GATE CSE 2015 | Set 3 | Question: 1

Question

The maximum number of processes that can be in $\textit{Ready}$ state for a computer system with $n$ CPUs is :

• A. $n$
• B. $n^2$
• C. $2^n$
• D. Independent of $n$

Comments

if question is about max number of processes in running state it will surely dependent on CPU at that time it will be n

@bikram sir check pls

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Yes. correct..

maximum number of processes in running state  will surely dependent on CPU at that time and at max it will be n for n number of cpu's.

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@Bikram Sir I have confusion with your statement and a particular line in Galvin(3.1.2, 7^th edition).

Only One process can be running on any processor at any instant. Many processes may be ready and waiting, however.

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@Auditi what’s there for confusion . If you have n CPU’s(multiprocessor) then at max n processes can be at running at n CPU’s because for each CPU one process will be in running state.

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the ready process can have any no. of processes

each running process can have only one process at a time

the wait state also can have any no. of processes

Answer 1

(D) independent of $n$.

The number of processes that can be in READY state depends on the Ready Queue size and is independent of the number of CPU's.

Comments

Sir, can we say the number of processes in ready queue depends on the memory size of the computer?

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Yes, 

The number of processes in ready queue depends on the memory size of the computer . When a process is  "waiting" , it has been loaded into main memory and is awaiting execution on a CPU . So main memory size define how many process must be in ready queue at any given point of time..

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@Ayush Upadhyaya 

can we say the number of processes in ready queue depends on the memory size of the computer?

I think it depends on various parameter and  main memory size could be one of them.

Answer 2

Option D (Answer), as number of processes is dependent on the size of Ready and Main memory.

Answer 3

The maximum number of processes that can be in ready  state for a computer system with N CPUs is

-> Independent of N.

Answer 4

          State                                       Minimum processes   Maximum processes

Ready	0	M
Running	0	N
Blocked/waiting	0	M

where M= total no of processes and N=no of CPU processors

Comments

@sutanay3

How is it possible that $M$ no. of processes will be in the ready queue. It can only be possible when all of these  $M$ no. of processes  are arriving at the same time. Otherwise less than  $M$ no. of processes will be present. So we must say  $\leq M$ no. of processes will be present

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In that chart, it is clearly specified that M number of processes can be present in Ready queue at MAXIMUM

Answer 5

The maximum number of process that can be in ready state depends on size of the ready queue. But if all the processes can be accommodated in ready queue then maximum of n-1(where n is the total number of processes available) process can be in ready queue as if there stay even a single program in ready queue the cpu has to run a program.

Answer 6

It will be n since we are talking about Ready State and not in CPU running state.