Deadlock

A deadlock occurs when two or more processes are unable to proceed because each is waiting for the other to release a resource. This situation commonly arises in multi-tasking systems, database management, and concurrent programming. Deadlocks are categorized into four conditions: mutual exclusion, hold-and-wait, no preemption, and circular wait.

To resolve deadlocks, strategies like deadlock prevention, avoidance, and detection are employed. Prevention removes one of the four conditions, while avoidance ensures that the system remains in a safe state by analyzing requests. Detection involves identifying deadlocks when they occur and recovering by terminating or restarting processes.

Beyond computing, deadlocks can manifest in everyday scenarios, such as traffic jams or impasses in negotiations. Addressing deadlocks requires careful planning, resource allocation, and robust management to ensure smooth and efficient operations.