CMU Computer Systems: Exceptional Control Flow (Exceptions and Processes)

Control Flow

• Processors do only one thing
  • Simply read and execute a sequence of instructions, one at a time
  • The sequence is the CPU’s control flow

Altering the Control Flow

• Mechanism
  • Jumps and branches
  • Call and return
• Difficulty
  • Data arrives from a disk or a network adapter
  • Instruction divides by zero
  • User hits Ctrl-C at the keyboard
  • System timer expires

Exceptional Control Flow

• Low level mechanisms
  • Exceptions
    • Change in control flow in response to a system event
    • Implemented using combination of hardware and OS software
• Higher level mechanisms
  • Process context switch
    • Implemented by OS software and hardware timer
  • Signals
    • Implemented by OS software
  • Nonlocal jumps
    • Implemented by C runtime library

Exceptions

• An exception is a transfer of control to the OS kernel in response to some event (i.e., change in processor state)
  • Kernel is the memory-resident part of the OS
  • Examples of events: Divide by 0, arithmetic overflow, page fault, I/O, request completes, typing Ctrl-C

Exception Tables

• Each type of event has a unique exception number k
• k = index into exception table
• Handler k is called each time exception k occurs

Asynchronous Exceptions (Interrupts)

• Caused by events external to the processor
  • Indicated by setting the processor’s interrupt pin
  • Handler returns to “next” instruction
• Caused by events that occur as a result of executing an instruction
  • Traps
    • Intentional
    • Returns control to “next” instruction
  • Faults
    • Unintentional but possibly recoverable
    • Either re-executes faulting (“current”) instruction or aborts
  • Aborts
    • Unintentional and unrecoverable
    • Aborts current program

Processes

• A process is an instance of a running program
  • One of the most profound ideas in computer science
  • Not the same as “program” or “processor”
• Process provides each program with two key abstractions
  • Logical control flow
    • Each program seems to have exclusive use of the CPU
    • Provided by kernel mechanism called context switching
  • Private address space
    • Each program seems to have exclusive use of main memory
    • Provided by kernel mechanism called virtual memory

Multiprocessing: The Traditional Reality

• Single processor executes multiple processes concurrently
• Save current registers in memory
• Load saved registers and switch address space (context)

Concurrent Processes

• Each process is a logical control flow
• Two processes run concurrently if their flows overlap in time
• Otherwise, they are sequential

Context Switching

• Processes are managed by a shared chunk of memory-resident OS code called the kernel
  • Important: the kernel is not a separate process, but rather runs as part of some existing process
• Control flow passes from one process to another via a context switch

Creating and Terminating Processes

• Running
  • Process is either executing, or waiting to be executed and will eventually be scheduled by the kernel
• Stopped
  • Process execution is suspended and will not be scheduled until further notice
• Terminated
  • Process is stopped permanently

Terminating Processes

• Process becomes terminated for one of three reasons
  • Receiving a signal whose default actions is to terminate
  • Returning from the main routine
  • Calling the exit function

Reaping Child Processes

• Idea
  • When process terminates, it still consumes system resources
  • Called a “zombie”
    • Living corpse, half alive and half dead
• Reaping
  • Performed by parent on terminated child
  • Parent is given exit status information
  • Kernel then deletes zombie child process
• What if parent doesn’t reap
  • If any parent terminates without reaping a child, then the orphaned child will be reaped by init process
  • So, only need explicit reaping in long-running processes

Summary

• Exceptions
  • Events that require nonstandard control flow
  • Generated externally (interrupts) or internally (traps and faults)
• Processes
  • At any given time, system has multiple active processes
  • Only one can execute at a time on a single core, though
  • Each process appears to have total control of processor + private memory space
• Spawning processes
  • Call fork
  • One call, two returns
• Process completion
  • Call exit
  • One call, no return
• Reaping and waiting for processes
  • Call wait or waitpid
• Loading and running programs
  • Call execve (or variant)
  • One call, (normally) no return