Processes And Threads Problem 1: Figure Below Contains Seven
Processes And Threadsproblem 1figure Below Contains Seven States In
Processes and Threads Problem 1: Figure below contains seven states. In principle, one could draw a transition between any two states, for a total of 42 dierent transitions (do you see why this is true?). Questions 1. List all of the possible transitions, e.g., all of the transitions that could be allowed and would be possible. Give an example of what could cause each transition. Questions 2. List all of the impossible transitions, e.g., all of the transitions that cannot occur. Explain why you believe each transition is impossible. ############################################################ Questions 1. What does this program accomplish? Please describe what happens with the global value myglobal. What does the thread_function() do and when does it run? What is the main() function doing? What is sleep() and what purpose does it serve? Question 2. Here is output from the above program being executed $ ./thread2 ..o.o.o.o.oo.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o..o.o.o.oo myglobal equals 21 Is this the output you would expect? If not, what has gone wrong and how would you fix it (please show code)?
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The problem presented explores the complex state transition possibilities in a system with seven distinct states, most likely representing various stages in process and thread management within an operating system. Understanding the full scope of potential and impossible transitions is fundamental for grasping how processes and threads interact, synchronize, and evolve within a multi-threaded environment.
Part 1: Possible and Impossible State Transitions
In a system with seven states, it is theoretically feasible to establish a transition between any pair of states, leading to a maximum of 42 potential transitions, given by the formula n(n-1), where n=7. This is because each state could potentially transition to every other state independently, barring any restrictions. For instance, a process in a "Ready" state might transition to a "Running" state upon scheduler dispatch, while a "Waiting" state might change after I/O completion.
Allowed transitions include:
- From "New" to "Ready" upon creation completion.
- From "Ready" to "Running" when scheduled.
- From "Running" to "Waiting" if I/O or resource wait is needed.
- From "Waiting" to "Ready" once the wait condition is fulfilled.
- From "Running" to "Terminated" upon program completion or process kill.
- Transitions that involve state cleanup or resource release.
Examples of what could cause each transition include:
- Process creation routines for "New" to "Ready".
- Dispatching algorithms for "Ready" to "Running".
- I/O interrupt completion for "Waiting" to "Ready".
- Process termination signals for "Running" to "Terminated".
Part 2: Impossible Transitions
Conversely, certain transitions are impossible based on the semantics of process states and the constraints of the operating system. For example:
- Transition directly from "New" to "Running" might be impossible because processes need to be placed in "Ready" before execution.
- A transition from "Terminated" back to "Running" without being recreated is invalid, since a process cannot resume after termination without a new start.
- Jumping from "Waiting" directly back to "Running" without the process becoming "Ready" first is typically prevented by synchronization mechanisms.
These impossible transitions are constrained by the system's design, preventing illogical or unsafe state jumps that could destabilize process management.
Part 3: Program Analysis and Global Variable Behavior
The secondary part addresses an example program involving threads and a global variable myglobal. This program likely involves multiple threads modifying a shared global variable, and the output indicates the final state of myglobal. The key points are as follows:
The thread_function() performs a specific task during thread execution, possibly modifying myglobal. It typically runs concurrently with main(), which initializes threads and manages synchronization.
The sleep() function is used to pause execution temporarily, allowing other threads to run or to simulate delays and race conditions.
In the given output, myglobal equals 21. However, this may not be the expected result if proper synchronization mechanisms aren't implemented. For example, simultaneous writes without locks can lead to unpredictable results due to race conditions.
To fix this, one could introduce mutex locks around accesses to myglobal to ensure atomic updates. For instance, by declaring a pthread_mutex_t variable and wrapping read/write operations with pthread_mutex_lock() and pthread_mutex_unlock(), consistency can be maintained.
Conclusion
Understanding process states and transitions is essential for operating system design, especially regarding process scheduling and synchronization. The analysis of allowed and disallowed transitions ensures system stability. Additionally, proper management of shared resources across threads, including synchronization primitives, is vital for correct program behavior, as highlighted by the global variable example. Addressing race conditions through mutex locks ensures correctness and predictability in multithreaded applications.
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