The process is defined as a sequence of instructions executed in a predefined order. In simple words, any program that is executed is termed a process.
What is the Process state in the Operating System?
In an operating system, a process state refers to the current
condition or state of a process at any given point in time during its
execution. The process state represents the various stages a process goes
through during its lifetime, from creation to termination. Understanding the
process state is crucial for the operating system to efficiently manage and
schedule processes for execution.
Common process states in most operating systems include:
· New:
The process is being created but has not yet started executing.
· Ready:
The process is loaded into memory and is ready to run, but the CPU has not yet
started executing it. It is waiting for the CPU to be allocated.
· Running:
The process is currently being executed by the CPU.
· Blocked
(or Waiting): The process is waiting for a particular event (e.g., user input,
I/O operation) to occur before it can continue executing. While waiting, the
process is temporarily suspended and not using the CPU.
· Terminated
(or Exit): The process has finished its execution, either because it completed
its task or was terminated prematurely. After termination, its resources are
released by the operating system.
What
is Process structure in Operating System?
In an operating system, a process structure refers to the data structure used by the operating system to manage information about a running process. It contains essential details about a process, allowing the operating system to control and monitor the execution of that process. The process structure is created when a new process is created and is updated as the process progresses through its various states.
The process structure typically contains the following information:
1.
Process ID (PID): A unique identifier assigned to each process
to distinguish it from others in the system.
2.
Process State: The current state of the process, which could
be one of the states mentioned in the previous answer (New, Ready, Running,
Blocked, Terminated).
3.
Program Counter (PC): A pointer to the address of the next
instruction to be executed in the process's code.
4.
CPU Registers: The values of CPU registers at the time of
the process switch, allowing the operating system to save and restore the state
of the process when it is suspended and resumed.
5.
Memory Management Information: Information about
the process's memory allocation, including the base and limit registers, page
tables, and other memory-related data.
6.
Open Files: A list of files opened by the process during
its execution.
7.
Process Priority: A priority value assigned to the process,
used by the scheduler to determine the order in which processes are allocated
CPU time.