbox.
A link may be associated with more than two
processes.
Between each pair of communicating processes,
there may be a number of different links, with
each link corresponding to one mailbox.
• Mailbox may be owned by a process or operating
system.
Synchronization
• Message passing may be either blocking or
nonblocking - also known as synchronous and
asynchronous.
 Blocking send : The sending process is blocked until
the message is received by the receiving process or by
the mailbox.
 Nonblocking send : The sending process sends the
message and resumes operation.
 Blocking receive : The receiver blocks until a message
is available.
 Nonblocking receive : The receiver retrieves either a
valid message or a null.
• When both send() and receive() are blocking,
we have a rendezvous between the sender
and the receiver.
Buffering
• messages exchanged by communicating
processes reside in a temporary queue.
• Zero capacity (message system with no
buffering).
• Bounded capacity.
• Unbounded capacity.

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