Program Counter and PCB


 Program counter (PC) and process control block (PCB) are two important concepts in computer science and operating systems. Although they are related, they serve different purposes and have different characteristics.

A program counter is a register in a computer's central processing unit (CPU) that holds the address of the next instruction to be executed. It keeps track of the current instruction in a program and is incremented each time an instruction is executed. The program counter helps the CPU to execute instructions in the correct order, ensuring that the program runs as intended.

A process control block (PCB) is a data structure that contains information about a process. It is used by the operating system to manage and keep track of processes. A PCB contains information such as the process's state (running, blocked, etc.), its memory usage, and its scheduling information. The operating system uses this information to manage the process and make sure it runs efficiently.

In short, the program counter helps the CPU execute instructions while the process control block helps the operating system manage processes. Both are essential for the proper functioning of a computer system.

To sum up, Program counter is a register that holds the address of next instruction to be executed in CPU and PCB is a data structure that stores information about a process that is being executed by the Operating System. Program counter is used to keep track of the current instruction in a program, whereas PCB is used to manage and keep track of processes.

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