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Difference between Spooling and Buffering
Multitasking plays an important role in the context of defining the performance of a computer. Multitasking decides how processes are divided and performed by the CPU between different inputoutput subsystems. In order to process multiple tasks most efficiently, computer systems use various methods to schedule the tasks, speed up calculations and improve Web browsing among which Spooling and buffering are the primary methods.
In this article, we will discuss the major differences between spooling and buffering. But before going into the differences, let's have a basic overview of spooling and buffering so that it will become easier to understand how they are different from each other.
What is Spooling?
Spooling, an acronym of Simultaneous Peripheral Operation On-line (SPOOL), puts data into a temporary working area so it can be accessed and processed by another program or resource. It overlaps the input and output of a specific task with the execution of another task.
Spooling considers the disk as a huge spool. More specifically, spooling is a specialized form of multiprogramming used for copying data between different devices. Spooling is a more efficient process than buffering because it allows the CPU and other IO devices to work simultaneously. Thus, spooling increases the overall performance of the system.
What is Buffering?
Buffering is an act of storing data temporarily in the buffer. It helps in matching the speed of the data stream between the sender and receiver. It overlaps the input and output of a specific job with the execution of the same job. But, buffering uses a limited area in the main memory.
Similar to spooling, buffering doesn't have any expansion. Buffering helps to rectify the issue of speed mismatch between producers and consumers of the data streams.
Difference between Spooling and Buffering
The following table highlights the important differences between Spooling and Buffering −
| Parameter | Spooling | Buffering |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Spooling, an acronym of Simultaneous Peripheral Operation On-line (SPOOL), puts data into a temporary working area so it can be accessed and processed by another program or resource. | Buffering is an act of storing data temporarily in the buffer. It helps in matching the speed of the data stream between the sender and receiver. |
| Internal implementation | Spooling overlaps the input and output of one job with the computation of another job. | Buffering overlaps the input and output of one job with the computation of the same job. |
| Resource requirement | Spooling requires less resource management as compare to buffering as different resources manages the process for specific jobs. | Buffering requires more resource management as compare to spooling as same resource manages the process of same divided job. |
| Processor | Spooling can also process data at the remote sites. The spooler only has to notify when a process gets completed at the remote site so that spooler can spool next process to the remote side device. | Buffering does not support remote processing. |
| Efficient | Spooling is more efficient than buffering. | Buffering is less efficient than spooling. |
| Size on memory | It considers the disk as a huge spool or buffer. | Buffering uses a limited area in the main memory. |
Conclusion
The most significant difference that you should note here is that spooling is a special form of multiprogramming used for copying data between different devices, while buffering is a process of storing data temporarily in the main memory while processing other data.
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