Shortest remaining time first is the preemptive version of the Shortest job first which we have discussed earlier where the processor is allocated to the job closest to completion. In SRTF the process with the smallest amount of time remaining until completion is selected to execute.

Characteristics of SRTF :

SRTF algorithm makes the processing of the jobs faster than SJF algorithm, given it's overhead charges are not counted.
The context switch is done a lot more times in SRTF than in SJF and consumes the CPU's valuable time for processing. This adds up to its processing time and diminishes its advantage of fast processing.

Advantages of SRTF :

In SRTF the short processes are handled very fast.
The system also requires very little overhead since it only makes a decision when a process completes or a new process is added.

Disadvantages of SRTF :

Like the shortest job first, it also has the potential for process starvation.
Long processes may be held off indefinitely if short processes are continually added.
To learn about how to implement this CPU scheduling algorithm, please refer to our detailed article on the shortest remaining time first.