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 trains on the same track facing each other, unable to move. In a livelock, think of two people trying to pass each other in a narrow hallway, constantly stepping aside for the other but never getting past.

How can we prevent deadlocks?

Deadlocks can be prevented by ensuring that at least one of the necessary conditions for deadlock cannot hold, such as avoiding circular wait or implementing resource allocation strategies like the Banker's algorithm.

What about livelock prevention?

To prevent livelock, systems can implement randomized backoff strategies or priority schemes to ensure that processes do not continuously change states without making progress.