3. Problems with buffers

There can be problems with some types of buffers.

One is 'buffer overflow'. This is when the buffer is full up and cannot accept any more data. When this happens, the application may crash or freeze. You have probably experienced this with a network printer. Sometimes when the whole class sends their work to print at the same time the printer suddenly stops printing anything and a red light starts to flash. The network technician then needs to clear the buffer before the printer can begin work again.

Another problem is 'buffer underflow' when the buffer is empty and yet the receiving application is still expecting data. For instance, if a DVD recorder runs out of data whilst recording a DVD then the disk will be unusable. The application controlling the buffer must make sure that it can handle overflow and underflow properly.