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Abstract

In the context of process scheduling, starvation occurs when a process is unable to get the required resources for a long period of time, usually because other higher-priority processes keep arriving and getting scheduled before it. To prevent starvation, the aging technique is applied. In aging, the priority of a waiting process is gradually increased based on its waiting time in the ready queue, ensuring that lower-priority processes eventually get CPU time.

Scope

This article explains starvation and aging in operating systems in detail, covering how starvation occurs, how aging helps mitigate it, and the impact of these concepts on scheduling algorithms.

Definition

Priority scheduling can lead to the problem of starvation, where lower-priority processes are continuously delayed because higher-priority processes keep arriving. This situation causes the low-priority process to never get CPU time, and as a result, it is never able to meet its deadline, effectively being blocked indefinitely.

Starvation is characterized by the continuous blocking of a low-priority process due to the constant arrival of high-priority processes. The low-priority process may never be scheduled for execution, leading to an indefinite wait and, thus, starvation.

The aging technique is used to avoid starvation. Aging ensures that low-priority processes are eventually given CPU time by gradually increasing their priority over time, ensuring they are not indefinitely blocked by higher-priority processes.

Aging Technique

In the aging technique, the operating system periodically increases the priority of a process based on how long it has been waiting in the ready queue. This gradual increase in priority ensures that processes which wait for a long time do not get blocked forever. By the time a process has been waiting long enough, it will have accumulated enough priority to eventually be scheduled for execution.

Example of Starvation and Aging

Consider a system where multiple processes with different priorities are queued for execution. If a low-priority process is constantly preempted by new high-priority processes, it may never get CPU time. Aging helps by periodically boosting the priority of the low-priority process until it is eventually executed.

Summary

In operating systems, starvation occurs when a low-priority process waits indefinitely because higher-priority processes keep arriving. This phenomenon is a major issue in priority scheduling systems. To avoid starvation, the aging technique is employed, which gradually increases the priority of processes that have been waiting for a long time.