CONTEXT SWITCH

Domain	Definition
Computing	Context switch When a multitasking operating system stops running one process and starts running another. Many operating systems implement concurrency by maintaining separate environments or "contexts" for each process. The amount of separation between processes, and the amount of information in a context, depends on the operating system but generally the OS should prevent processes interfering with each other, e.g. by modifying each other's memory. A context switch can be as simple as changing the value of the program counter and stack pointer or it might involve resetting the MMU to make a different set of memory pages available. In order to present the user with an impression of parallism, and to allow processes to respond quickly to external events, many systems will context switch tens or hundreds of times per second. (1996-12-18). Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Specialty Definition: Context switch

A context switch is the computing process of storing and restoring the state of a CPU (the context) such that multiple processes can share a single CPU resource. The context switch is an essential feature of a multitasking operating system. Context switches are usually computationally intensive and much of the design of operating systems is to optimize the use of context switches.

Context switches usually involve the following steps, assuming process P1 is running on the CPU and process P2 is the next process to run on the CPU:

Store the context of P1 somewhere in memory (usually on the stack of P1). The context of the CPU will contain the value of registers such as the program counter, processor control and general purpose registers.
Retrieve the context of P2 from memory (usually on the stack of P2).
Return to the location contained in the program counter (the line of code at which the original process was interrupted).

Some CPUs contain logic to allow several hardware contexts to simultaneously exist, eliminating the need to store and restore the CPU context to memory on context switch.

Frequency of Internet Keywords: CONTEXT SWITCH

Modern Translation: CONTEXT SWITCH

Language		Translations for "CONTEXT SWITCH"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Danish		kontekstskift. (various references)

Dutch		context-omschakeling. (various references)

Finnish		kontekstin vaihto. (various references)

French		dispositif de changement de contexte. (various references)

German		Schaltoperation. (various references)

Greek		διακόπτης συνάφειας. (various references)

Italian		commutazione del contesto. (various references)

Pig Latin		ontextcay itchsway

Portuguese		comutação do contexto. (various references)

Spanish		dispositivo de cambio de contexto. (various references)

Swedish		kontextbyte. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

Anagrams: CONTEXT SWITCH

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "c-c-e-h-i-n-o-s-t-t-t-w-x"
	-4 letters: tectonics.
	-5 letters: choicest, conceits, conchies, contexts, excitons, extincts, stenotic, technics, tectonic, tonetics, twitches.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.

CONTEXT SWITCH

Specialty Definition: CONTEXT SWITCH

Computing

Specialty Definition: Context switch

Crosswords: CONTEXT SWITCH

Frequency of Internet Keywords: CONTEXT SWITCH

context switch

Modern Translation: CONTEXT SWITCH

Danish

Dutch

Finnish

French

German

Greek

Italian

Pig Latin

Portuguese

Spanish

Swedish

Anagrams: CONTEXT SWITCH

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

INDEX

Expression	Frequency per Day
context switch	2
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.