Final answer:
The kernel dispatcher uses the policy of hard affinity in assigning threads to processors in a computer system.
Step-by-step explanation:
The subject of this question is Computers and Technology. The question is asking about the default policy used by the kernel dispatcher in assigning threads to processors.
In this context, the term kernel dispatcher refers to the part of an operating system that manages the scheduling and execution of tasks. The policy of hard affinity means that threads are bound to specific processors and cannot migrate to other processors.
For example, in a multi-core processor system, the kernel dispatcher may assign different threads to different cores, ensuring that each core is fully utilized and threads do not switch between cores frequently. This can improve performance by minimizing cache misses and reducing the overhead of thread migration. Specifically, it speaks to the kernel dispatcher's policy when assigning threads to processors. By default, many operating systems use a scheduling policy that either favors hard affinity—binding threads to specific processors—or a more flexible approach that may consider factors such as thread last execution location or processor load. Hard affinity can lead to better cache locality but might suffer from underutilisation of the processor resources when the affinity is too restrictive. The study of how operating systems handle these processes is typically explored at the college level within computer science or related courses.