How to Solve Producer-Consumer Problem?

A Quick Guide

Tired of waiting in line at the store? Frustrated with the slow pace of the cashier?  Producer-Consumer Problem is similar, except it happens in the world of computer programming.

Imagine a buffer with N slots, where each slot can hold one unit of data. Two processes, a Produce & a Consumer operate on the buffer.   

Problem Statement

To ensure data synchronization, there are certain restrictions/conditions for both the Producer and the Consumer.  Wondering what are these conditions?

How to solve Producer consumer problem?

For solving the producer-consumer problem, three semaphores are used:    - m(mutex)   - empty()   - full

1. Check if there are empty buffer slots.  2. If empty, acquire the lock to access the buffer.  3. Add data to the buffer.  4. Release the lock & signal that the slot is now filled.  

Algorithm of Producer Code

1. Check if the buffer contains some item.  2. If yes, acquire the lock to access the buffer.  3. Removes the data from buffer.  4. Release the lock & signal that there is an empty slot in buffer.

Algorithm of Consumer Code

Click on the link below to start your journey.

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