Click to read full answer. Correspondingly, what is mutex locks in operating system?
Mutex. Mutex is a mutual exclusion object that synchronizes access to a resource. It is created with a unique name at the start of a program. The Mutex is a locking mechanism that makes sure only one thread can acquire the Mutex at a time and enter the critical section.
Beside above, what is the difference between a mutex lock and a semaphore? Mutexes have a concept of an owner, which is the process that locked the mutex. Only the process that locked the mutex can unlock it. Also, a mutex is binary (it's either locked or unlocked), whereas a semaphore has a notion of counting, or a queue of more than one lock and unlock requests.
Keeping this in consideration, what is a lock in operating system?
< Operating System Design. Wikipedia has related information at Lock (computer science) Locks are methods of synchronization used to prevent multiple threads from accessing a resource at the same time. Usually, they are advisory locks, meaning that each thread must cooperate in gaining and releasing locks.
When would you use a mutex lock?
Use mutex where you want to allow a piece of code (normally called critical section) to be executed by one thread at a time. Use semaphore to signal/notify about some event. By following few strict rules about lock/unlock a semaphore can be used to protect a critical section.