Why Starvation Happens in Operating System?

In operating systems, starvation occurs when a process is unable to acquire the required system resources, such as CPU time, memory, or I/O devices, for a prolonged period. This can occur due to several reasons, including:

Resource Competition: When multiple processes are contending for the same resources, such as CPU time or memory, some processes may end up waiting for an extended period to get access to the resources they need.

Priority Inversion: In some cases, a low-priority process may hold a resource that a high-priority process needs. This can cause the high-priority process to wait indefinitely, leading to starvation.

Deadlock: When two or more processes are waiting for each other to release a resource, a situation called deadlock occurs. This can cause all the processes involved to be blocked indefinitely, leading to starvation.

Insufficient Resources: When the system resources are limited, and the demand exceeds the supply, some processes may be denied access to the required resources, leading to starvation.

Hunger is a fail-safe technique that helps to avoid the deadlock as temporarily, but it can lead to negative impact on the overall system performance.

How to Prevent Starvation in OS?

There are several methods to avoid starvation in operating systems. The choice of method depends on the specific requirements of the system and the nature of the processes running on it, as following them:

Solutions of Starvation in OS Are:

Priority Scheduling: In this method, each process is assigned a priority, and the scheduler always selects the process with the highest priority to execute. This ensures that low-priority processes do not starve and get their fair share of resources.

Round-Robin Scheduling: In this method, each process is assigned a fixed time slice to execute. If the process does not complete its execution within the allotted time, it is pre-empted, and the next process in the queue is executed. This ensures that all processes get their fair share of resources and prevent any process from monopolizing the CPU.

Aging: In this method, the priority of a process is increased over time. This ensures that long-running processes with low priority eventually get a chance to execute.

Resource Allocation: The operating system can allocate resources such as CPU time, memory, and I/O bandwidth to processes based on their needs. The system can also limit the amount of resources a process can use, preventing any process from monopolizing resources and causing starvation.

Fair-Share Scheduling: In this method, the resources are allocated to the processes in proportion to their needs. This ensures that all processes get their fair share of resources, preventing any process from starving.

Priority Inversion: This occurs when a low-priority process holds a resource that a high-priority process needs. To prevent priority inversion, the operating system can temporarily raise the priority of the low-priority process to ensure that the high-priority process can access the resource it needs.

Another method to prevent starvation is to use a technique called pre-emption. Pre-emption refers to the ability of the operating system to forcibly interrupt the execution of a process to give resources to other processes. By interrupting a process that is using too many resources or has been running for too long, the system can ensure that other processes get their fair share of resources.

Furthermore, the use of synchronization primitives such as semaphores, locks, and condition variables can also help prevent starvation. These primitives can be used to manage access to shared resources, ensuring that multiple processes do not try to access them simultaneously. By controlling access to shared resources, the system can prevent processes from getting stuck waiting for resources that are currently being used by other processes.

Different Types of Starvation in OS

There are the many kinds of starvation in operating systems, including:

Also Read: What is Deadlock in OS with Example? Deadlock Handling in Operating System!!

CPU Starvation: In a system with multiple processes, if a high-priority process monopolizes the CPU; low-priority processes may starve and never get a chance to execute. This situation is called CPU starvation.

Disk Starvation: When multiple processes are competing for access to a disk, some processes may have to wait indefinitely to access the disk. This situation is called disk starvation.

Memory Starvation: If a process requires more memory than the system can provide, the process may be unable to complete its task. This situation is called memory starvation.

Resource Starvation: An operating system manages a wide range of resources, including CPU time, memory, disk space, and network bandwidth. If a process requires a specific resource that is not available, it may be unable to complete its task. This situation is called resource starvation.

I/O Starvation: Input/output (I/O) operations can cause starvation in an operating system. For example, if a process performs many I/O operations in a row, it may prevent other processes from performing their I/O operations. This situation is called I/O starvation.

Thread Starvation: In systems that use threads, a thread may be unable to execute because other threads are continuously blocking the CPU. This situation is called thread starvation.

Example of Starvation in OS

One example of starvation in an operating system is when multiple processes are competing for access to a shared resource, such as a printer or a CPU. If one process is given priority access to the resource repeatedly, the other processes may be starved and unable to complete their tasks.

Also Read: Deadlock Avoidance in OS | Deadlock Avoidance Algorithm in OS with Example

For instance, consider a scenario where a computer has two processes running: Process A and Process B. Process A has a higher priority and requires access to a shared resource (e.g., a printer) to complete its task, while Process B has a lower priority and doesn’t need to use the shared resource.

If the operating system continually gives access to the shared resource to Process A, Process B may be starved and unable to complete its task. This can result in delays and reduced efficiency, as well as potential crashes or errors if the system is unable to allocate resources correctly.

Real-Life Example of Starvation in OS

A real-life example of starvation in an operating system can be observed in a multi-user system where there are several users accessing a shared printer. If the printer’s resource allocation strategy is not designed properly, it may result in a situation where some users are not able to print their documents for an extended period of time, while other users continue to use the printer without any interruption. This happens because the resource allocation strategy used by the system favours some processes over others and does not ensure that every process gets a fair share of the resources.

Another example of starvation can be observed in a computer system where there are several processes competing for CPU time. If the scheduling algorithm used by the operating system does not give equal priority to all processes, some processes may get stuck in a waiting state for a long time, while other processes continue to execute. This can lead to a situation where some processes may never get the chance to execute, and the system becomes unresponsive.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What is starvation in deadlock in OS?

When both starvation and deadlock occur simultaneously, it is referred to as starvation in deadlock. Starvation in deadlock is a particularly difficult problem to resolve because it requires breaking the deadlock while also ensuring that all processes have access to the resources they need. This often requires a combination of careful resource allocation strategies and process scheduling algorithms that can detect and resolve deadlocks.

What is difference starvation and aging in OS?

Starvation occurs when a process is unable to access a resource it needs due to resource competition, while aging is a technique used to prevent starvation by giving priority to processes that have been waiting for a long time.

What is difference between deadlock and starvation in OS?

Deadlock occurs when multiple processes are blocked waiting for resources that each other holds, while starvation occurs when a single process is unable to access the resources it needs due to prioritization or other allocation issues.

What is starvation in OS with example?

In this article, already we have been explained about starvation in operating system along with their examples in detail; you can check them:

What are the consequences of starvation in an operating system?

Starvation in an operating system can lead to reduced performance, decreased throughput, and system failure. When a process is unable to acquire the necessary resources to complete its execution, it may be forced to wait indefinitely, leading to reduced performance and decreased throughput. In some cases, if too many processes are waiting for resources, the system may become unresponsive or crash, leading to system failure.

How can an operating system detect and resolve starvation?

Operating systems can detect starvation by monitoring the state of processes and resources. For example, if a process has been waiting for a resource for an unusually long time, it may indicate that the process is experiencing starvation. To resolve starvation, operating systems can implement various scheduling and resource allocation policies, such as priority inversion prevention, priority inheritance, and aging.

What are the benefits of preventing starvation in an operating system?

Preventing starvation in an operating system can lead to improved system performance, better throughput, and more predictable behaviour. By ensuring that all processes have fair access to resources and preventing priority inversion, the operating system can ensure that processes complete their execution in a timely and efficient manner. This can improve the overall performance of the system and prevent system failures caused by resource exhaustion or deadlock.

Final Verdicts

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Also Read: Deadlock Prevention in OS (Operating System) | Algorithms (Techniques)

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