What is the difference between priority inheritance and priority ceiling?

What is the difference between priority inheritance and priority ceiling?

Priority inheritance allows a lower-priority task to temporarily inherit the priority of a higher-priority task it is blocking. This helps to prevent priority inversion.

Can you explain priority ceiling in more detail?

Priority ceiling is a protocol that assigns a ceiling priority to a resource, which is the highest priority of any task that may lock it. This prevents lower-priority tasks from preempting higher-priority tasks that need access to the resource.

Which method is better for real-time systems?

It depends on the specific requirements of the system. Priority inheritance is simpler and can be effective, while priority ceiling can provide stronger guarantees against priority inversion.

Are there any drawbacks to using these methods?

Yes, priority inheritance can lead to increased blocking time, while priority ceiling can be more complex to implement and may lead to underutilization of resources.