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How Important Is A Bootstrap Program in The Computer System?

The document discusses several topics related to operating systems: 1. The importance of the bootstrap program which loads the operating system during startup. It performs tests and loads programs like GRUB, NTLDR, or LILO which initialize the OS. 2. Different ways to structure an operating system including monolithic, layered, microkernel, client-server, virtual machines, and exokernel. A monolithic system runs all code in kernel mode while layered systems separate functions into layers. 3. How a system could be designed to allow booting different operating systems. The bootstrap program would need to run a boot manager that determines which OS to load and provides the user a selection.

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Zcythea Shannen
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89 views3 pages

How Important Is A Bootstrap Program in The Computer System?

The document discusses several topics related to operating systems: 1. The importance of the bootstrap program which loads the operating system during startup. It performs tests and loads programs like GRUB, NTLDR, or LILO which initialize the OS. 2. Different ways to structure an operating system including monolithic, layered, microkernel, client-server, virtual machines, and exokernel. A monolithic system runs all code in kernel mode while layered systems separate functions into layers. 3. How a system could be designed to allow booting different operating systems. The bootstrap program would need to run a boot manager that determines which OS to load and provides the user a selection.

Uploaded by

Zcythea Shannen
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Del Rosario, Zcythea Shannen P.

Assignment#2
Operating Systems
1. How important is a bootstrap program in the computer system?
Bootstrapping is the process of loading a set of instructions when a computer is first
turned on or booted. During the startup process, diagnostic tests are performed,
such as the power-on self-test (POST), that set or check configurations for devices
and implement routine testing for the connection of peripherals, hardware and
external memory devices. The bootloader or bootstrap program is then loaded to
initialize the OS.
Typical programs that load the OS are:
GNU Grand Unified Bootloader (GRUB): A multiboot specification that allows the
user to choose one of several OSs
NT Loader (NTLDR): A bootloader for Microsoft’s Windows NT OS that usually runs
from the hard drive
Linux Loader (LILO): A bootloader for Linux that generally runs from a hard drive or
floppy disc
Network Interface Controller (NIC): Uses a bootloader that supports booting from a
network interface such as Etherboot or pre-boot execution environment (PXE)
Prior to bootstrapping a computer is said to start with a blank main memory. The
bootstrap allows the sequence of programs to load in order to initiate the OS. The
OS is the main program that manages all programs that run on a computer and
performs tasks such as controlling peripheral devices like a disc drive, managing
directories and files, transmitting output signals to a monitor and identifying input
signals from a keyboard.
Bootstrap can also refer to preparing early programming environments
incrementally to create more complex and user-friendly programming environments.
For example, at one time the programming environment might have consisted of an
assembler program and a simple text editor. Over time, gradual improvements have
led to today's sophisticated object-oriented programming languages and graphical
integrated development environments (IDEs).

2. Discuss the various ways of structuring an operating system.


A structure of an Operating System determines how it has been designed and how it
functions. There are numerous ways of designing a new structure of an Operating
system. In this post, we will learn about six combinations that have been tested and
tried. These six combinations are monolithic systems, layered systems, microkernels,
client-server models, virtual machines, and exokernels.

Monolithic System structure in an Operating System


In this organizational structure, the entire operating system runs as a single program
in the kernel mode. An operating system is a collection of various procedures linked
together in a binary file. In this system, any procedure can call any other procedure.
Since it is running in kernel mode itself, it has all the permissions to call whatever it
wants.
In terms of information hiding, there is none. All procedures are running in kernel
mode, so they have access to all modules and packages of other procedures.
However, using this approach without any restrictions can lead to thousands of
procedure calls, and this can lead to a messy system. For this purpose, the actual OS
is constructed in a hierarchy. All the individual procedures are compiled into a single
executable file using the system linker.
A.The main procedure that invokes the requested service procedures.
B. A set of service procedures that carry out system calls.
C. A set of utility procedures that help out the system procedures.

Layered Systems Structure in Operating Systems


As the name suggests, this system works in layers. It was designed by E.W. Dijkstra in
1968, along with some help from his students. This system was first implemented in
THE system built at the Technische Hogeschool Eindhoven in the Netherlands. The
THE system was a simple batch system for a Dutch computer, the Extralogica X8.

3. How could a system be designed to allow a choice of operating systems to


boot from? What would the bootstrap program need to do?
Consider a system that would like to run both Windows XP and three different
distributions of Linux (e.g., RedHat, Debian, and Mandrake). Each operating system
will be stored on disk. During system boot-up, a special program (which we will call
the boot manager) will determine which operating system to boot into. This means
that rather initially booting to an operating system, the boot manager will first run
during system startup. It is this boot manager that is responsible for determining
which system to boot into. Typically boot managers must be stored at certain
locations of the hard disk to be recognized during system startup. Boot managers
often provide the user with a selection of systems to boot into; boot managers are
also typically designed to boot into a default operating system if no choice is
selected by the user.
3. Given the I/O instructions are privileged, how do users perform I/O?
System call- the method used by a process to
request action by the operating system
Usually takes the form of a trap to a specific location in
the interrupt vector
Control passes through the interrupt vector to a service
routine in the OS, and the mode bit is set to monitor
mode.
The monitor verifies that the parameters are correct and
legal, executes the request, and returns control to the
instruction following system call.

5. What system calls have to be executed by a command interpreter or shell


in order to start a new process?
In Unix systems, a fork system call followed by an exec system call need to be
performed to start a new process.
CMPE 30103
Modified True or False. Write TRUE if the statement is valid and FALSE if
otherwise on the blank space provided. If the statement is FALSE, write down
the word or phrase that makes it wrong.
_______TRUE____1. The central processing unit houses all the internal
components of the computer and protects these sensitive components from
elements that may cause harm.
___TRUE____2. A hard disk functions as a storage media for the
computer system.
______TRUE_____3. Computer components are vulnerable to damage from
dust and spilled liquid.
__TRUE_____4. System calls allow user-level processes to request
services of the operating system.
_____TRUE__5. Bootstrap is a software-generated interrupt caused
either by an error or by a specific request from a user program that an
operating-system service be performed.

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