Unit 3: Process Management & Scheduling

This unit explores how the UNIX kernel manages processes — from creation to termination. We study the concept of a process, its states, the data structures the kernel uses to track processes, the context of a process, how memory is laid out, and the various scheduling algorithms used to share CPU time fairly among processes.

Key Topics:

1. Concept of a Process — What is a process, PID, process creation.
2. State Transitions — The process state diagram and transitions.
3. Data Structures — Process table, u-area, and per-process region table.
4. Context of a Process — User-level, register-level, and system-level context.
5. Layout of System Memory — Kernel space vs user space, text/data/stack segments.
6. Process Scheduler — How the kernel decides which process runs next.
7. Round Robin & Multiple Feedback Scheduling — Time-sharing scheduling algorithms.
8. Fair Share Scheduler — Group-based CPU allocation.

Visual Overview

Above is the visual overview of Unit 3. Please refer to this for a structural understanding before proceeding to the detailed modules.