Producer-Consumer Problem

Producer-Consumer Problem Visually

The Producer-Consumer problem is a classic synchronization problem in operating systems where producers generate data and place it into a buffer, while consumers remove data from the buffer. This visualization demonstrates how semaphores and mutual exclusion can be used to coordinate access to the shared buffer.

Process Synchronization Buffer Management Mutual Exclusion Semaphore Shared Memory

Producer-Consumer Process Diagram

Producer
Producers
P1
P2
P3
Shared Buffer
Size: 5 items
Consumer
Consumers
C1
C2
C3

Simulation Controls

Simulation Speed: Medium

Real-time Statistics

Items qy_
0
Total items qy_ by all producers
Items vJg
0
Total items vJg by all consumers
Items in Buffer
0
Current items waiting in buffer
Buffer Utilization
0%
Percentage of buffer currently used

Multiple Simulation Scenarios

Standard producer-consumer with mutex

Problem Solving Steps

1

Initialize Shared Resources

Create a fixed-size buffer and initialize semaphores for mutual exclusion and resource counting.

Buffer Init
2

Producer Process

Producers wait for an empty slot, acquire mutex, add item to buffer, release mutex, and signal that a slot is full.

Produce Item
3

Consumer Process

Consumers wait for a full slot, acquire mutex, remove item from buffer, release mutex, and signal that a slot is empty.

Consume Item
4

Synchronization

Semaphores ensure that producers don't overwrite data and consumers don't read empty slots, preventing race conditions.

Mutex Lock
Producer Process
Consumer Process
Shared Buffer