Lecture -1
Introducing
Operating Systems
Introduction
To understand an operating system is to begin to understand the
workings of an entire computer system, because the operating
system software manages each and every piece of hardware and
software.
This lecture briefly describes the workings of operating systems
on the simplest scale.
What Is an Operating System?
• The operating system software is the chief piece of software, the
portion of the computing system that manages all of the
hardware and all of the other software.
• It controls every file, every device, every section of main
memory, and every moment of processing time.
• It controls who can use the system and how. In short, the
operating system is the boss.
What Is an Operating System?
• Therefore, each time the user sends a command, the operating
system must make sure that the command is executed, or if it’s
not executed, it must arrange for the user to get a message
explaining the error.
• Remember: this doesn’t necessarily mean that the operating
system executes the command or sends the error message—but
it does control the parts of the system that do.
What Is an Operating System?
Platform Operating System
Telephones, tablets Android, iOS, Windows
Laptops, desktops Linux, Mac OS X, UNIX, Windows
Workstations, servers Linux, Mac OS X Server, UNIX, Windows Server
Mainframe computers Linux, UNIX, Windows, IBM z/OS
Supercomputers Linux, UNIX
A brief list of platforms and a few of the
operating systems designed to run on them.
Types of Operating Systems
• Batch
• Interactive
• Real-time
• Hybrid
• Embedded systems
Operating systems fall into several general categories
distinguished by the speed of their response and the method
used to enter data into the system. The five categories are
batch, interactive, real-time, hybrid, and embedded systems.
Types of Operating Systems
Batch systems: feature jobs that are entered as a whole and in
sequence. That is, only one job can be entered at a time, and once a job
begins processing, then no other job can start processing until the
resident job is finished.
Interactive systems: allow multiple jobs to begin processing and return
results to users with better response times than batch systems, but
interactive systems are slower than the real-time systems.
Real-time systems: are used in time-critical environments where
reliability is critical and data must be processed within a strict time limit.
Types of Operating Systems
Hybrid systems: are a combination of batch and interactive. They appear
to be interactive because individual users can enter multiple jobs or
processes into the system and get fast responses, but these systems
actually accept and run batch programs in the background when the
interactive load is light.
Embedded systems: computers that are physically placed inside the
products that they operate to add very specific features and capabilities. For
example, embedded systems can be found in automobiles, digital music
players, elevators, and pacemakers.
Operating System Components
The figure represents an operating system on a stand-alone
computer unconnected to a network. It shows the four
subsystem managers and the user interface.
Operating System Components
Because this component has specific elements, in both form and
function, it is often very different from one operating system to
the next—sometimes even between different versions of the
same operating system.
Operating System Managers
1) Memory Manager
2) Processor Manager Each manager works closely with
the other managers as each one
3) Device Manager performs its unique role.
4) File Manager
• Network Manager
An additional management task, networking, was not
always an integral part of operating systems.
Operating System Managers Basic Tasks
• Monitor the system’s resources
• Enforce the policies that determine what component
gets what resources, when, and how much
• Allocate the resources when appropriate
• Deallocate the resources when appropriate
Regardless of the system’s size or configuration, the four managers must
perform the above tasks while collectively keeping the system working
smoothly:
Main Memory Management
The Memory Manager is in charge of main memory, RAM.
The Memory Manager checks the validity of each request
for memory space, and if it is a legal request, allocates a
portion of memory that isn’t already in use.
RAM is the computer’s main memory and is sometimes
called “primary storage” to distinguish it from “secondary
storage,” where data is stored on hard drives or other devices.
Main Memory Management
• Another critical memory when the computer is powered
on is Read Only Memory. This ROM chip holds
software called firmware.
• The contents of the ROM chip are not erased when the
power is turned off, unlike the contents of RAM.
Main Memory Management
A critical responsibility of the Memory Manager is to
protect all of the space in main memory, particularly that
occupied by the operating system itself—it can’t allow any
part of the operating system to be accidentally or
intentionally altered because that would lead to instability
or a system crash.
Processor Management
• The Processor Manager decides how to allocate the central
processing unit (CPU); an important function of the Processor
Manager is to keep track of the status of each job, process,
thread, and so on.
• The Processor Manager is required to monitor the computer’s
CPU to see if it is busy executing a process or sitting idle as it
waits for some other command to finish execution.
Processor Management
The Processor Manager handles each process’s
transition, from one state of execution to another,
as it moves from the starting queue, through the
running state, and finally to the finish line.
Device Management
The Device Manager is responsible for connecting with
every device that’s available on the system and for
choosing the most efficient way to allocate each of these
printers, ports, disk drives, and more, based on the device
scheduling policies selected by the designers of the
operating system.
Device Management
Each device has its own software, called a device driver,
which contains the detailed instructions required by the
operating system to start that device, allocate it to a job,
use the device correctly, and deallocate it when it’s
appropriate.
A flash memory device is an example of secondary storage
because it doesn’t lose data when its power is turned off.
File Management
The File Manager keeps track of every file in the
system, including data files, program files,
utilities, compilers, applications, and so on.
File Management
When the File Manager allocates space on a
secondary storage device (such as a hard drive,
flash drive, archival device, and so on), it must do
so knowing the technical requirements of that
device.
Network Management
Operating systems with networking capability
have a fifth essential manager called the
Network Manager that provides a convenient
way for authorized users to share resources.
Network Management
To do so, this manager must take overall responsibility
for every aspect of network connectivity, including the
requirements of the available devices as well as files,
memory space, CPU capacity, transmission connections,
and types of encryption (if necessary).
Network Management
Networks can range from a small wireless system
that connects a game system to the Internet, to a
private network for a small business, to one that
connects multiple computer systems, devices, and
mobile phones to the Internet.
Network Management
Regardless of the size and complexity of the
network, these operating systems must be
prepared to properly manage the available
memory, CPUs, devices, and files.
User Interface (UI)
The user interface—the portion of the operating system
that users interact with directly—is one of the most
unique components of an operating system.
Two primary types are the graphical user interface
(GUI) and the command line interface.
User Interface (UI)
An example of the graphical user interface (GUI)
for Ubuntu Linux
User Interface (UI)
Using the Linux command line interface to show
a partial list of valid commands.
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