COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS AND NETWORKING

UNIT-4 OPERATING SYSTEM

 Operating System:

An Operating System (OS) is a software that acts as an interface

between computer hardware components and the user. Every
computer system must have at least one operating system to run other
programs. Applications like Browsers, MS Office, Notepad Games,
etc., need some environment to run and perform its tasks.

The OS helps you to communicate with the computer without

knowing how to speak the computer’s language. It is not possible for
the user to use any computer or mobile device without having an
operating system.

Introduction to Operating
System

 History of
OS:
 Operating systems were first developed in the late 1950s to
manage tape storage

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 The General Motors Research Lab implemented the first OS in

the early 1950s for their IBM 701
 In the mid-1960s, operating systems started to use disks
 In the late 1960s, the first version of the Unix OS was developed
 The first OS built by Microsoft was DOS. It was built in 1981
by purchasing the 86-DOS software from a Seattle company
 The present-day popular OS Windows first came to existence in
1985 when a GUI was created and paired with MS-DOS.

 Types of Operating System (OS):

Although the fundamental roles of an operating system are

ubiquitous, there are countless operating systems that serve a wide
range of hardware and user needs.

 General-purpose operating system:

Some computer processes are very lengthy and time-consuming. To

speed the same process, a job with a similar type of needs are batched
together and run as a group. The user of a batch operating system
never directly interacts with the computer. In this type of OS, every
user prepares his or her job on an offline device like a punch card and
submit it to the computer operator.

A general-purpose OS represents an array of operating systems

intended to run a multitude of applications on a broad selection of

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hardware, enabling a user to run one or more applications or tasks

simultaneously. A general-purpose OS can be installed on many
different desktop and laptop models and run applications from
accounting systems to databases to web browsers to games. General-
purpose operating systems typically focus on process (thread) and
hardware management to ensure that applications can reliably share
the wide range of computing hardware present.

Common desktop operating systems include the following:

 Windows is Microsoft's flagship operating system, the de facto

standard for home and business computers. Introduced in 1985,
the GUI-based OS has been released in many versions since
then. The user-friendly Windows 95 was largely responsible for
the rapid development of personal computing.
 Mac OS is the operating system for Apple's Macintosh line of
PCs and workstations.
 UNIX is a multiuser operating system designed for flexibility
and adaptability. Originally developed in the 1970s, UNIX was
one of the first operating systems to be written in the C
language.
 Linux is a Unix-like operating system that was designed to
provide PC users a free or low-cost alternative. Linux has a
reputation as an efficient and fast-performing system.

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 Mobile operating system:

Mobile operating systems are those OS which is especially that are

designed to power smartphones, tablets, and wearable’s devices.

Some most famous mobile operating systems are Android and iOS,
but others include BlackBerry, Web, and watch OS.

Mobile operating systems are designed to accommodate the unique

needs of mobile computing and communication-centric devices, such
as smartphones and tablets. Mobile devices typically offer limited
computing resources compared to traditional PCs, and the OS must be
scaled back in size and complexity in order to minimize its own
resource use, while ensuring adequate resources for one or more
applications running on the device. Mobile operating systems tend to
emphasize efficient performance, user responsiveness and close
attention to data handling tasks, such as supporting media streaming.
Apple iOS and Google Android are examples of mobile operating
systems.

 Embedded operating system:

Not all computing devices are general purpose. A huge assortment of

dedicated devices -- including home digital assistants, automated
teller machines (ATMs), airplane systems, retail point of sale (POS)

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terminals and internet of things (IoT) devices -- includes computers

that require an operating system. The principal difference is that the
associated computing device only does one major thing, so the OS is
highly stripped down and dedicated to both performance and
resilience. The OS should run quickly, not crash, and handle all errors
gracefully in order to continue operating in all circumstances. In most
cases, the OS is provided on a chip that is incorporated into the actual
device. A medical device used in a patient's life support equipment,
for example, will employ an embedded OS that must run reliably in
order to keep the patient alive. Embedded Linux is one example of an
embedded OS.

 Network operating system:

A network operating system (NOS) is another specialized OS

intended to facilitate communication between devices operating on a
local area network (LAN). A NOS provides the communication stack
needed to understand network protocols in order to create, exchange
and decompose network packets. Today, the concept of a specialized
NOS is largely obsolete because other OS types largely handle
network communication. Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019, for
example, include comprehensive networking capabilities. The concept
of a NOS is still used for some networking devices, such as routers,
switches and firewalls, and manufacturers may employ proprietary
NOSes, including Cisco Internetwork Operating System (IOS),
Router OS and ZyNOS.

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 Real-time operating system: A real time operating system time

interval to process and respond to inputs is very small.
Examples: Military Software Systems, Space Software Systems
are the Real time OS example.

When a computing device must interact with the real world within
constant and repeatable time constraints, the device manufacturer may
opt to use a real-time operating system (RTOS). For example, an
industrial control system may direct the operations of a sprawling
factory or power plant. Such a facility will produce signals from
myriad sensors and also send signals to operate valves, actuators,
motors and countless other devices. In these situations, the industrial
control system must respond quickly and predictably to changing real-
world conditions -- otherwise, disaster may result. An RTOS must
function without buffering, processing latencies and other delays,
which are perfectly acceptable in other types of operating systems.
Two examples of RT OSes include Free RTOS and Vx Works.

The differences between operating system types are not absolute, and
some operating systems can share characteristics of others. For
example, general-purpose operating systems routinely include the
networking capabilities found in a traditional NOS. Similarly, an
embedded operating system commonly includes attributes of an
RTOS, while a mobile operating system can still typically run
numerous apps simultaneously like other general-purpose operating
systems.

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 Multi-Tasking/Time-sharing Operating systems:

Time-sharing operating system enables people located at a different

terminal (shell) to use a single computer system at the same time. The
processor time (CPU) which is shared among multiple users is termed
as time sharing.

 Distributed Operating System:

Distributed systems use many processors located in different

machines to provide very fast computation to its users.

 Network Operating System:

Network Operating System runs on a server. It provides the capability

to serve to manage data, user, groups, security, application, and other
networking functions.

 Functions of Operating System:

Some typical operating system functions may include managing

memory, files, processes, I/O system & devices, security, etc.

Below are the main functions of Operating System:

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Functions of Operating System

In an operating system software performs each of the function:

1. Process management: Process management helps OS to create

and delete processes. It also provides mechanisms for
synchronization and communication among processes.

2. Memory management: Memory management module performs

the task of allocation and de-allocation of memory space to
programs in need of this resources.

3. File management: It manages all the file-related activities such

as organization storage, retrieval, naming, sharing, and
protection of files.

4. Device Management: Device management keeps tracks of all

devices. This module also responsible for this task is known as

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the I/O controller. It also performs the task of allocation and de-
allocation of the devices.

5. I/O System Management: One of the main objects of any OS

is to hide the peculiarities of that hardware devices from the
user.

6. Secondary-Storage Management: Systems have several levels

of storage which includes primary storage, secondary storage,
and cache storage. Instructions and data must be stored in
primary storage or cache so that a running program can
reference it.

7. Security: Security module protects the data and information of a

computer system against malware threat and authorized access.

8. Command interpretation: This module is interpreting

commands given by the acting system resources to process that
commands.

9. Networking: A distributed system is a group of processors

which do not share memory, hardware devices, or a clock. The
processors communicate with one another through the network.
10. Job accounting: Keeping track of time & resource used
by various job and users.

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11. Communication management: Coordination and

assignment of compilers, interpreters, and another software
resource of the various users of the computer systems.

 Features of Operating System (OS)

Here is a list important features of OS:

 Protected and supervisor mode

 Allows disk access and file systems Device drivers Networking
Security
 Program Execution
 Memory management Virtual Memory Multitasking
 Handling I/O operations
 Manipulation of the file system
 Error Detection and handling
 Resource allocation
 Information and Resource Protection

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 Advantage of Operating System:

 Allows you to hide details of hardware by creating an

abstraction
 Easy to use with a GUI
 Offers an environment in which a user may execute
programs/applications
 The operating system must make sure that the computer system
convenient to use
 Operating System acts as an intermediary among applications
and the hardware components
 It provides the computer system resources with easy to use
format

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 Acts as an intermediate between all hardware’s and software’s

of the system

 Disadvantages of Operating System:

 If any issue occurs in OS, you may lose all the contents which
have been stored in your system
 Operating system’s software is quite expensive for small size
organization which adds burden on them. Example Windows
 It is never entirely secure as a threat can occur at any time

 Kernel in Operating System:

The kernel is the central component of a computer operating systems.

The only job performed by the kernel is to the manage the
communication between the software and the hardware. A Kernel is at
the nucleus of a computer. It makes the communication between the
hardware and software possible. While the Kernel is the innermost
part of an operating system, a shell is the outermost one.

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Introduction to Kernel

 Features of Kernel:

 Low-level scheduling of processes

 Inter-process communication
 Process synchronization
 Context switching

 Types of Kernel:

There are many types of kernels that exists, but among them, the two
most popular kernels are:

1. Monolithic

A monolithic kernel is a single code or block of the program. It

provides all the required services offered by the operating system. It is

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a simplistic design which creates a distinct communication layer

between the hardware and software.

2. Microkernels

Microkernel manages all system resources. In this type of kernel,

services are implemented in different address space. The user services
are stored in user address space, and kernel services are stored under
kernel address space. So, it helps to reduce the size of both the kernel
and operating system.

 Difference between Firmware and Operating System:

Firmware Operating System

Define Operating System: OS

Define Firmware: Firmware is one kind of
provides functionality over and above
programming that is embedded on a chip in
that which is provided by the
the device which controls that specific device.
firmware.

Firmware is programs that been encoded by

OS is a program that can be installed
the manufacture of the IC or something and
by the user and can be changed.
cannot be changed.

It is stored on non-volatile memory. OS is stored on the hard drive.

Parameters 32. Bit 64. Bit

Architecture and Allow 32 bit of data processing Allow 64 bit of data

Software simultaneously processing simultaneously

Compatibility 32-bit applications require 32-bit 64-bit applications require

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OS and CPUs. a 64-bit OS and CPU.

All versions of Windows 8, Windows XP Professional,

Systems
Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Vista, 7, Mac OS X and
Available
Windows XP, Linux, etc. Linux.

64-bit systems allow a

32-bit systems are limited to 3.2
Memory Limits maximum 17 Billion GB
GB of RAM.
of RAM.

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