Process (computing): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 08:43, 9 February 2024

Revision as of 08:48, 9 February 2024

Line 22:

* [[Central processing unit|Processor]] state ([[context (computing)|context]]), such as the content of [[processor register|registers]] and physical memory addressing. The ''state'' is typically stored in computer registers when the process is executing, and in memory otherwise.<ref name="OSC Chap4"/>

The operating system holds most of this information about active processes in data structures called [[process control block]]s. Any subset of the resources, typically at least the processor state, may be associated with each of the process' [[Thread (computer science)|threads]] in operating systems that support threads or ''child'' processes<ref>{{Cite web |last=Were |first=Elijah |date=2024-02-05 |title=How to kill processes in Linux Systems using the terminal |url=https://www.ugacomp.com/how-to-kill-processes-in-linux-systems-using-the-terminal/ |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=Ugacomp |language=en-US}}</ref>.

The operating system keeps its processes separate and allocates the resources they need, so that they are less likely to interfere with each other and cause system failures (e.g., [[deadlock]] or [[thrashing (computer science)|thrashing]]). The operating system may also provide mechanisms for [[inter-process communication]] to enable processes to interact in safe and predictable ways.