Tutorial Playlist
47 Lessons1. Introduction to Operating System
2. Types of Operating Systems
3. Linux Operating System
4. An Introduction To Unix Operating System
5. Ubuntu Operating System
6. MS DOS Operating System
7. Mobile Operating System
8. Understanding Functions of Operating System
9. Components of Operating System
10. Understanding the Kernel in Operating Systems
11. Structure of Operating System
12. Process in Operating System
13. What is Bios
14. What is Booting in Computer
15. What is Interrupt in Operating System?
16. Process Control Block in Operating Systems
17. Threads in Operating System
18. Process Synchronization in OS
19. Critical Section in OS
20. Semaphore in Operating System
21. Deadlock in Operating System
22. Deadlock Prevention in OS
23. Paging in Operating System
24. Segmentation in Operating System
25. Virtual Memory in Operating System
26. File System in Operating Systems
27. Page Table in OS
28. Round Robin Scheduling in Operating System
29. Shortest Job First Scheduling Algorithm
30. Priority Scheduling in OS
31. Page Replacement Algorithms in Operating System
32. Race Condition in OS
33. Distributed Operating System
34. Navigating Contiguous Memory Allocation in Operating Systems
35. Fragmentation in Operating System
36. Banker’s Algorithm in OS
37. Context Switching in OS
38. First Come First Serve (FCFS) Scheduling Algorithm in Operating System
39. Understanding Inter Process Communication in OS
40. Multiprogramming Operating System
41. Python OS Module
42. Preemptive Priority Scheduling Algorithm
43. Resource Allocation Graph in OS
44. Scheduling Algorithms in OS
45. System Calls In Operating System
46. Thrashing in Operating Systems: A Deep Dive
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47. Time Sharing Operating System
On my path to learning about operating systems, I encountered a complex concept that confuses many experienced people: thrashing in OS. This concept has to do with the performance of your computer going down, and what once was a fast and efficient system now turning slow and inefficient.
In this tutorial, let’s define thrashing in OS to understand what is thrashing in OS. We’ll also look at some causes of thrashing in OS and some techniques to avoid thrashing in OS.
Let’s begin our journey!
The first time I came across the word "thrashing" related to operating systems, it sparked my interest very much. What is thrashing in OS, and why is it something to worry about? To explain in simple terms, thrashing happens when the operating system uses more time to transfer data from the main memory to disk and back (known as paging or swapping) instead of running real processes. It is similar to a situation where you spend most of your time arranging your work area and end up with not much time for doing the actual job.
When an operating system is thrashing, it shows that the computer cannot handle too many tasks at once. Think about using multiple large programs on a computer with not enough RAM; the system tries to manage by frequently exchanging information between memory and disk. But, instead of improving the situation, this too much activity makes performance worse and causes the computer to be slow or not respond. This is what they call thrashing in OS—when the system becomes its own biggest problem while it tries to handle resources well.
The main reasons for thrashing in OS often come from giving out too much memory and not handling that memory well. This situation shows why it is crucial to keep the system workload and the memory you have in equilibrium so as to avoid the computer getting stuck constantly exchanging data.
Understanding what is thrashing in OS and why it matters is of utmost importance to people getting into computers. It doesn't matter if you are just starting to make software, manage systems, or just want to learn more. If you want to know a lot about making software and how operating systems work, taking upGrad's courses on software development might be the right move for you.
Exploring more about the concept of thrashing in OS, I now see it is not only a small problem but also a major obstacle that can severely slow down how well the system works. However, what causes thrashing to happen?
Here are some of the causes of thrashing in OS:
A main reason for thrashing is when there is not enough physical RAM to handle all the active processes or their need for memory. If the system does not have more physical memory, it starts using disk space like virtual memory and this causes too much swapping.
Thrashing in OS can happen when there is too much over-commitment. This happens when there are too many applications open at the same time, overloading the system. This situation makes the operating system constantly exchange data between its RAM and hard disk as it tries to manage all ongoing activities.
When the operating system is not good at managing memory, it can cause thrashing. This happens when the ways it gives out memory to different programs don't work well or if it doesn't take back and give out again the memory from programs that have closed.
Paging is a method for managing memory where the computer saves and brings back data from storage to use in the main memory. But if paging algorithms exchange too much information all at once, or if they cannot correctly guess which data will be needed shortly, it can lead to thrashing. These algorithms may not consider the real set of tasks an application uses, causing data to be loaded and unloaded when it's not needed.
Through my journey of understanding and addressing this complex challenge, I've encountered various techniques designed to prevent thrashing. These strategies are not just theoretical concepts but practical solutions that can significantly enhance the functionality and efficiency of an OS. Let's dive into these techniques, employing a clear and concise approach.
A main way to protect against thrashing in OS is to make memory management better in the operating system. It includes making the allocation of memory to processes more efficient and keeping a good balance between how much physical memory there is and what the applications running need. Good management of memory can lessen the need for too much paging and decrease the chance of thrashing.
A straightforward yet effective technique is to monitor and control the number of processes running simultaneously. By limiting the processing load, we can prevent the over-commitment of system resources that often leads to thrashing. This approach requires a keen understanding of the system's capabilities and the memory requirements of various applications.
The working set model is a method that aims to keep in memory all the pages a process is using right now, so it lessens page faults and the need for paging. By figuring out what the "working set" of a process is, meaning those pages it really uses, we can give memory more accurately and cut down on chances of thrashing in OS.
Implementing a priority system for processes allows the OS to allocate resources more judiciously. Processes deemed critical can be given higher priority for memory allocation, ensuring they have the necessary resources without resorting to excessive swapping. This prioritization can help maintain system stability and performance even under heavy load.
The operating system manages how often and when to move whole programs from the main RAM to the disk, which is called swapping. This helps stop too much load on the computer that can cause it to perform very poorly. Moreover, mechanisms for controlling load can adjust the system’s burden in a dynamic manner by temporarily limiting the creation of new processes when there is a high risk of thrashing.
This method watches how often page faults happen and changes the number of programs running at the same time based on that. When the rate of page faults goes above a specific limit, it suggests that the system might be moving towards too much thrashing. The operating system can decrease the processes in memory to make the page fault rate go down and ease the stress.
These methods answer the question of “how to avoid thrashing in OS.” This is very important for people who work with system management or software creation. It needs a good technical knowledge of the workings of operating systems and also an active way to watch and handle the resources of the system.
For people who want to learn more about how operating systems work and find better ways to make them perform well, upGrad software development courses offer a detailed program that includes these subjects. If you get familiar with the complex issue of thrashing and methods to prevent it, your systems will operate without problems, using resources wisely and working well.
I have looked more into the idea of thrashing in operating systems and found different real situations where thrashing in OS manifests itself as examples of thrashing in OS. These examples show how much this problem can change how well a system works.
With these instances, the idea of thrashing in an operating system is made clear and placed in situations from real life to show its effects. It underlines how important it is that people know about this problem and learn ways to prevent it. Let’s see some situations of thrashing in operating system with example.
A classic example of thrashing in OS occurs when trying to operate several resource-intensive applications simultaneously on a system constrained by limited physical memory (RAM). For instance, concurrently launching video editing software, a hefty database application, and a virtual machine on a laptop with inadequate RAM exemplifies thrashing. The OS's struggle to allocate memory across these demanding processes results in excessive paging, dramatically hampering system performance.
Thrashing in operating systems can also be observed in software development environments. Developers frequently use integrated development environments (IDEs), numerous browser tabs, and local servers concurrently for testing purposes. These tools and applications can consume copious amounts of memory, leading to thrashing, particularly when the system compiles large codebases or processes extensive software builds.
Another scenario defining thrashing in OS is server overload, especially common in web servers managing multiple websites. A sudden surge in web traffic necessitates increased memory and CPU resources for each request. An influx of requests beyond the server's memory capacity may induce thrashing as the OS is forced into a relentless cycle of data swapping to accommodate all requests, potentially causing reduced response times or even service downtimes.
In the context of cloud computing or local systems running virtualization software, thrashing occurs when too many virtual machines (VMs) are allocated beyond the host system's capacity. Each VM, functioning as a distinct system with its own OS and applications, competes for a share of the host's physical resources. Over-commitment without sufficient memory leads to thrashing as VMs' OSes vie for memory, degrading the performance of all hosted VMs.
Large database operations requiring substantial memory for query processing can also trigger thrashing, particularly when the database size surpasses the system's memory limits. Complex queries necessitating significant data swapping between the disk and memory can decelerate database performance, adversely affecting applications dependent on real-time data access from the database.
Thrashing in operating systems is a critical issue that requires attention to prevent significant performance degradation. By understanding its causes and implementing strategies to mitigate it, we can ensure smoother system operation. For those keen on diving deeper into the world of operating systems and mastering the art of efficient computing, exploring courses on upGrad can offer valuable insights and knowledge. Check out upGrad's computer science courses for a comprehensive learning experience that covers these concepts and more, or visit our blog section for more informative resources.
Thrashing doesn't have to be a nightmare. With the right knowledge and tools, it's a challenge that can be managed effectively. Continue your learning journey with upGrad, and equip yourself with the skills needed to tackle not just thrashing but various other complexities of operating systems.
Thrashing in OS is when the OS spends more time swapping pages than executing processes due to excessive paging.
Running too many heavy applications on a system with insufficient RAM is an example of thrashing.
One of the main causes of thrashing in OS is over-commitment of system memory resources.
It significantly slows down system performance due to excessive disk swapping.
Through monitoring tools that track system performance and resource utilization.
Proper load balancing, priority adjustments, and expanding physical memory.
By reducing the number of running processes, increasing RAM, or optimizing swap space usage.
Continual system performance degradation, potentially leading to system crashes.
Abhimita Debnath
Abhimita Debnath is one of the students in UpGrad Big Data Engineering program with BITS Pilani. She's a Senior Software Engineer in Infosys. She…Read More
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upGrad does not grant credit; credits are granted, accepted or transferred at the sole discretion of the relevant educational institution offering the diploma or degree. We advise you to enquire further regarding the suitability of this program for your academic, professional requirements and job prospects before enr...