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Operating Systems A Concept Based Approa

The document reviews a book on operating systems that covers topics from historical context to modern concepts like distributed systems. It provides details on the book's organization across three parts and its 18 chapters that explain key operating system components and distributed computing issues.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
49 views2 pages

Operating Systems A Concept Based Approa

The document reviews a book on operating systems that covers topics from historical context to modern concepts like distributed systems. It provides details on the book's organization across three parts and its 18 chapters that explain key operating system components and distributed computing issues.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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JCS&T Vol. 9 No.

2 October 2009

Book Review/Thesis Overview:

Operating Systems. A concept-based approach, Second Edition


D.M. Dhamdhere
McGraw Hill, 2006
ISBN 0070611947

Dhananjav Dhamdhere is a professor and former Head of the Department of Computer


Sciences and Engineering of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Bombay. For
over than thirty years, he has been running courses about the book topics for graduates
and postgraduates, in India, as well as in the USA. He has done research works for Sun
Microsystems, Microsoft and Intel, and he is also counselor of Tata Consultancy
Services and Wipro.

The book deals with the topic of Operating Systems from and intuitive perspective and
then delves into more technical concepts, which makes it appropriate for a first
introductory course on the matter.

It includes a historical review of Operating Systems, covering as well the topic of


Distributed Systems, Real Time Systems and Multithread, thus incorporating the last
conceptual developments referred to the most modern systems.

It is divided into three parts. The first part includes the general approach regarding
Operating Systems (chap.2), and then continues with an explanation about processes
and thread (chap.3). From then onwards, he deals with the issue of planning (chap.4),
including Real Time and Unix planning. In chapter 5,
he addresses the issue of memory management, in chapter 6, he delves into the topic of
virtual memory and in chapter 7 he expands on the file system, where he analyzes
Unix, Linux and Windows. The first part is finally rounded off in chapter 8, which
covers the topics of Safety and Protection.

In the second part, he provides an insight into advanced issues such as Process
Synchronization (chap.9), where he explains the concept of Critical Section and the
solutions to it, such as Semaphores, Conditioned Critical Regions and Monitors, each
accompanied by a good explanation about how these mechanisms are used in Unix,
Linux and Windows. In chapter 10, the issue on Message Passing is explored, and
examples for Unix and Windows are provided. The issue of Mutual Blocking (chap.11)
and its solution and treatment is also explained.

Chapter 12 focuses on Operation on Files, Input Output, disk planning, Access methods
and disk caché, and, as with other topics, an explanation on its operation in Unix, Linux
and Windows is provided.

The level of updating of this book, with several examples on the most widely used
operating systems at present becomes evident in chapter 13, which explores the
synchronization and planning in multiprocessor operating systems. This second part,

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JCS&T Vol. 9 No. 2 October 2009

finishes with a study on the structure of Operating Systems, in monolithical ones, layer-
designed, virtual machine type, kernel and micro-kernel-based. He analyzes the
configuration and installation of a kernel and a description of the architecture of the
three operating systems that were used as examples throughout the book.

In the third part, the focus is laid upon distributed systems. Within this area, he studies
network protocols, distributed calculations and operating systems, as well as the
hardware, all from the distributed systems approach (chap. 15). In chapter 16, he deals
with topics related to time and status. The main computer’s clocks synchronization
algorithms are analyzed.

In chapter 17, he looks at the algorithms used in distributed control, for the management
of mutual blocking, mutual exclusion, planning, planning detection and leader choice.
Resources and process migration are also dealt with.

Chapter 18 is based on the retrieval and failure tolerance, always in distributed systems.
The issue of Byzantine Generals is also treated. He also introduces the concept of
resilience, which is a technique that allows for a low failure impact.

Chapter 19 addresses the topic of distributed systems, considering certain aspects such
as transparence and file sharing. Examples are shown using the Sun (NFS), Andrew and
Coda systems and Windows Server 2003 as well.

Finally, the author explores the safety of distributed files (chap.20). Topics such as
message security, message encryption, public and private key and digital signatures are
dealt with. The different types of attacks and their prevention are also analyzed, together
with Kerberos and SSL.

This book presents in a very thorough study on Operating Systems, considering what
can be dealt with in a single volume. Therefore, it can be used as a practical reference
book for a university course. The examples are updated and refer to the most used
systems at present. As regards more specific topics, it also contains good
bibliographical references at the end of each chapter. This bibliography is completely
up-to-date and if, at certain points, it makes reference to older bibliography, it is
because the topic has been appropriately developed in those books.

Fernando L. Romero
[email protected]

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