What is process synchronization in operating systems?
a) A mechanism to ensure that two or more processes do not execute critical sections simultaneously
b) A technique for saving process state information
c) A method for scheduling processes based on priority
d) A method for preventing process deadlock
Answer:
a) A mechanism to ensure that two or more processes do not execute critical sections simultaneously
Explanation:
Process synchronization is a mechanism used in operating systems to ensure that two or more processes do not execute their critical sections at the same time. A critical section is a part of a program where shared resources are accessed, and simultaneous access by multiple processes could lead to data corruption or inconsistencies.
To prevent such issues, synchronization primitives like semaphores, mutexes, and locks are used to coordinate access to shared resources. These mechanisms ensure that only one process at a time can execute in the critical section.
Process synchronization is essential in multi-threaded and multi-process environments to maintain data integrity and system stability, especially when dealing with shared resources.