What is IPC? | Inter Process Communication

Summary

This video script explains inter-process communication (IPC) mechanisms, focusing on how processes like A and B exchange messages to communicate and synchronize actions. It highlights the use of communication channels like curl or shared memory and the importance of establishing communication links. The video touches on both physical (shared memory, hardware bus) and logical methods. IPC provides two key operations: sending and receiving messages. Message sizes can vary, and their contents need to be mutually understandable between processes.

Takeaways

• 📡 Process A sends a message to Process B through a communication channel like Curl.
• 📬 Process A also sends a message to Process G using the shared memory mechanism.
• 🔄 Processes communicate and synchronize their actions through message exchange.
• 🖧 For Process A and Process B to communicate, they must establish a communication link.
• 📨 Messages are exchanged via send or receive operations.
• ⚙️ Communication links can be either physical (like shared memory or hardware bus) or logical.
• 💻 Inter-process communication (IPC) provides two operations: send a message and receive a message.
• 📏 Message sizes in IPC can be fixed or variable.
• 🔑 The contents of messages should be mutually comprehensible between the communicating processes.
• 🧠 Shared memory is a method for communication between processes in certain mechanisms.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of communication between processes A and B?

The main purpose is for processes A and B to exchange messages and synchronize their actions through a communication channel.

What are the mechanisms through which process A can send a message to process B?

Process A can send a message to process B using mechanisms like shared memory, curl, or other communication channels such as hardware buses.

What role does shared memory play in process communication?

Shared memory allows multiple processes to access the same memory space, enabling faster and more efficient message exchange between processes.

What is an IPC facility and how does it relate to process communication?

IPC (Inter-Process Communication) facility provides a mechanism for processes to send and receive messages, allowing them to communicate and synchronize their actions.

What types of communication links can be established between processes?

Communication links can be either physical, like shared memory or hardware buses, or logical, such as logical properties in software.

What operations are provided by IPC facilities for communication?

IPC facilities provide two main operations: sending a message and receiving a message.

Can the size of messages exchanged between processes be fixed or variable?

Yes, the size of the messages exchanged between processes can either be fixed or variable, depending on the implementation.

What can the contents of the messages exchanged between processes include?

The contents of the messages can be anything mutually comprehensible to the processes, such as data, commands, or instructions.

What is required for processes A and B to communicate successfully?

For processes A and B to communicate, they need to establish a communication link and exchange messages using send or receive operations.

What are some examples of physical and logical communication links?

Examples of physical communication links include shared memory and hardware buses, while logical communication links include software-based logical properties.