Windows® Internals, Sixth Edition, Part 1

Thread Scheduling

This section describes the Windows scheduling policies and algorithms. The first subsection provides a condensed description of how scheduling works on Windows and a definition of key terms. Then Windows priority levels are described from both the Windows API and the Windows kernel points of view. After a review of the relevant Windows utilities and tools that relate to scheduling, the detailed data structures and algorithms that make up the Windows scheduling system are presented, including a description of common scheduling scenarios and how thread selection, as well as processor selection, occurs.

Overview of Windows Scheduling

Windows implements a priority-driven, preemptive scheduling system—at least one of the highest-priority ...