MODULE 3 | O.S.

| BCS303 |
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS |
@Express VTU 4 All
Created @February 4, 2026 9:26 PM

Subject code BCS303

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QUES 1 : Define deadlock. What are the necessary

conditions for deadlock to occur?
Answer:
A deadlock is a situation in an operating system where two or more processes
are permanently blocked, and each process is waiting for a resource that is
held by another process in the set. Since none of the processes can proceed,
the system enters a deadlock state.
In a deadlock situation:

Processes hold one or more resources

Each process waits indefinitely for additional resources

No process can continue execution

Deadlocks usually occur in multiprogramming environments where multiple

processes compete for limited resources such as CPU, memory, files, or I/O
devices.

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 This situation is called a deadlock .:

Necessary Conditions for Deadlock

For a deadlock to occur, all the following four conditions must hold
simultaneously. If any one condition is absent, deadlock cannot occur.

1. Mutual Exclusion
At least one resource must be held in a non-shareable mode.

This means only one process can use the resource at a time.
Example:

A printer can be used by only one process at a time.

2. Hold and Wait

A process must be holding at least one resource and waiting to acquire
additional resources that are currently held by other processes.

Example:
Process P1 holds resource R1 and waits for resource R2 held by P2.

3. No Preemption
Resources cannot be forcibly taken away from a process.

They must be released voluntarily after the process has completed its task.
Example:

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 A process releases a file only after closing it.

4. Circular Wait
A set of processes must exist such that:

P1 waits for a resource held by P2

P2 waits for a resource held by P3

Pn waits for a resource held by P1

This forms a circular chain of waiting processes.

Example:
P1 → P2 → P3 → P1

QUES 2 : Explain different methods to recover from

deadlocks.
Answer:
When a deadlock occurs, the operating system must take action to recover the
system and allow blocked processes to continue execution. Deadlock
recovery involves breaking one or more of the deadlock conditions.

The two main approaches for deadlock recovery are:

1. Process Termination

2. Resource Preemption

1. Deadlock Recovery by Process Termination

In this method, the operating system terminates one or more processes
involved in the deadlock to break the circular wait.

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 Methods of Process Termination:

a) Terminate All Deadlocked Processes

All processes involved in the deadlock are aborted

This completely eliminates the deadlock

Advantage:

Simple and effective

Disadvantage:

Causes loss of work done by processes

b) Terminate One Process at a Time

Processes are terminated one by one until the deadlock is resolved

After each termination, the system checks if the deadlock still exists

Criteria for selecting a process to terminate:

Priority of the process

Amount of computation done

Resources held by the process

Number of processes affected

Advantage:

Less work lost compared to terminating all processes

Disadvantage:

High overhead due to repeated checks

2. Deadlock Recovery by Resource Preemption

In this method, the operating system forcibly takes resources from one or
more processes and allocates them to other processes to break the deadlock.

Steps in Resource Preemption:

1. Select a Victim

Choose a process whose resources will be preempted

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 Selection depends on cost, priority, and resource usage

2. Rollback

The victim process is rolled back to a safe state

Process can be restarted later

3. Avoid Starvation

Ensure the same process is not always selected as a victim

Aging techniques can be used

Advantage:

No need to terminate processes

Disadvantage:

Not all resources can be preempted

Rollback is complex

QUES 3 : What is a Semaphore? State the Dining

Philosopher Problem and Give a Solution Using
Semaphore.
ANS : Semaphore
A semaphore is a synchronization tool used in operating systems to control
access to shared resources by multiple processes or threads. It helps in
avoiding race conditions and ensures mutual exclusion.

A semaphore is an integer variable that can be accessed only through two

atomic operations:

wait() (also called P operation)

signal() (also called V operation)

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 Semaphore Operations:
wait(S)

Decrements the value of semaphore S .

If S<0 , the process is blocked.

signal(S)

Increments the value of semaphore S .

If S≤0 , one waiting process is awakened.

Types of Semaphores:
1. Binary Semaphore – value is 0 or 1 (used for mutual exclusion)

2. Counting Semaphore – value can be any integer (used for resource

counting)

Dining Philosopher Problem

The Dining Philosopher Problem is a classic synchronization problem that
illustrates issues of deadlock and starvation.

Problem Description:
There are five philosophers sitting around a circular table.

Each philosopher alternates between thinking and eating.

There are five chopsticks, one between each pair of philosophers.

A philosopher needs two chopsticks (left and right) to eat.

A philosopher can pick up only one chopstick at a time.

If all philosophers pick up their left chopstick at the same time, deadlock
occurs, as each waits for the right chopstick.

Solution to Dining Philosopher Problem Using

Semaphore
To solve the problem, semaphores are used to control access to chopsticks
and prevent deadlock.

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 Semaphore Initialization:

semaphore chopstick[5] = {1, 1, 1, 1, 1};

Each chopstick is represented by a binary semaphore.

Philosopher i Algorithm:

while (true) {
think();
wait(chopstick[i]); // pick left chopstick
wait(chopstick[(i+1)%5]); // pick right chopstick
eat();
signal(chopstick[i]); // release left chopstick
signal(chopstick[(i+1)%5]); // release right chopstick
}

Deadlock Prevention Technique:

To avoid deadlock, one common approach is:

Allow only four philosophers to sit at the table at the same time
OR

Make one philosopher pick the chopsticks in reverse order

This ensures that circular wait condition is avoided.

Advantages of Semaphore Solution

Ensures mutual exclusion

Prevents deadlock

Proper synchronization between processes

Disadvantages
Programming is complex

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 Incorrect semaphore usage may lead to deadlock or starvation

Difficult to debug

QUES 4 :

ANS :

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