Child Process

What does Child Process mean?

In computing, a child process is a process that is created by another process, called the parent process. The child process inherits resources from the parent process, such as memory space and file descriptors, but it has its own independent execution context and can run concurrently with the parent process.

To create a child process, the parent process typically uses the fork() system call, which duplicates the parent process’s memory space and creates a new process with its own unique process ID (PID). The child process then begins executing from the point where the fork() call was made in the parent process.

Child processes are often used to perform tasks in Parallel, such as performing calculations, handling user input, or communicating with other processes. By creating multiple child processes, a single parent process can distribute its workload across multiple cores or processors, improving overall performance.

Child processes provide several advantages over multithreading, another technique for running multiple tasks concurrently within a single process. Firstly, child processes are isolated from each other, meaning that a failure in one child process will not affect the other child processes or the parent process. Secondly, child processes can be easily terminated or replaced if necessary, without affecting the parent process.

Applications

Child processes have a wide range of applications in technology today, including:

• Parallel computing: Child processes can be used to distribute computationally intensive tasks across multiple cores or processors, significantly reducing execution time.
• Input/output operations: Child processes can be used to handle user input or perform file input/output operations, allowing the parent process to continue executing without blocking.
• Background tasks: Child processes can be used to run background tasks, such as Updating software or performing data analysis, without interfering with the user’s current operations.
• Communication between processes: Child processes can be used to establish communication channels between different processes, allowing them to exchange data and coordinate their actions.
• Sandboxing: Child processes can be used to create isolated environments for running untrusted code or performing potentially dangerous operations, preventing any adverse effects on the parent process.

History

The concept of child processes originated in the Multics operating system in the 1960s. Multics introduced the fork() system call, which allowed a process to create a duplicate of itself and continue executing concurrently.

Over time, the fork() system call and the concept of child processes were adopted by other operating systems, including UNIX and its derivatives. Child processes became an essential part of process management and concurrency in operating systems, providing a flexible and efficient way to run multiple tasks simultaneously.

In modern operating systems, child processes are extensively used for parallel computing, input/output operations, background tasks, and other applications requiring concurrent execution and isolation.