Operating Systems: Concurrent and Distributed Software Design

14.2. Use of files for common data

Processes do not need to share memory in order to be able to access shared files. File access is slow, however, compared with accessing data in main memory. This method of sharing information is therefore only appropriate where high-speed inter-process interaction is not required. A pipelined compiler is likely to use this method of sharing information. In this case the concurrency is coarse grained: a great deal of work is done in each phase and the output is naturally placed in a temporary file. All that is required as an IPC mechanism is a means by which the phases can synchronize.

Some operating systems only provide for a file to be open for exclusive writing or shared reading. Again, this is appropriate ...