Operating Systems:

Internals and Design Principles, 6/E

Chapter 2
Operating System Overview

Dave Bremer
Otago Polytechnic, N.Z.
©2008, Prentice Hall
 Roadmap
– Operating System Objectives/Functions
– The Evolution of Operating Systems
– Major Achievements
– Developments Leading to Modern Operating
Systems
– Microsoft Windows Overview
– UNIX Systems
– Linux
 Operating System
• A program that controls the execution of
application programs
• An interface between applications and
hardware
• Main objectives of an OS:
– Convenience
– Efficiency
– Ability to evolve
Layers and Views
 Services Provided
by the Operating System
• Program development
– Editors and debuggers.
• Program execution
– OS handles scheduling of numerous tasks
required to execute a program
– User interface
• Access I/O devices
– Each device will have unique interface
– OS presents standard interface to users
 Services cont…
• Controlled access to files
– Accessing different media but presenting a
common interface to users
– Provides protection in multi-access systems
• System access
– Controls access to the system and its
resources
 Services cont…
• Error detection and response
– Internal and external hardware errors
– Software errors
– Operating system cannot grant request of
application
• Accounting
– Collect usage statistics
– Monitor performance
 The Role of an OS
• A computer is a set of resources for the
movement, storage, and processing of
data.
• The OS is responsible for managing these
resources.
 Operating System
as Software
• The OS functions in the same way as an
ordinary computer software
– It is a program that is executed by the CPU
• Operating system relinquishes control of
the processor
 OS as
Resource Manager
 Evolution of Operating
Systems
• Operating systems will evolve over time
– Hardware upgrades plus new types of
hardware
– New services
– Fixes
 Roadmap
– Operating System Objectives/Functions
– The Evolution of Operating Systems
– Major Achievements
– Developments Leading to Modern Operating
Systems
– Microsoft Windows Overview
– UNIX Systems
– Linux
 Evolution of
Operating Systems
• It may be easier to understand the key
requirements of an OS by considering the
evolution of Operating Systems
• Stages include
– Serial Processing
– Simple Batch Systems
– Multiprogrammed batch systems
– Time Sharing Systems
 Serial Processing
• No operating system
• Machines run from a console with display
lights, toggle switches, input device, and
printer
• Problems include:
– Scheduling
– Setup time
 Simple batch system
• Early computers were extremely
expensive
– Important to maximize processor utilization
• Monitor
– Software that controls the sequence of events
– Batch jobs together
– Program returns control to monitor when
finished
 Monitor’s perspective
• Monitor controls the
sequence of events
• Resident Monitor is software
always in memory
• Monitor reads in job and
gives control
• Job returns control to monitor
 Job Control Language
• Special type of programming language to
control jobs
• Provides instruction to the monitor
– What compiler to use
– What data to use
 Desirable Hardware
Features
• Memory protection for monitor
– Jobs cannot overwrite or alter
• Timer
– Prevent a job from monopolizing system
• Privileged instructions
– Only executed by the monitor
• Interrupts
 Modes of Operation
• User Mode
– User program executes in user mode
– Certain areas of memory protected from user
access
– Certain instructions may not be executed
• Kernel Mode
– Monitor executes in kernel mode
– Privileged instructions may be executed, all
memory accessible.
 Multiprogrammed
Batch Systems
• CPU is often idle
– Even with automatic job sequencing.
– I/O devices are slow compared to processor
 Uniprogramming
• Processor must wait for I/O instruction to
complete before preceding
 Multiprogramming
• When one job needs to wait for I/O, the
processor can switch to the other job
Multiprogramming
Example
Utilization Histograms
 Time Sharing Systems
• Using multiprogramming to handle multiple
interactive jobs
• Processor’s time is shared among multiple
users
• Multiple users simultaneously access the
system through terminals
Batch Multiprogramming
vs. Time Sharing
 Early Example: CTSS
• Compatible Time-Sharing System (CTSS)
– Developed at MIT as project MAC
• Time Slicing:
– When control was passed to a user
– User program and data loaded
– Clock generates interrupts about every 0.2
sec
– At each interrupt OS gained control and could
assign processor to another user
CTSS Operation
 Problems and Issues
• Multiple jobs in memory must be protected
from each other’s data
• File system must be protected so that only
authorised users can access
• Contention for resources must be handled
– Printers, storage etc
 Roadmap
– Operating System Objectives/Functions
– The Evolution of Operating Systems
– Major Achievements
– Developments Leading to Modern Operating
Systems
– Microsoft Windows Overview
– UNIX Systems
– Linux
 Major Advances
• Operating Systems are among the most
complex pieces of software ever
developed
• Major advances include:
– Processes
– Memory management
– Information protection and security
– Scheduling and resource management
– System
 Process
• Fundamental to the structure of OS’s
• A process is:
– A program in execution
– An instance of a running program
– The entity that can be assigned to and
executed on a processor
– A single sequential thread of execution, a
current state, and an associated set of system
resources.
 Unix Process
Inherited Properties
• user and group ids • signal masks
• process group id • close-on-exec flag
• controlling terminal • environment
• setuid flag • shared memory
• current working • resource limits
directory
• root directory (chroot)
• file creation mask
 Causes of Errors when
Designing System Software
• Error in designing an OS are often subtle
and difficult to diagnose
• Errors typically include:
– Improper synchronization
– Failed mutual exclusion
– Non-determinate program operation
– Deadlocks
 Components of
a Process
• A process consists of
– An executable program
– Associated data needed by the program
– Execution context of the program (or “process
state”)
• The execution context contains all
information the operating system needs to
manage the process
Process Management
 Memory Management
• The OS has 5 principal storage
management responsibilities
– Process isolation
– Automatic allocation and management
– Support of modular programming
– Protection and access control
– Long-term storage
 Virtual Memory
• File system implements long-term store
• Virtual memory allows programs to
address memory from a logical point of
view
– Without regard to the limits of physical
memory
 Paging
• Allows process to be comprised of a
number of fixed-size blocks, called pages
• Virtual address is a page number and an
offset within the page
• Each page may be located any where in
main memory
Virtual Memory
Virtual Memory
Addressing
 Information Protection
and Security
• The problem involves controlling access to
computer systems and the information
stored in them.
• Main issues are:
– Availability
– Confidentiality
– Data integrity
– Authenticity
 Scheduling and
Resource Management
• Key responsibility of an OS is managing
resources
• Resource allocation policies must
consider:
– Fairness
– Differential responsiveness
– Efficiency
Key Elements of an
Operating System
 System Structure
• View the system as a series of levels
• Each level performs a related subset of
functions
• Each level relies on the next lower level to
perform more primitive functions
• This decomposes a problem into a number
of more manageable subproblems
OS Design Hierarchy
 Roadmap
– Operating System Objectives/Functions
– The Evolution of Operating Systems
– Major Achievements
– Developments Leading to Modern
Operating Systems
– Microsoft Windows Overview
– UNIX Systems
– Linux
 Different Architectural
Approaches
• Various approaches have been tried,
categories include:
– Microkernel architecture
– Multithreading
– Symmetric multiprocessing
– Distributed operating systems
– Object-oriented design
 Microkernel Architecture
• Most early OS are a monolithic kernel
– Most OS functionality resides in the kernel.
• A microkernel assigns only a few essential
functions to the kernel
– Address spaces
– Interprocess communication (IPC)
– Basic scheduling
 Multithreading
• Process is divided into threads that can
run concurrently
• Thread
– Dispatchable unit of work
– executes sequentially and is interruptible
• Process is a collection of one or more
threads
 Symmetric
multiprocessing (SMP)
• An SMP system has
– multiple processors
– These processors share same main memory
and I/O facilities
– All processors can perform the same
functions
• The OS of an SMP schedules processes
or threads across all of the processors.
 SMP Advantages
• Performance
– Allowing parallel processing
• Availability
– Failure of a single process does not halt the
system
• Incremental Growth
– Additional processors can be added.
• Scaling
Multiprogramming and
Multiprocessing
 Distributed
Operating Systems
• Provides the illusion of
– a single main memory space and
– single secondary memory space
• Early stage of development
 Object-oriented design
• Used for adding modular extensions to a
small kernel
• Enables programmers to customize an
operating system without disrupting
system integrity
 Roadmap
– Operating System Objectives/Functions
– The Evolution of Operating Systems
– Major Achievements
– Developments Leading to Modern Operating
Systems
– Microsoft Windows Overview
– UNIX Systems
– Linux
 Single-User
Multitasking
• From Windows 2000 on Windows
development developed to exploit modern
32-bit and 64-bit microprocessors
• Designed for single users who run multiple
programs
• Main drivers are:
– Increased memory and speed of
microprocessors
– Support for virtual memory
Windows Architecture
 Client/Server Model
• Windows OS, protected subsystem, and
applications all use a client/server model
– Common in distributed systems, but can be
used internal to a single system
• Processes communicate via RPC
 Windows Objects
• Windows draws heavily on the concepts of
object-oriented design.
• Key Object Oriented concepts used by
Windows are:
– Encapsulation
– Object class and instance
 Roadmap
– Operating System Objectives/Functions
– The Evolution of Operating Systems
– Major Achievements
– Developments Leading to Modern Operating
Systems
– Microsoft Windows Overview
– UNIX Systems
– Linux
Description of UNIX
Traditional UNIX Kernel
System V Release 4
(SVR4)
 Roadmap
– Operating System Objectives/Functions
– The Evolution of Operating Systems
– Major Achievements
– Developments Leading to Modern Operating
Systems
– Microsoft Windows Overview
– UNIX Systems
– Linux
 Modular
Monolithic Kernel
• Although monolithic, the kernel is
structures as a collection of modules
– Loadable modules
– An object file which can be linked and
unlinked at run time
• Characteristics:
– Dynamic Linking
– Stackable modules
Linux Kernel Modules
Linux Kernel
Components