Some myths about famous mutual exclusion algorithms

Abstract

Dekker's algorithm[9] is the historically first software solution to mutual exclusion problem for 2-process case. The first software solution for n -process case was subsequently proposed by Dijkstra[8]. These two algorithms have become de facto examples of mutual exclusion algorithms, for their historical importance. Since the publication of Dijkstra's algorithm, there have been many solutions proposed in the literature [24, 1, 2]. In that, Peterson's algorithm [21] is one among the very popular algorithms. Peterson's algorithm has been extensively analyzed for its elegance and compactness. This paper attempts to dispel the myths about some of the properties of these three remarkable algorithms, by a systematic analysis.