järjestelmäprosessi

Järjestelmäprosessi, often translated as system process or operating system process, refers to an instance of a computer program that is being executed by one or more threads. It is the fundamental unit of resource allocation in modern operating systems. Each system process has its own virtual address space, including memory for code, data, and stack. It also possesses its own set of resources, such as file descriptors and system privileges.

When a program is launched, the operating system creates a new system process for it. This process is managed by the operating system's scheduler, which determines when and how much CPU time each process receives. Processes can interact with each other through various inter-process communication (IPC) mechanisms, such as pipes, message queues, and shared memory.

The concept of a system process is crucial for multitasking and resource management. It allows multiple programs to run concurrently on a single computer, each isolated from the others to prevent interference. The operating system is responsible for creating, managing, and terminating these processes, ensuring fair allocation of system resources and maintaining stability. Processes can be in various states, including running, ready, waiting, or terminated, depending on their current activity and resource availability. Understanding system processes is fundamental to comprehending how operating systems function and how applications are executed.