Understanding Round Robin Algorithm: 'A 'Fair Scheduling Approach

Round Robin (RR) is one of the simplest and most widely used scheduling algorithms, especially in operating systems and networking. It ensures fairness by allocating equal time slices (also called time quantum) to each process in a cyclic order.

How Round Robin Works?

1. A time quantum is defined (e.g., 10ms).
2. Processes are placed in a circular queue.
3. The CPU executes the first process for the time quantum.
4. If the process is not complete, it moves to the back of the queue.
5. The next process gets CPU time, and the cycle continues.

6. Key Advantages:

   ? Fairness: Every process gets a chance to execute.
   ? Preemptive: Prevents starvation by enforcing a time limit.
   ? Good for Time-Sharing Systems: Ensures smooth multitasking.

   Limitations:

   ? High Context Switching Overhead: Too many switches can slow performance.
   ? Inefficient for Long Tasks: Shorter processes finish quickly, but longer ones may experience delays.

Where is Round Robin Used?

• Operating System Process Scheduling (e.g., Windows, Linux).
• Load Balancing (e.g., distributing requests across servers).
• Packet Scheduling in Networking (e.g., router queues).

By balancing fairness and efficiency, Round Robin remains a key strategy in many computing environments! ??