Operating Systems - Deadlock - Four Necessary Conditions (Coffman)
If a system enforces a strict ordering of resource acquisition to prevent circular wait, which of the following is a potential drawback that an interviewer might probe?
If a system enforces a strict ordering of resource acquisition to prevent circular wait, which of the following is a potential drawback that an interviewer might probe?
hard🎤 Interviewer Follow-up Q15 of Q15
Step-by-Step Solution
Solution:
Step 1: Understand resource ordering
Ordering resources prevents circular wait by forcing processes to request resources in a global order.Step 2: Identify drawbacks
Strict ordering can cause processes to wait longer than necessary, reducing concurrency and system throughput.Step 3: Analyze other options
The system can still deadlock due to hold and wait despite ordering is incorrect because ordering eliminates circular wait, thus preventing deadlock from that condition. No preemption condition is violated by enforcing ordering is false; ordering does not violate no preemption. Mutual exclusion is no longer required when ordering is enforced is false; mutual exclusion is still required for non-shareable resources.Final Answer:
Option A -> Option AQuick Check:
Ordering trades off concurrency for deadlock prevention.
Quick Trick: Ordering resources prevents circular wait but can reduce concurrency [OK]
Common Mistakes:
MISTAKES- Believing ordering removes all deadlock conditions
- Confusing ordering with preemption
- Assuming mutual exclusion is eliminated by ordering
Trap Explanation:
PITFALL- Options B, C, and A reflect misunderstandings about what ordering affects and what it does not.
Interviewer Note:
CONTEXT- Tests deep understanding of trade-offs in deadlock prevention strategies.
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