11/28/23, 5:01 AM Types of Operating Systems - GeeksforGeeks

Types of Operating Systems

Pre-Requisite: What is an Operating System?

An Operating System performs all the basic tasks like managing files,
processes, and memory. Thus operating system acts as the manager of all the
resources, i.e. resource manager. Thus, the operating system becomes an
interface between the user and the machine. It is one of the most required
software that is present in the device.

Operating System is a type of software that works as an interface between the

system program and the hardware. There are several types of Operating
Systems in which many of which are mentioned below. Let’s have a look at
them.

Types of Operating Systems

There are several types of Operating Systems which are mentioned below.

Batch Operating System

Multi-Programming System
We use cookies to ensure you have the best browsing experience on our website. By using our site, you Got It !
Multi-Processing
acknowledge System
that you have read and understood our Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-operating-systems/ 1/16
11/28/23, 5:01 AM Types of Operating Systems - GeeksforGeeks

Multi-Tasking Operating System

Time-Sharing Operating System
Distributed Operating System
Network Operating System
Real-Time 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
groups them into batches. It is the responsibility of the operator to sort jobs
with similar needs.

Batch Operating System

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 the 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.

We use cookies to ensure you have the best browsing experience on our website. By using our site, you
Disadvantages
acknowledge that you of
haveBatch
read andOperating System
understood our Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-operating-systems/ 2/16
11/28/23, 5:01 AM Types of Operating Systems - GeeksforGeeks

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 Operating Systems: Payroll Systems, Bank Statements,

etc.

2. Multi-Programming Operating System

Multiprogramming Operating Systems can be simply illustrated as more than

one program is present in the main memory and any one of them can be kept in
execution. This is basically used for better execution of resources.

MultiProgramming

Advantages of Multi-Programming Operating System

Multi Programming increases the Throughput of the System.

It helps in reducing the response time.

Disadvantages of Multi-Programming Operating System

There is not any facility for user interaction of system resources with the
system.
We use cookies to ensure you have the best browsing experience on our website. By using our site, you
acknowledge that you have read and understood our Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-operating-systems/ 3/16
11/28/23, 5:01 AM Types of Operating Systems - GeeksforGeeks

3. Multi-Processing Operating System

Multi-Processing Operating System is a type of Operating System in which

more than one CPU is used for the execution of resources. It betters the
throughput of the System.

Multiprocessing

Advantages of Multi-Processing Operating System

Unveiling #SGITalks ������️Dive into

future sustainability trends and explore…

Saudi Green Initiative Learn more

It increases the throughput of the system.

As it has several processors, so, if one processor fails, we can proceed with
another processor.

We use cookies to ensure you have the best browsing experience on our website. By using our site, you
Disadvantages of Multi-Processing Operating System
acknowledge that you have read and understood our Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-operating-systems/ 4/16
11/28/23, 5:01 AM Types of Operating Systems - GeeksforGeeks

Due to the multiple CPU, it can be more complex and somehow difficult to
Aptitude Engineering Mathematics Discrete Mathematics Operating System DBMS Computer Networks Dig
understand.

Read Discuss Courses Video

4. Multi-Tasking Operating System

Multitasking Operating System is simply a multiprogramming Operating

System with having facility of a Round-Robin Scheduling Algorithm. It can run
multiple programs simultaneously.

There are two types of Multi-Tasking Systems which are listed below.

Preemptive Multi-Tasking
Cooperative Multi-Tasking

Multitasking

Advantages of Multi-Tasking Operating System

Multiple Programs can be executed simultaneously in Multi-Tasking

Operating System.
It comes with proper memory management.

Disadvantages of Multi-Tasking Operating System

Thetosystem
We use cookies ensure you gets
have theheated in case
best browsing of heavy
experience programs
on our website. multiple
By using our site, you times.
acknowledge that you have read and understood our Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-operating-systems/ 5/16
11/28/23, 5:01 AM Types of Operating Systems - GeeksforGeeks

5. 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 the 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.

Time-Sharing OS

Advantages of Time-Sharing OS

Each task gets an equal opportunity.

Fewer chances of duplication of software.
CPU idle time can be reduced.
Resource Sharing: Time-sharing systems allow multiple users to share
hardware resources such as the CPU, memory, and peripherals, reducing the
cost of hardware and increasing efficiency.
Improved Productivity: Time-sharing allows users to work concurrently,
thereby reducing the waiting time for their turn to use the computer. This
increased productivity translates to more work getting done in less time.
Improved User Experience: Time-sharing provides an interactive
environment that allows users to communicate with the computer in real
time,
We use cookies providing
to ensure you have a
thebetter userexperience
best browsing experience thanBybatch
on our website. processing.
using our site, you
acknowledge that you have read and understood our Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-operating-systems/ 6/16
11/28/23, 5:01 AM Types of Operating Systems - GeeksforGeeks

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.
High Overhead: Time-sharing systems have a higher overhead than other
operating systems due to the need for scheduling, context switching, and
other overheads that come with supporting multiple users.
Complexity: Time-sharing systems are complex and require advanced
software to manage multiple users simultaneously. This complexity
increases the chance of bugs and errors.
Security Risks: With multiple users sharing resources, the risk of security
breaches increases. Time-sharing systems require careful management of
user access, authentication, and authorization to ensure the security of data
and software.

Examples of Time-Sharing OS with explanation

IBM VM/CMS: IBM VM/CMS is a time-sharing operating system that was

first introduced in 1972. It is still in use today, providing a virtual machine
environment that allows multiple users to run their own instances of
operating systems and applications.
TSO (Time Sharing Option): TSO is a time-sharing operating system that
was first introduced in the 1960s by IBM for the IBM System/360 mainframe
computer. It allowed multiple users to access the same computer
simultaneously, running their own applications.
Windows Terminal Services: Windows Terminal Services is a time-sharing
operating system that allows multiple users to access a Windows server
remotely. Users can run their own applications and access shared resources,
such as printers and network storage, in real-time.

6. Distributed Operating System

These types of operating system is a recent advancement in the world of

We usecomputer technology
cookies to ensure and
you have the best areexperience
browsing being on widely accepted
our website. By using ourall over
site, you the world and,
acknowledge that you have read and understood our Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy
that too, at a great pace. Various autonomous interconnected computers
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-operating-systems/ 7/16
11/28/23, 5:01 AM Types of Operating Systems - GeeksforGeeks

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 systems’
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.

Distributed OS

Advantages of Distributed Operating System

Failure of one will not affect the other network communication, as all
systems are independent of 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 is used 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
wellto ensure
We use cookies yet. you have the best browsing experience on our website. By using our site, you
acknowledge that you have read and understood our Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-operating-systems/ 8/16
11/28/23, 5:01 AM Types of Operating Systems - GeeksforGeeks

Examples of Distributed Operating Systems are LOCUS, etc.

7. 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 to 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.

Network Operating System

Advantages of Network Operating System

Highly stable centralized servers.

Security
We use cookies to ensureconcerns
you have the are handled
best browsing through
experience servers.
on our website. By using our site, you
acknowledge that you have read and understood our Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-operating-systems/ 9/16
11/28/23, 5:01 AM Types of Operating Systems - GeeksforGeeks

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 Systems are Microsoft Windows Server

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

8. 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.

Types of Real-Time Operating Systems

Hard Real-Time Systems:

Hard Real-Time 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 an accident. Virtual memory is
rarely found in these systems.
Soft Real-Time Systems:
These OSs are for applications where time-constraint is less strict.

For more, refer to the Difference Between Hard Real-Time OS and Soft Real-
Time OS.
We use cookies to ensure you have the best browsing experience on our website. By using our site, you
acknowledge that you have read and understood our Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-operating-systems/ 10/16
11/28/23, 5:01 AM Types of Operating Systems - GeeksforGeeks

Real-Time Operating System

Advantages of RTOS

Maximum Consumption: Maximum utilization of devices and systems, thus

more output from all the resources.
Task Shifting: The time assigned for shifting tasks in these systems is very
less. For example, in older systems, it takes about 10 microseconds in
shifting from one task to another, and in the latest systems, it takes 3
microseconds.
Focus on Application: Focus on running applications and less importance on
applications that are in the queue.
Real-time operating system in the embedded system: Since the size of
programs is 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
We use cookies Tasks:
to ensure you have Very
the best few tasks
browsing runonatourthe
experience same
website. time
By using andyoutheir
our site, concentration
is very less on a few applications to avoid errors.
acknowledge that you have read and understood our Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-operating-systems/ 11/16
11/28/23, 5:01 AM Types of Operating Systems - GeeksforGeeks

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 signal 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.

Level Up Your GATE Prep!

Embark on a transformative journey towards GATE success by choosing Data
Science & AI as your second paper choice with our specialized course. If you
find yourself lost in the vast landscape of the GATE syllabus, our program is
the compass you need.

Last Updated : 17 May, 2023 757

Similar Reads
Operating Systems | Input Operating Systems - GATE
Output Systems | Question 5 CSE Previous Year Questions

Operating Systems | Set 2 Operating Systems | Set 4

Operating Systems | Set 5 Operating Systems | Set 6

Operating Systems | Set 10 Operating Systems | Set 7

We use cookies to ensure you have the best browsing experience on our website. By using our site, you
acknowledge that you have read and understood our Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-operating-systems/ 12/16
11/28/23, 5:01 AM Types of Operating Systems - GeeksforGeeks
Operating Systems | Set 8 Operating Systems | Set 9

Previous Next

Functions of Operating System Need and Functions of Operating

Systems

Article Contributed By :
akash1295
A akash1295

Vote for difficulty

Current difficulty : Easy

Easy Normal Medium Hard Expert

Improved By : nkg447, codey02, harshitkap00r, pspraveensharma6, suvamtestpurpose,

snehalsalokhe, adityaarxehn
Article Tags : CBSE - Class 11 , school-programming , GATE CS , Operating Systems ,
School Programming

Improve Article Report Issue

We use cookies to ensure you have the best browsing experience on our website. By using our site, you
acknowledge that you have read and understood our Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-operating-systems/ 13/16
11/28/23, 5:01 AM Types of Operating Systems - GeeksforGeeks

A-143, 9th Floor, Sovereign Corporate

Tower, Sector-136, Noida, Uttar Pradesh -
201305
[email protected]

Company Explore
About Us Job-A-Thon Hiring Challenge
Legal Hack-A-Thon
Careers GfG Weekly Contest
In Media Offline Classes (Delhi/NCR)
Contact Us DSA in JAVA/C++
Advertise with us Master System Design
GFG Corporate Solution Master CP
Placement Training Program GeeksforGeeks Videos
Apply for Mentor

Languages DSA Concepts

Python Data Structures
Java Arrays
C++ Strings
PHP Linked List
GoLang Algorithms
SQL Searching
R Language Sorting
Android Tutorial Mathematical
Dynamic Programming

DSA Roadmaps Web Development

We use cookies to ensureDSA for Beginners
you have the best browsing experience on our website. By using our site, youHTML
acknowledge that you have read and understood our Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-operating-systems/ 14/16
11/28/23, 5:01 AM Types of Operating Systems - GeeksforGeeks

Basic DSA Coding Problems CSS

DSA Roadmap by Sandeep Jain JavaScript
DSA with JavaScript Bootstrap
Top 100 DSA Interview Problems ReactJS
All Cheat Sheets AngularJS
NodeJS
Express.js
Lodash
Web Design

Computer Science Python

GATE CS Notes Python Programming Examples
Operating Systems Django Tutorial
Computer Network Python Projects
Database Management System Python Tkinter
Software Engineering OpenCV Python Tutorial
Digital Logic Design Python Interview Question
Engineering Maths

Data Science & ML DevOps

Data Science With Python Git
Data Science For Beginner AWS
Machine Learning Tutorial Docker
Maths For Machine Learning Kubernetes
Pandas Tutorial Azure
NumPy Tutorial GCP
NLP Tutorial
Deep Learning Tutorial

Competitive Programming System Design

Top DSA for CP What is System Design
Top 50 Tree Problems Monolithic and Distributed SD
Top 50 Graph Problems Scalability in SD
Top 50 Array Problems Databases in SD
We use cookies to ensure you have the best browsing experience on our website. By using our site, you
acknowledgeTop
that 50
youString Problems
have read High Level Design or HLD
and understood our Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-operating-systems/ 15/16
11/28/23, 5:01 AM Types of Operating Systems - GeeksforGeeks

Top 50 DP Problems Low Level Design or LLD

Top 15 Websites for CP Crack System Design Round
System Design Interview Questions

Interview Corner GfG School

Company Wise Preparation CBSE Notes for Class 8
Preparation for SDE CBSE Notes for Class 9
Experienced Interviews CBSE Notes for Class 10
Internship Interviews CBSE Notes for Class 11
Competitive Programming CBSE Notes for Class 12
Aptitude Preparation English Grammar
Puzzles

Commerce UPSC
Accountancy Polity Notes
Business Studies Geography Notes
Economics History Notes
Human Resource Management (HRM) Science and Technology Notes
Management Economics Notes
Income Tax Important Topics in Ethics
Finance UPSC Previous Year Papers
Statistics for Economics

SSC/ BANKING Write & Earn

SSC CGL Syllabus Write an Article
SBI PO Syllabus Improve an Article
SBI Clerk Syllabus Pick Topics to Write
IBPS PO Syllabus Share your Experiences
IBPS Clerk Syllabus Internships
Aptitude Questions
SSC CGL Practice Papers

@GeeksforGeeks, Sanchhaya Education Private Limited, All rights reserved

We use cookies to ensure you have the best browsing experience on our website. By using our site, you
acknowledge that you have read and understood our Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-operating-systems/ 16/16