Broadcom SDE Interview Questions and Answers

Endianess refers to the order in which bytes are stored in memory. Little endian stores the least significant byte first.

• Check the byte order of a multi-byte integer value

• Use a test value with known byte order to determine the system's endianess

• Check the system's documentation or specifications

• Use a code snippet to determine the endianess

Function pointers can be shared across processes using inter-process communication mechanisms like shared memory, pipes, sockets, etc.

• Function pointers can be stored in shared memory regions that are accessible by multiple processes.

• Processes can communicate with each other using pipes or sockets and pass function pointers as arguments.

• Remote Procedure Call (RPC) mechanisms can also be used to share function pointers a...read more

Binder is a mechanism for inter-process communication in Android.

• Binder allows different processes to communicate with each other.

• It is used for implementing Android's IPC (Inter-Process Communication) system.

• Binder uses a client-server model where the client sends requests to the server and the server responds with the requested data.

• It is used for sharing data between different components of an Android application.

• Bi...read more

sysctrl is a system control utility used to manage system settings and configurations.

• sysctrl is used to manage system settings and configurations such as network settings, power management, and hardware configurations.

• It can be used to start, stop, and restart system services.

• sysctrl is commonly used in Linux and Unix-based operating systems.

• Examples of sysctrl commands include 'sysctrl -p' to reload all settings from...read more

Device tree is a data structure used to describe hardware components in a system and their interconnections.

• Device tree is used in embedded systems to provide a standardized way of describing hardware components.

• It is written in a language called Device Tree Source (DTS) and compiled into a binary format called Device Tree Blob (DTB).

• The device tree is loaded by the bootloader and used by the kernel to configure the ha...read more

4 IPCs used in user level process in Linux

• Message Queues - allows processes to exchange data through messages

• Shared Memory - allows processes to share a portion of memory

• Semaphores - used for synchronization between processes

• Pipes - allows communication between two related processes

Inter-process communication mechanisms like pipes, sockets, message queues, shared memory can be used to call a function from one user process to another.

• Use pipes to establish a unidirectional communication channel between two processes.

• Use sockets to establish a bidirectional communication channel between two processes.

• Use message queues to send messages between processes.

• Use shared memory to share data between proce...read more

Program with 2 threads printing even and odd numbers in sequence. How to make it SMP safe?

• Use mutex locks to ensure only one thread accesses the shared resource (the number to be printed) at a time

• Use condition variables to signal when it's safe for the other thread to access the shared resource

• Use atomic variables to ensure that the shared resource is accessed atomically

• Use thread-safe data structures to store the sha...read more

Use bitwise operations to find the sum of two numbers without using mathematical operators.

• Use bitwise XOR to find the sum of two numbers without carrying.

• Use bitwise AND and left shift to find the carry.

• Repeat the process until there is no carry left.

To delete a node from a linked list when only given a reference to the node, we can copy the data of the next node to the given node and delete the next node.

• Copy the data of the next node to the given node

• Update the next pointer of the given node to skip the next node

• Delete the next node

UDP is preferred over TCP in this project due to its low latency and lightweight nature.

• UDP is a connectionless protocol, which means it does not establish a direct connection between the sender and receiver.

• UDP is faster than TCP as it does not have the overhead of establishing and maintaining a connection.

• UDP is suitable for applications where real-time data transmission is crucial, such as video streaming or online ...read more

To clear the 7th bit in a 32-bit register, perform a bitwise AND operation with a mask that has all bits set to 1 except the 7th bit.

• Create a mask with the 7th bit set to 0 and all other bits set to 1

• Perform a bitwise AND operation between the register and the mask

• Store the result back in the register

Need more context. What needs to be done with the large rectangle?

• What are the dimensions of the rectangle?

• Is it a 2D or 3D object?

• What is the context of the problem?

• Are there any constraints or limitations?

• What tools or programming languages can be used?

Derive a formula to determine how many smaller rectangles fit into a bigger rectangle given their dimensions.

• Calculate the number of times the smaller rectangle can fit into the bigger rectangle horizontally and vertically

• Divide the width of the bigger rectangle by the width of the smaller rectangle to get the horizontal count

• Divide the height of the bigger rectangle by the height of the smaller rectangle to get the ve...read more

At least 4 points are required to draw a rectangle.

• A rectangle has 4 sides and 4 corners, so at least 4 points are needed to define those corners.

• The points must be arranged in a specific order to form a closed shape with 4 sides.

• Additional points can be used to add details or modify the shape of the rectangle.

• The number of points required may vary depending on the software or tool used to draw the rectangle.

Answering how to calculate new coordinates of a scaled rectangle and providing a program for it.

• To calculate new coordinates, multiply the original coordinates by the scaling factor

• Scaling factor can be calculated by dividing the new length/breadth by the original length/breadth

• Program can take input of original coordinates, scaling factor, and output new coordinates

• Example: Original coordinates: (0,0), (0,5), (5,5), (...read more

The question asks to fill the blanks in a pyramid where each number is the sum of the numbers in the bottom two cells.

• Start from the bottom row and work your way up, calculating the sum of the numbers in the bottom two cells for each blank space.

• Use a loop to iterate through each row and column of the pyramid.

• Store the calculated sum in the corresponding blank space.

• Repeat the process until all the blanks are filled.

Moore's Law is the observation that the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles about every two years.

• Named after Intel co-founder Gordon Moore

• First stated in 1965

• Has been a driving force behind technological advancements

• Predicts exponential growth in computing power

• Has been challenged in recent years due to physical limitations

A process is an instance of a program while a thread is a subset of a process.

• A process has its own memory space while threads share memory space

• Processes are heavyweight while threads are lightweight

• Processes communicate through inter-process communication while threads communicate through shared memory

• Examples of processes include web browsers, text editors, etc. while examples of threads include GUI updates, backgro

Multi-core processors provide faster and more efficient computing.

• Improved performance and speed

• Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously

• Reduced power consumption

• Better multitasking capabilities

• Enhanced user experience

• Examples: Intel Core i7, AMD Ryzen 9

I am a software engineer with a loving family.

• I have been working as a software engineer for 5 years.

• My wife is a teacher and we have two children.

• We enjoy spending time together outdoors and traveling.

• My parents live in a different state but we keep in touch regularly.

• Family is very important to me and I prioritize spending time with them.

Developed a web-based project management tool and a mobile app for tracking expenses

• Created a responsive UI using React and Bootstrap

• Implemented user authentication and authorization using Firebase

• Integrated Google Maps API for location tracking in the mobile app

• Used Node.js and MongoDB for backend development

• Collaborated with a team of four to complete the projects

I have 5 years of experience in software engineering with expertise in Java and Python.

• Developed and maintained web applications using Java and Spring framework

• Designed and implemented RESTful APIs using Python and Flask

• Worked on database management and optimization using MySQL and MongoDB

• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality software products

• Participated in code reviews and provided construc

My academic interests include computer science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.

• Computer science

• Artificial intelligence

• Machine learning

Explain Big O notation

• Big O notation is used to describe the time complexity of an algorithm

• It helps us understand how the algorithm's performance changes with input size

• O(1) means constant time, O(n) means linear time, O(n^2) means quadratic time

• We want algorithms with lower Big O values for better performance

I am open to relocation based on the job opportunity and growth prospects.

• Open to relocation for the right opportunity

• Willing to move for career growth

• Flexible with location based on job requirements

Yes, I would love to have a pizza slice!

• I am a big fan of pizza and would never say no to a slice!

• Pizza is the perfect food for any occasion, whether it's a quick lunch or a late-night snack.

• I particularly enjoy pepperoni and mushroom pizza, but I'm open to trying new toppings as well.