Process
Program vs. process
Program
Set of instructions describing how a task is performed by a computer.
In order for the task to be actually performed, the corresponding program has to be executed.
Process
An entity that represents a computer program being executed.
It represents an activity of some kind.
It is characterized by:
addressing space – code and data (actual values of the different variables) of the associated program.
input and output data (data that are being transferred from input devices and to output devices).
process specific variables (PID, PPID, ...).
actual values of the processor internal registers.
state of execution.
Different processes can be running the same program.
In general, there are more processes than processors – multiprogramming.
Execution in a multiprogrammed environment
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