Deadlocks in Operating Systems

Flashcards covering key concepts related to deadlocks in operating systems.

Deadlock

A situation where a set of processes is blocked because each process is waiting for a resource held by another process in the set.

Concurrency

The ability of multiple processes to run simultaneously and potentially interact with each other.

Coffman Conditions

Four conditions that must hold simultaneously for deadlock to occur: Mutual Exclusion, Hold and Wait, No Preemption, and Circular Wait.

Preemptable Resources

Resources that can be forcibly taken from a process without causing adverse effects.

Non-preemptable Resources

Resources that cannot be forcibly taken from a process without risk of errors.

Deadlock Detection

The process of identifying when a deadlock has occurred, often through resource-allocation graphs or matrix algorithms.

Resource Acquisition Process

The steps involved in using a resource: Request the resource, Use it, and Release it.

Banker’s Algorithm

An algorithm used for deadlock avoidance that determines whether resource requests can be fulfilled while ensuring the system remains in a safe state.

Starvation

A condition where a process is perpetually denied resources it needs to proceed, even though the system is not deadlocked.

Livelock

A situation where processes continuously change states in response to one another but do not make progress.