Banker's algorithm

<p>Banker's algorithm is a <a href="/facts/Resource_allocation/QmQWt2Yg">resource allocation</a> and <a href="/facts/Deadlock_(computer_science)/YDpdfnPP">deadlock</a> avoidance <a href="/facts/Algorithm/fnl5NmRt">algorithm</a> developed by <a href="/facts/Edsger_Dijkstra/910x0MjT">Edsger Dijkstra</a> that tests for safety by simulating the allocation of predetermined maximum possible amounts of all <a href="/facts/Resource_(computer_science)/bX958SEx">resources</a>, and then makes an "s-state" check to test for possible deadlock conditions for all other pending activities, before deciding whether allocation should be allowed to continue.
</p><p>The algorithm was  developed in the design process for the <a href="/facts/THE_(operating_system)/veVPCvhR">THE operating system</a> and originally described (in <a href="/facts/Dutch_language/yIB5lbsx">Dutch</a>) in EWD108. When a new process enters a system, it must declare the maximum number of instances of each resource type that it may ever claim; clearly, that number may not exceed the total number of resources in the system. Also, when a process gets all its requested resources it must return them in a finite amount of time.
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Banker's algorithm open-in-new

Banker's algorithm