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Classic Synchronization Problems
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Banker's Algorithm
The Banker's Algorithm is used to avoid deadlock by preemptively denying unsafe resource allocation requests. It works on the principle that a resource should only be allocated if it leaves the system in a safe state. It is often implemented with data structures that track available, maximum, allocated, and remaining need of resources for each process.
Bounded-Buffer Problem
The Bounded-Buffer problem, another name for the Producer-Consumer problem, involves multiple producers and consumers using a fixed-size buffer with mutual exclusion. The challenge is to prevent buffer overflow and underflow while allowing concurrent producer and consumer actions. Semaphore-based solutions differentiate between full and empty portions of the buffer to synchronize access.
Sleeping Barber Problem
The Sleeping Barber problem models a barbershop with one barber, one barber chair, and a waiting room with a number of chairs. If there are no customers, the barber goes to sleep. When a customer arrives, they must wake the barber or wait if the barber is busy. Synchronization ensures no customer is lost and the barber sleeps efficiently, often using semaphores or monitors.
Readers-Writers Problem
The Readers-Writers problem deals with scenarios where a data structure is being read by multiple readers while writers may concurrently modify it. The challenge is to prevent readers from reading inconsistent data and to ensure writers have exclusive access. Reader-priority, writer-priority, or equal-priority techniques manage synchronization, often using read-write locks or semaphores.
Mutual Exclusion Problem
The Mutual Exclusion problem requires that when one process is executing in its critical section, no other process can be allowed inside its critical section. This is a fundamental problem in concurrent programming to avoid the corruption of shared data. It is often solved using locks, mutexes, semaphores, or monitor constructs.
Priority Inversion Problem
Priority Inversion occurs when a lower-priority process holds a resource needed by a higher-priority process, leading to an unexpected reversal of priorities. This can stall the higher-priority process. The problem can be mitigated using priority inheritance or priority ceiling protocols, ensuring high-priority processes are not unreasonably delayed.
Double-Checked Locking Problem
Double-Checked Locking is a software design pattern used to reduce the overhead of acquiring a lock by testing the locking criterion (the 'lock hint') before locking the actual mutex. It is typically used in the context of the Singleton pattern. The implementation is tricky due to potential issues with memory visibility and reordering; correct use of volatile variables or memory fences is often needed.
Dining Philosophers Problem
The Dining Philosophers problem is a multithreading synchronization issue that involves philosophers sitting at a table with a fork between each of them. A philosopher must pick up two forks to eat, leading to a potential deadlock if all philosophers pick up one fork simultaneously. Solutions use synchronization techniques such as mutexes or semaphores to prevent deadlock and ensure fair access to resources.
Cigarette Smokers Problem
In the Cigarette Smokers problem, there are three smokers and one agent. Each smoker continually makes a cigarette and smokes it but requires three different ingredients collectively provided by the agent. The challenge is to synchronize so that each smoker can access exactly the ingredients missing without interference. Semaphore or monitor-based solutions enforce the necessary mutual exclusion.
Readers-Writers Problem (Second Version)
The second version of the Readers-Writers problem prioritizes writers over readers to prevent writer starvation. In this version, once a writer is ready to write, incoming readers must wait, ensuring writers have a fair chance. Solutions may use a mixture of semaphores to signal read or write operations and manage reader/writer access order.
Lock Convoy Problem
The Lock Convoy problem occurs when a number of threads at similar priority levels frequently and repeatedly attempt to acquire the same lock, leading to a 'convoy' where one thread after another successively takes the lock. This can cause significant performance degradation. Solutions involve designing for less lock contention, using reader-writer locks, or other concurrency control methods.
Producer-Consumer Problem
The Producer-Consumer problem involves two types of processes: producers and consumers. Producers create items and put them into a buffer, while consumers take items from the buffer. Synchronization is crucial to prevent race conditions when accessing the buffer. Semaphores or condition variables are commonly used for synchronization.
Santa Claus Problem
The Santa Claus problem deals with Santa Claus sleeping at the North Pole and being woken by either all of his nine reindeer, back from the tropics, or by some of his elves that require help with the toys. The synchronization must ensure that Santa meets all his reindeer at the same time or can help elves in groups of three without interruption. Monitors or semaphores can be employed to manage this coordination.
Barrier Synchronization Problem
The Barrier Synchronization problem occurs when a set of processes needs to ensure that each has reached a certain point before any can proceed. This is like waiting for all participants to get ready before starting a race. Synchronization primitives like barriers or semaphores help all processes to synchronize at these checkpoints.
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