Which of the following conditions does not hold good for a solution to a…
2014
Which of the following conditions does not hold good for a solution to a critical section problem ?
- A.
No assumptions may be made about speeds or the number of CPUs.
- B.
(B) No two processes may be simultaneously inside their critical sections.
- C.
Processes running outside its critical section may block other processes.
- D.
Processes do not wait forever to enter its critical section.
Attempted by 391 students.
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Correct answer: C
Answer: Processes running outside its critical section may block other processes.
Mutual exclusion: No two processes may be simultaneously inside their critical sections.
Progress: If no process is in the critical section, processes outside the critical section must not prevent others from entering; the selection of the next process cannot be postponed indefinitely.
Bounded waiting: Each process wishing to enter its critical section should be guaranteed to do so within a bounded number of attempts (no indefinite waiting).
Independence from speeds/CPU count: The algorithm must work correctly regardless of relative process speeds or the number of processors.
Why this is the correct choice: Saying that processes outside their critical sections may block others contradicts the progress requirement. A valid solution must ensure that processes not in the critical section do not prevent others from making progress, so the statement does not hold for a correct solution.