Concurrency

This chapter begins with an introduction to the concept of concurrency and the implications of the execution of multiple concurrent processes. We find that the basic requirement for support of concurrent processes is the ability to enforce mutual exclusion; that is, the ability to exclude all other processes from a course of action while one process is granted that ability.

Next, we will examines two problems that plague all efforts to support concurrent processing: deadlock and starvation. We begin with a discussion of the underlying principles of deadlock and the related problem of starvation. Then we will examine the three common approaches to dealing with deadlock: prevention, detection, and avoidance. We will then look at one of the classic problems used to illustrate both synchronization and deadlock issues: the dining philosophers problem.