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Operating System 1

An operating system manages files, devices, processes, memory, and accounting on a computer. It is responsible for file management, allocating and deallocating resources, starting and stopping processes, and keeping track of system usage.

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Jefferson Yague
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11 views

Operating System 1

An operating system manages files, devices, processes, memory, and accounting on a computer. It is responsible for file management, allocating and deallocating resources, starting and stopping processes, and keeping track of system usage.

Uploaded by

Jefferson Yague
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is an Operating System?

• The operating system is the most important program that runs on a computer.
• Operating system is an interface between computer and user.
• It is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing
of the resources of the computer.

Function of Operating System


1. File Management
An operating system’s (OS) primary function is to manage files and folders.
Operating systems are responsible for managing the files on a computer. This
includes creating, opening, closing, and deleting files. The operating system is also
responsible for organizing the files on the disk.
Think of your computer as a project manager. A project manager manages the whole
team, checks the working of all the team members, provide resources, facilitate
things for teams members in the same way operating system will be responsible for
checking ongoing processes, providing resources when required and ensuring that
everything is in order. This could also include managing which files and folders are
stored on the computer and who has access to them.
The OS also handles file permissions, which dictate what actions a user can take on
a particular file or folder. For example, you may have the ability to read a file but not
edit or delete it. This prevents unauthorized users from accessing or tampering with
your files.

Tasks of Operating System


 Keeps track of location and status of files.

 Allocating and deallocating resources.


 Decides which resource to be assigned to which file.

Besides this OS helps in:


1. Creating a file: The operating system provides a graphical user interface
or command-line interface that allows users to create new files. In a
graphical user interface-
1. You can right-click on a folder or desktop and select “New”
2. Choose the type of file you want to create, such as a text file or
a Microsoft Word document. Alternatively, you can use a
command-line interface and type commands to create files.

2. Editing a file: Once a file has been created, you can use various tools
like word processor and applications to edit it provided by operating
system.

3. Updating a file: The operating system provides the facility to edit the file
and also tracks changes made to the file and updates the file metadata
accordingly.

4. Deleting a file: The operating system provides the facility to delete the
file that you no longer need. OS moves the file to the recycle bin or trash
folder, where it can be restored if necessary, or permanently deletes the
file from the storage device.
2. Device Management
Operating systems provide essential functions for managing devices connected to a
computer. These functions include allocating memory, processing input and output
requests, and managing storage devices. This device could be a keyboard, mouse,
printer, or any other devices you may have connected.
An operating system will provide you with options to manage how each device
behaves. For example, you can set up your keyboard to type in a specific language
or make it so that the mouse only moves one screen at a time.
You can also use an operating system to install software and updates for your
devices and manage their security settings.

The operating system does the following tasks:


 Allocating and deallocating devices to different processes.

 Keeps records of all the devices attached to the computer.


 Decides which device to be allocated to which process and for how much
time.

3. Process Management
The operating system’s responsibility is to manage the processes running on your
computer. This includes starting and stopping programs, allocating resources, and
managing memory usage. The operating system ensures that the programs running
on your computer should be compatible. It’s also responsible for enforcing program
security, which helps to keep your computer safe from potential attacks.
How do Operating systems manage all processes?
Each process is given a certain amount of time to execute, called a quantum. Once a
process has used its quantum, the operating system interrupts it and provides
another process with a turn. This ensures that each process gets a fair share of the
CPU time.

The operating system manages processes by doing the following task:


 Allocating and deallocating the resources.

 Allocates resources such that the system doesn’t run out of resources.
 Offering mechanisms for process synchronization.
 Helps in process communication (inter communication).

4. Memory Management
One of the most critical functions of an operating system is memory management.
This is the process of keeping track of all different applications and processes
running on your computer and all the data they’re using.
This is especially important on computers with a limited amount of memory, as it
ensures that no application or process takes up too much space and slows down
your computer. The operating system can move data around and delete files to
make more space.

Operating systems perform the following tasks-


 Allocating/deallocating memory to store programs.
 Deciding the amount of memory that should be allocated to the
program.
 Memory distribution while multiprocessing.
 Update the status in case memory is freed
 Keeps record of how much memory is used and how much is unused.

When a computer starts up, the operating system loads itself into memory and then
manages all the other running programs. It checks how much memory is used and
how much is available and makes sure that executing programs do not interfere with
each other.

5. Job Accounting
An operating system’s (OS) job accounting feature is a powerful tool for tracking how
your computer’s resources are being used. This information can help you pinpoint
and troubleshoot any performance issues and identify unauthorized software
installations.
Operating systems keep track of which users and processes use how many
resources. This information can be used for various purposes, including keeping tabs
on system usage, billing users for their use of resources, and providing information
to system administrators about which users and processes are causing problems.
The operating system does the following tasks:
 Keeps record of all the activities taking place on the system.

 Keeps record of information regarding resources, memory, errors,


resources, etc.
 Responsible for Program swapping (in and out) in memory
 Keeps track of memory usage and accordingly assigns memory
 Opening and closing and writing to peripheral devices.
 Creating a file system for organizing files and directories.

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