Interprocess Communication (IPC)

• Mechanism for processes to communicate and to synchronize their actions.
• Message system – processes communicate with each other without resorting to shared variables.

• IPC facility provides two operations:

1. send(message) – message size fixed or variable
2. receive(message)

• If P and Q wish to communicate, they need to:

1. establish a communication link between them
2. exchange messages via send/receive

• Implementation of communication link

1. physical (e.g., shared memory, hardware bus)
2. logical (e.g., logical properties)