What is barrier in operating system?

Answer 1

In an operating system, a barrier is a synchronization mechanism used to ensure that multiple threads or processes reach a certain point in execution before any of them can proceed. It effectively acts as a checkpoint; once all participating threads have reached the barrier, they can continue execution. Barriers are commonly used in parallel computing to coordinate tasks and ensure data consistency. By managing the timing of thread execution, barriers help prevent race conditions and improve overall performance in concurrent programming.