Operating Systems Deep Dive (Semaphores, Interrupts)

Question

A deep-dive round that goes below the algorithm into systems fundamentals. Expect OS and computer-architecture fundamentals tailored to your background.

What this round covers

• What a semaphore is; counting vs binary; mutex vs semaphore
• What an interrupt is and how the processor handles it (context save, ISR)
• Call by value vs reference in C
• Cache coherence (MESI) and false sharing

Tips

Build understanding from first principles. Bring real low-level debugging stories.