What Is The Full Form Of FIFO?
The full form of FIFO is First In, First Out.
FIFO is a method of organizing, handling, and manipulating the data structure of elements in a computing system. It’s a type of data handling which prioritizes the processes that come first- meaning, it will first remove or append those elements that came first. FIFO follows a data structure of queue-type. As a result, the oldest element to encounter this operation stays at the front for processing (Imagine a ticket counter. That is how the FIFO operation works).
The oldest entry gets to be at the head of the queue. It is analogous to FCFS (first come, first serve). FIFO is opposite to LIFO (last in, first out), in which the system processes the youngest/ most recent (top of the stack) entry first.
FIFO Operations
FIFO needs to allow two fundamental operations:
- dequeue – It lets the system remove the first element from the container.
- enqueue – The system appends/adds elements to the end of the container.
Characteristics of FIFO
- FIFO implements a linear data structure known as the Queue.
- It inserts the new element below the existing one in the queue. This way, the oldest one stays on the top, making it easy to be taken out.
- The first process/element that enters this approach gets out first.
- Every element gets removed/added from the end. So there remain no criteria of hold and wait.
- The FIFO approach acts as an operating system (OS) algorithm. This way, every process gets CPU time in the order they arrive.
- It consumes a fixed amount of memory as the utilization of memory does not vary with each operation.
Applications of FIFO
- Disk scheduling – The disk controllers use FIFO in the Disk Scheduling Algorithms for deciding the processes that came first to know the sequence of execution.
- Data Structures – Various data structures like the Queue and its other variants use the FIFO approach to process data.
- Communications and networking – The data packets stay between the routers in the intended order using the FIFO technique. It basically helps the router determine the order in which the packets need to transfer to the computer system.
Uses of FIFO in Practice
- Programming – The abstract data type used in FIFO is called Queue.
- Logistics and Transportation – The material of the earliest date usually stock out first.
- Valuation Method – FIFO acts as the valuation method for inventory.
- ICT/ Operating Systems – The operating systems that use the FIFO indicate communication between various processes.
Benefits of FIFO
- The method is very easy to understand and implement.
- FIFO works well for many real-life applications in computing, accounting, programming, logistics, transportation, and many more.
- FIF is a fair method of operation for all the processes as it works on a first-come, first-serve (FCFS) basis.
- Every process gets CPU time. Thus, there’s no scope for starvation among them.
- The oldest element stays on the top so that the system can process it on priority without any fuss.
- The criteria of wait and hold don’t comply with FIFO.
Limitations of FIFO
- FIFO only supports a methodology of first-in, first-out without any exception or priority.
- It doesn’t break the linear queue to maintain fairness in the execution.
- The CPU cannot access any element randomly in any case.
- The effectiveness of this process is low.
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