Process Relationships A relationship between processes in which each has a section of code that must not execute while another process is executing its own such section is called what?

Introduction / Context:
When processes or threads share resources, they must coordinate access to avoid inconsistent states. The core requirement is that critical sections do not overlap, a property known as mutual exclusion (often shortened to “mutex”).

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Processes have critical sections that access shared state.
• We seek the name of the required relationship/condition between them.

Concept / Approach:
Mutual exclusion is the property that only one process at a time can be in its critical section with respect to a particular resource. It is enforced using mechanisms like locks, semaphores, monitors, or atomic instructions.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Identify the critical regions in each process.Apply a synchronization primitive to ensure no overlap in those regions.Verify that interleavings cannot cause races or inconsistencies.

Verification / Alternative check:
Testing under load should show that only one thread enters the critical region at a time for the protected resource and data remains consistent.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Semaphores (Option A) are one technique to implement mutual exclusion, not the relationship itself.Multiprogramming/Multitasking (Options C/D) describe general execution modes, not the exclusivity requirement.

Common Pitfalls:

• Using coarse-grained locks that hurt performance.
• Forgetting to guard all accesses to the resource, leading to residual races.

Final Answer:
Mutual exclusion.