Chapter 1 Introduction to Operating Systems
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1. Operating Systems Overview- system Overview and Functions of operating systems
System Overview
An Operating System (OS) is system software that acts as an interface between the
user and the computer hardware.
● It is a collection of programs that manage the hardware.
● Acts as a resource manager and user interface.
● It helps in the execution of user programs.
📌 Components of a Computer System:
1. Hardware – Physical components like CPU, memory, I/O devices.
2. Operating System – Controls and coordinates use of hardware among various
applications.
3. Application Programs – Word processors, browsers, games, etc.
4. Users – People who use the system (directly or indirectly).
⚙️ Functions of Operating System
The OS performs many functions to manage system resources efficiently. Major
functions are:
1. Process Management
● A process is a program in execution.
● OS handles:
○ Process creation/deletion
○ Scheduling
○ Synchronization
○ Communication between processes
○ Deadlock handling
2. Memory Management
● Manages main memory (RAM).
● Keeps track of each byte (allocated/free).
● Allocates and deallocates memory spaces.
● Ensures efficient memory usage (paging, segmentation, etc.).
3. File Management:
● OS manages files on various storage devices.
● Tasks include:
○ Creating, deleting files
○ Opening, closing files
○ Reading/writing data
○ File permissions and access control
4. Device (I/O) Management:
● Manages all I/O devices like keyboard, mouse, printer.
● Uses device drivers.
● Provides a buffer, caching, spooling, etc.
5. Storage Management:
● Manages secondary storage like HDD/SSD.
● Allocates storage space, tracks free space.
● Maintains file systems (FAT, NTFS, ext4, etc.).
6. Security and Protection:
● Protects data and resources from unauthorized access.
● Provides:
○ User authentication (login)
○ Access control
○ Firewall, encryption support
7. User Interface (UI):
● Provides a Command-Line Interface (CLI) or Graphical User Interface (GUI).
● Allows users to interact with the system easily.
2. What Does an Operating System (OS) Do?
An Operating System (OS) is the most important software in a computer. It performs
several key tasks to make the computer system usable, secure, and efficient.
🔹 Main Functions of an Operating System:
1. Manages Hardware Resources
● Controls the CPU, memory, storage devices, and I/O devices.
● Makes sure each program gets the required resources.
2. Provides a User Interface
Allows users to interact with the system using:
○ Command Line Interface (CLI) like in Linux
○ Graphical User Interface (GUI) like in Windows
3. Runs Applications (Process Management)
● Loads and executes programs.
● Manages multiple tasks (multi-tasking).
● Allocates CPU time to different programs (scheduling).
4. Memory Management
● Keeps track of which part of memory is used and by whom.
● Allocates and frees memory for programs as needed.
5. File Management
● Organizes data in the form of files and folders.
● Manages file creation, reading, writing, and deletion.
6. Device Management
● Controls and coordinates input/output devices (keyboard, printer, etc.).
● Uses device drivers to communicate with hardware.
7. Security and Access Control
● Protects the system from unauthorized users.
● Controls access to programs, data, and hardware.
8. System Performance and Error Detection
● Monitors system health and performance.
● Detects and reports errors in hardware or software.
3. Operating system Operations:
The major operations of the operating system are process management, memory
management, device management and file management. These are given in detail as
follows:
Process Management
The operating system is responsible for managing the processes i.e assigning
the processor to a process at a time. This is known as process scheduling.
Memory Management
Memory management plays an important part in operating system. It deals with memory
and the moving of processes from disk to primary memory for execution and back
again.
Device Management
There are many I/O devices handled by the operating system such as mouse,
keyboard, disk drive etc. There are different device drivers that can be connected to the
operating system to handle a specific device.
File Management
Files are used to provide a uniform view of data storage by the operating system. All the
files are mapped onto physical devices that are usually non volatile so data is safe in
the case of system failure.
