TO

ICT
PROJECT
AN OPERATING
SYSTEM
Introduction
An operating system acts as an intermediary between the user of a
computer and computer hardware. The purpose of an operating
system is to provide an environment in which a user can execute
programs conveniently and efficiently . 
An operating system is a software that manages computer hardware.
The hardware must provide appropriate mechanisms to ensure the
correct operation of the computer system and to prevent user
programs from interfering with the proper operation of the system

Operating System – Definition: 

 
 An operating system is a program that controls the execution of
application programs and acts as an interface between the user of
a computer and the computer hardware.
 A more common definition is that the operating system is the one
program running at all times on the computer (usually called the
kernel), with all else being application programs.
 An operating system is concerned with the allocation of resources
and services, such as memory, processors, devices, and
information. The operating system correspondingly includes
programs to manage these resources, such as a traffic controller, a
scheduler, a memory management module, I/O programs, and a
file system.
 An Operating System (OS) is an interface between a computer user
and computer hardware. An operating system is a software which
performs all the basic tasks like file management, memory
management, process management, handling input and output, and
controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printer
 It is a software that works as an interface between a user and the
computer hardware. The primary objective of an operating
system is to make computer system convenient to use and to utilize
computer hardware in an efficient manner. The operating system
performs the basic  tasks such as receiving input from the
keyboard, processing instructions and sending output to the screen.
 Fig Structures of Operating System

FUNCTIONS OF OPERATING SYSTEM

Let us discuss the function of the operating system (OS) in detail.
Security
The operating system uses a password protection to protect user data
it also prevents unauthorized access to programs and user data, but
for external functionality we need to install malware software to
protect the system.
Control over system performance
The operating system monitors overall system setup to help in
improving the performance and it also records the response time
between service requests and system response so that it has a
complete view of the system. This can help improve performance by
providing important information that is needed at the time of
troubleshooting problems.
Job Accounting
Operating systems always keep track of time and resources that are
used by various tasks and users, this information can be used to track
resource usage for a particular user or a group of users.
Error detecting aids
Operating systems constantly monitor the system which helps us to
detect errors and also avoid the malfunctioning of computer systems.
Coordination between other software and users
Operating systems help in coordinate and assign interpreters,
compilers, assemblers, and other software to the various users of the
computer systems.
Memory Management
The operating system controls the primary memory or main memory.
Primary memory is a large array of bytes or words where each byte or
word is assigned a certain address. It is a fast storage, and it can be
accessed directly by the CPU which is present inside the system. If a
program wants to be executed, it should be first loaded in the main
memory.
The following activities are performed by operating system for
memory management −
 It keeps track of primary memory.
 Memory addresses that have already been allocated and the
memory addresses of the memory that has not yet been used.
 In multiprogramming, the OS decides for how long the process
must stay and the order in which processes are granted access to
memory.
 It allocates the memory to a process when the process requests it
and deallocates the memory when the process has terminated.
Processor Management
The OS manages the order in which processes have access to the
processor, and how much processing time that each process must stay
in the multiprogramming environment. This is called process
scheduling.
The following activities are performed by operating system for
processor management −
 Keeps track of the status of processes.
 The program to track the status is known as traffic controller.
 It allocates the CPU and deallocates the processor when it is not
required.
Device Management
An OS manages device communication through respective drivers.
The following activities are performed by the operating system for
device management.
 Keeping track of all devices connected to the system.
 The OS designates a program that is responsible for every device
which is
called the Input/output controller.
 It decides which process gets access to which device and for
how long. It then allocates the devices in an effective and
efficient way and de-allocates devices when they are not
required.
File Management
A file system is arranged into directories for efficient navigation and
usage. These directories contain other directories and other files.
The following activities are performed by operating system for file
management activities −
 It keeps track of where information is stored, user access settings
and status of every file and more.
 These facilities are called the file system.

Fig Functions of the Operatig System

Features of Operating System

Here is the list of features of operating system.

1. Provides a platform for running applications

2. Handles memory management and CPU scheduling
3. Provides file system abstraction
4. Provides networking support
5. Provides security features
6. Provides user interface
7. Provides utilities and system services
8. Supports application development

Fig. Features of Operating System

Types Of Operating System
1. Batch Operating System – 
This type of operating system does not interact with the computer
directly. There is an operator which takes similar jobs having the
same requirement and group them into batches. It is the
responsibility of the operator to sort jobs with similar needs.

Advantages of Batch Operating System: 

 It is very difficult to guess or know the time required for any job
to complete. Processors of the batch systems know how long the
job would be when it is in queue
 Multiple users can share the batch systems
 The idle time for the batch system is very less
 It is easy to manage large work repeatedly in batch systems

Disadvantages of Batch Operating System:  

 The computer operators should be well known with batch systems
 Batch systems are hard to debug
 It is sometimes costly
 The other jobs will have to wait for an unknown time if any job
fails

Examples of Batch based Operating System: Payroll System,

Bank Statements, etc. 
2. Time-Sharing Operating Systems – 
Each task is given some time to execute so that all the tasks work
smoothly. Each user gets the time of CPU as they use a single
system. These systems are also known as Multitasking Systems. The
task can be from a single user or different users also. The time that
each task gets to execute is called quantum. After this time interval is
over OS switches over to the next task. 

Advantages of Time-Sharing OS:  

 Each task gets an equal opportunity
 Fewer chances of duplication of software
 CPU idle time can be reduced
Disadvantages of Time-Sharing OS:  
 Reliability problem
 One must have to take care of the security and integrity of user
programs and data
 Data communication problem
Examples of Time-Sharing OSs are: Multics, Unix, etc

3. Distributed Operating System – 

These types of the operating system is a recent advancement in the
world of computer technology and are being widely accepted all over
the world and, that too, with a great pace. Various autonomous
interconnected computers communicate with each other using a
shared communication network. Independent systems possess their
own memory unit and CPU. These are referred to as loosely coupled
systems or distributed systems. These system’s processors differ in
size and function. The major benefit of working with these types of
the operating system is that it is always possible that one user can
access the files or software which are not actually present on his
system but some other system connected within this network i.e.,
remote access is enabled within the devices connected in that
network

Advantages of Distributed Operating System:  

 Failure of one will not affect the other network communication, as
all systems are independent from each other
 Electronic mail increases the data exchange speed
 Since resources are being shared, computation is highly fast and
durable
 Load on host computer reduces
 These systems are easily scalable as many systems can be easily
added to the network
 Delay in data processing reduces

Disadvantages of Distributed Operating System:  

 Failure of the main network will stop the entire communication
 To establish distributed systems the language which is used are
not well defined yet
 These types of systems are not readily available as they are very
expensive. Not only that the underlying software is highly
complex and not understood well yet
Examples of Distributed Operating System are- LOCUS, etc. 

4. Network Operating System – 

These systems run on a server and provide the capability to manage
data, users, groups, security, applications, and other networking
functions. These types of operating systems allow shared access of
files, printers, security, applications, and other networking functions
over a small private network. One more important aspect of Network
Operating Systems is that all the users are well aware of the
underlying configuration, of all other users within the network, their
individual connections, etc. and that’s why these computers are
popularly known as tightly coupled systems. 
 

Advantages of Network Operating System:  

 Highly stable centralized servers
 Security concerns are handled through servers
 New technologies and hardware up-gradation are easily integrated
into the system
 Server access is possible remotely from different locations and
types of systems
Disadvantages of Network Operating System:  
 Servers are costly
 User has to depend on a central location for most operations
 Maintenance and updates are required regularly

Examples of Network Operating System are: Microsoft Windows

Server 2003, Microsoft Windows Server 2008, UNIX, Linux, Mac
OS X, Novell NetWare, and BSD, etc. 

5. Real-Time Operating System – 

These types of OSs serve real-time systems. The time interval
required to process and respond to inputs is very small. This time
interval is called response time. 
Real-time systems are used when there are time requirements that
are very strict like missile systems, air traffic control systems, robots,
etc. 
Two types of Real-Time Operating System which are as follows: 
 Hard Real-Time Systems: 
These OSs are meant for applications where time constraints are
very strict and even the shortest possible delay is not acceptable.
These systems are built for saving life like automatic parachutes
or airbags which are required to be readily available in case of any
accident. Virtual memory is rarely found in these systems.
 Soft Real-Time Systems: 
These OSs are for applications where for time-constraint is less
strict.
 

Advantages of RTOS:  
 Maximum Consumption: Maximum utilization of devices and
system, thus more output from all the resources
 Task Shifting: The time assigned for shifting tasks in these
systems are very less. For example, in older systems, it takes
about 10 microseconds in shifting one task to another, and in the
latest systems, it takes 3 microseconds.
 Focus on Application: Focus on running applications and less
importance to applications which are in the queue.
 Real-time operating system in the embedded system: Since the
size of programs are small, RTOS can also be used in embedded
systems like in transport and others.
 Error Free: These types of systems are error-free.
 Memory Allocation: Memory allocation is best managed in these
types of systems.

Disadvantages of RTOS:  
 Limited Tasks: Very few tasks run at the same time and their
concentration is very less on few applications to avoid errors.
 Use heavy system resources: Sometimes the system resources
are not so good and they are expensive as well.
 Complex Algorithms: The algorithms are very complex and
difficult for the designer to write on.
 Device driver and interrupt signals: It needs specific device
drivers and interrupts signals to respond earliest to interrupts.
 Thread Priority: It is not good to set thread priority as these
systems are very less prone to switching tasks.

Examples of Real-Time Operating Systems are: Scientific

experiments, medical imaging systems, industrial control systems,
weapon systems, robots, air traffic control systems, etc.
.