IRONG, EDDY P.

01/21/2023
BSIT – 2B

A Reaction Paper on the Process Schedulers in Operating System

This topic was reported by Romme Y. Hinacay, from what I have understood, an
operating system's process scheduler controls how processes are carried out. It is in charge of
selecting which procedure should be carried out next and for how long. In order to provide a
fair amount of system resources to each task and establish its priority, the scheduler employs a
variety of techniques. By ensuring that the activities are carried out effectively in this manner,
the scheduler ensures that the system's performance is maximized. Even while it would seem
excellent to have Process Schedulers in the Operating System, like any other system operating
processors, they offer both positive outcomes and risks that require prior attention.

While doing further research I have found that depending on the method employed and
how it is implemented, operating system process schedulers may be risky. Among the dangers
include - Starvation: If a process isn't given any CPU time for a long time, it may get stalled
and unable to move further. Priority Inversion: If a low-priority process holds a resource
needed by a higher-priority process, the higher-priority process may have to wait for the
resource and become stuck. Aging: A lengthy process may amass a high number of CPU cycles,
which may deprive other processes of CPU time. Deadlock: When multiple processes are
waiting for one another to release resources, none of the processes can move forward. Lastly,
Overhead: Scheduling techniques may increase CPU consumption, which can have a
detrimental effect on system performance. These dangers can be reduced by utilizing more
sophisticated scheduling algorithms and correctly adjusting the scheduler's parameters.
Numerous schedulers are also present in many contemporary operating systems to enhance the
performance of various workloads kinds.

Despite these risks, there are still ways to counteract them. We can use advanced
scheduling algorithms: Some scheduling techniques, like the Completely Fair Scheduler
(CFS) used in the Linux kernel, can lessen the possibility of starvation and priority inversion.
Prioritizing critical processes: The scheduler can prevent critical activities from being
impeded by less critical processes by giving critical processes, such as system processes or
user-facing apps, a higher priority. Avoiding lengthy processes: The scheduler can avoid
aging and starvation by restricting the amount of CPU time allotted to a single process.
Deadlock detection and avoidance algorithms can be used to recognize when a deadlock is
about to happen and take action to stop it. Optimizing scheduler settings: The scheduler can
be adjusted to lower overhead and boost system performance by adjusting its parameters, such
as the time quantum and the priority levels of activities. Utilizing multiple schedulers: To
enhance the performance of various workload types, several contemporary operating systems
make use of multiple schedulers. Thus, Using adaptive schedulers can help to increase system
performance since they can modify the scheduling algorithm in response to the system's present
state and the processes that are using it. Then I conclude that it's crucial to remember that
certain use cases and workloads may respond better to various algorithms and techniques. For
the system to run at its best, the scheduler must be picked carefully, and its settings adjusted.