Ring buffers are First In First Out (FIFO) queues where the end of the buffer meets its beginning. Obviously, arrays in memory are never cyclic and have limited sizes. Therefore access functions to the ring are coded. Ring buffers are a key concept of Operating systems when it comes to managing various typical resources. More specifically, they allow practical implementations of queues and prevent troublesome behaviours once the end of the array is reached.
Author: Tiago Augusto Engel (tengel@inf.ufsm.br)
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