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Optimizing Context Switches in the Linux Kernel: Hidden Performance Leverage
1. What Context Switching Really Costs Every time the kernel performs a context switch — moving execution from one thread to another — the CPU flushes registers, updates the program counter, and reloads process metadata. This is not “free multitasking.” It burns thousands of CPU cycles.When the switch rate spikes, cache locality is destroyed…
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Kernel Locking and Concurrency Pitfalls in Operating Systems
In modern operating systems, concurrency isn’t optional — it’s fundamental. Multiple threads and processes access shared resources constantly: memory, I/O, scheduling queues, filesystem metadata. Without strict synchronization, the kernel becomes a war zone of race conditions, data corruption, and unpredictable crashes. The kernel sits at the lowest level of control. If a locking mistake…