First-Come-First-Served (FCFS) Scheduling

First-Come-First-Served algorithm is the simplest scheduling algorithm is the simplest scheduling algorithm. Processes are dispatched according to their arrival time on the ready queue. Being a non-preemptive discipline, once a process has a CPU, it runs to completion. The FCFS scheduling is fair in the formal sense or human sense of fairness but it is unfair in the sense that long jobs make short jobs wait and unimportant jobs make important jobs wait.
FCFS is more predictable than most of other schemes since it offers time. FCFS scheme is not useful in scheduling interactive users because it cannot guarantee good response time. The code for FCFS scheduling is simple to write and understand. One of the major drawback of this scheme is that the average time is often quite long.

CHARACTERISTICS :
o Non-preemptive.
o Ready queue is a FIFO queue.
o Jobs arriving are placed at the end of queue.
o Dispatcher selects first job in queue and this job runs to completion of CPU burst.

Advantages:
- Simple.
- Low overhead.
Disadvantages:
- Inappropriate for interactive systems.
- Large fluctuations in average turnaround time are possible.

Example :
Process Burst Time
P1 24
P2 3
P3 3
Suppose that the processes arrive in the order: P1 , P2 , P3.
Waiting time for P1 = 0; P2 = 24; P3 = 27
Average waiting time: (0 + 24 + 27)/3 = 17

Suppose that the processes arrive in the order P2 , P3 , P1.
Waiting time for P1 = 6; P2 = 0; P3 = 3
Average waiting time: (6 + 0 + 3)/3 = 3
Much better than previous case.