What is the difference between deadlock and livelock?

What is the difference between deadlock and livelock?

Deadlock occurs when two or more processes are unable to proceed because each is waiting for the other to release resources. Livelock, on the other hand, happens when processes continuously change states in response to each other without making progress.

Can you give me an example of each?

Sure! In a deadlock, imagine two printers and two users: User A holds Printer 1 and waits for Printer 2, while User B holds Printer 2 and waits for Printer 1. In a livelock, two processes might keep changing their states to avoid conflict, but neither can proceed, like two people trying to pass each other in a narrow hallway.

How can we prevent deadlock?

Deadlock can be prevented by ensuring that at least one of the necessary conditions for deadlock cannot hold, such as by using resource allocation strategies like the Banker's algorithm or by implementing a timeout mechanism.

What about livelock? Is there a way to handle it?

Yes, livelock can be managed by introducing randomness in the processes' responses or by implementing back-off strategies, allowing processes to wait before retrying their actions.