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Which of the following statements about the 'Mutual Exclusion' condition in deadlock is INCORRECT?

medium🐞 Bug Identification Q14 of Q15
Operating Systems - Deadlock - Four Necessary Conditions (Coffman)
Which of the following statements about the 'Mutual Exclusion' condition in deadlock is INCORRECT?
AMutual exclusion means that at least one resource must be held in a non-shareable mode.
BMutual exclusion can be eliminated for all resources to prevent deadlock.
CMutual exclusion is necessary for deadlock but not sufficient alone.
DMutual exclusion applies only to resources that cannot be simultaneously used by multiple processes.
Step-by-Step Solution
Solution:

  1. Step 1: Understand mutual exclusion

    It requires that some resources be non-shareable, meaning only one process can use them at a time.

  2. Step 2: Analyze why eliminating mutual exclusion for all resources is impractical

    Eliminating mutual exclusion for all resources is impossible because some resources (like printers) inherently cannot be shared.

  3. Step 3: Evaluate other options

    Mutual exclusion means that at least one resource must be held in a non-shareable mode correctly defines mutual exclusion. Mutual exclusion is necessary for deadlock but not sufficient alone correctly states it is necessary but not sufficient. Mutual exclusion applies only to resources that cannot be simultaneously used by multiple processes correctly limits mutual exclusion to non-shareable resources.

  4. Final Answer:

    Option B -> Option B

  5. Quick Check:

    Mutual exclusion cannot be eliminated for all resources; some must be exclusive.
Quick Trick: Mutual exclusion is about non-shareable resources, which can't all be made shareable [OK]
Common Mistakes:
MISTAKES
  • Thinking mutual exclusion can be removed entirely
  • Confusing necessity with sufficiency
  • Misapplying mutual exclusion to shareable resources
Trap Explanation:
PITFALL
  • Option B is tempting because removing mutual exclusion would prevent deadlock, but it's impractical for many resources.
Interviewer Note:
CONTEXT
  • Tests ability to spot misconceptions about mutual exclusion's role in deadlock.
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