Muzamil Ashraf

SOFTWARE
Abbreviated as SW or S/W

Software is a set of instructions, data or programs used to operate computers

and execute specific tasks. It is the opposite of hardware, which describes the
physical aspects of a computer. Software is a generic term used to refer to
applications, scripts and programs that run on a device. It can be thought of as
the variable part of a computer, while hardware is the invariable part.
OR

Software refers to a collection of computer programs, data, and instructions

that tell a computer how to perform specific tasks or functions. It is a non-
tangible component of a computer system that enables users to interact with
hardware and accomplish various tasks.
Early software was written for specific computers and sold with the
hardware it ran on. In the 1980s, software began to be sold on floppy
disks, and later on CDs and DVDs. Today, most software is
purchased and directly downloaded over the internet. Software can be
found on vendor websites or application service provider websites.
 TYPES OF SOFTWARE
System Software
1- Operating Systems
Batch Operating System
Multi-Programming Operating System
Multi-Processing Operating System
Multi-Tasking Operating System
Time-Sharing Operating Systems
Distributed Operating System
Network Operating System
Real-Time Operating System
 TYPES OF SOFTWARE
System Software
2- Programming Language Translators
3- Device Drivers
4- Firmware Software
5- Utility Software
 What is System Software?

• System Software is the most important type of software required to administer the resources of the
computer system.

• System software runs and functions internally with application software and hardware. Moreover, it
works as a linking interface between a hardware device and the end-user.

• System software runs in the background and manages all functioning of the computer itself. It is
called Low-Level Software as it runs at the most basic level of computer and is usually written in a low-
level language. As soon as we install the operating system on our device, it gets automatically installed
on the same device

• System software helps to generate the user interface and allows the operating system to interact
with the computer hardware.
 TYPES OF SYSTEM SOFTWARE

Operating System

An Operating System is the most basic type of System Software that helps to manage computer
hardware and software. It is the central part of any computer system which is responsible for the
smooth functioning of any computer device.

An Operating system primarily operates your computer when you start it. If you haven't installed
the operating system on your computer, then you will not be able to start your computer. Some
most common examples of OS are macOS, Linux, Android, and Microsoft Windows.

An OS helps to control and make records of already executed programs in your computer, such as
application programs and other system software.
 COMPONENTS OF OS

There are various components of an Operating System to perform well defined tasks. Though
most of the Operating Systems differ in structure but logically they have similar components.
Each component must be a well-defined portion of a system that appropriately describes the
functions, inputs, and outputs
There are following 8-components of an Operating System

Process Management

I/O Device Management

File Management

Network Management

Main Memory Management

Secondary Storage Management

Security Management

Command Interpreter System

 Process Management

A process is program or a fraction of a program that is loaded in main memory. A process needs
certain resources including CPU time, Memory, Files, and I/O devices to accomplish its task. The
process management component manages the multiple processes running simultaneously on the
Operating System.

A program in running state is called a process.

The operating system is responsible for the following activities in connection with process management:

Create, load, execute, suspend, resume, and terminate processes.

Switch system among multiple processes in main memory.

Provides communication mechanisms so that processes can communicate with each others

Provides synchronization mechanisms to control concurrent access to shared data to keep shared data
consistent.

Allocate/de-allocate resources properly to prevent or avoid deadlock situation.

 I/O Device Management

One of the purposes of an operating system is to hide the peculiarities of specific hardware devices
from the user. I/O Device Management provides an abstract level of H/W devices and keep the
details from applications to ensure proper use of devices, to prevent errors, and to provide users
with convenient and efficient programming environment.
 Following are the tasks of I/O Device Management component

Hide the details of H/W devices.

Manage main memory for the devices using cache, buffer, and spooling.

Spooling is an acronym for simultaneous peripheral operation online. Spooling is the process of
temporary storage of data for use and execution by a device, program, or system. Data is sent to and
stored in main memory or other volatile storage until it is requested for execution by a program or
computer.

Maintain and provide custom drivers for each device.

 File Management

File management is one of the most visible services of an operating system. Computers can store
information in several different physical forms; magnetic tape, disk, and drum are the most
common forms.

A file is defined as a set of correlated information and it is defined by the creator of the file. Mostly
files represent data, source and object forms, and programs. Data files can be of any type like
alphabetic, numeric, and alphanumeric.

The operating system implements the abstract concept of the file by managing mass storage device,
such as types and disks. Also files are normally organized into directories to ease their use. These
directories may contain files and other directories and so on.

A files is a sequence of bits, bytes, lines or records whose meaning is defined by its
creator and user.
 The operating system is responsible for the following activities in connection with file management:

File creation and deletion

Directory creation and deletion

The support of primitives for manipulating files and directories

Mapping files onto secondary storage

File backup on stable (nonvolatile) storage media

 Network Management

The definition of network management is often broad, as network management involves several
different components. Network management is the process of managing and administering a
computer network. A computer network is a collection of various types of computers connected
with each other.

Network management comprises fault analysis, maintaining the quality of service, provisioning of
networks, and performance management.

Network management is the process of keeping your network healthy for an efficient
communication between different computers.
 Following are the features of network management:

Network administration

Network maintenance

Network operation

Network provisioning

Network security
 Main Memory Management

Memory is a large array of words or bytes, each with its own address. It is a repository of quickly
accessible data shared by the CPU and I/O devices.

Main memory is a volatile storage device which means it loses its contents in the case of system
failure or as soon as system power goes down.

The main motivation behind Memory Management is to maximize memory utilization

on the computer system
The operating system is responsible for the following activities in connections with memory management:

Keep track of which parts of memory are currently being used and by whom.

Decide which processes to load when memory space becomes available.

Allocate and deallocate memory space as needed.

 Secondary Storage Management

The main purpose of a computer system is to execute programs. These programs, together with the
data they access, must be in main memory during execution. Since the main memory is too small to
permanently accommodate all data and program, the computer system must provide secondary
storage to backup main memory.
 The operating system is responsible for the following activities in connection with disk management:

Free space management

Storage allocation
 Security Management

The operating system is primarily responsible for all task and activities happen in the computer
system. The various processes in an operating system must be protected from each other’s
activities. For that purpose, various mechanisms which can be used to ensure that the files, memory
segment, cpu and other resources can be operated on only by those processes that have gained
proper authorization from the operating system.
 Command Interpreter System

One of the most important component of an operating system is its command interpreter. The
command interpreter is the primary interface between the user and the rest of the system.
Command Interpreter System executes a user command by calling one or more number of
underlying system programs or system calls.
Many commands are given to the operating system by control statements. A program which reads
and interprets control statements is automatically executed. This program is called the shell and few
examples are Windows DOS command window, Bash of Unix/Linux or C-Shell of Unix/Linux.
 Other Important Activities

An Operating System is a complex Software System. Apart from the above mentioned
components and responsibilities, there are many other activities performed by the Operating
System. Few of them are listed below:
Security − By means of password and similar other techniques, it prevents unauthorized access to
programs and data.

Control over system performance − Recording delays between request for a service and response from
the system.

Job accounting − Keeping track of time and resources used by various jobs and users.

Error detecting aids − Production of dumps, traces, error messages, and other debugging and error
detecting aids.

Coordination between other software's and users − Coordination and assignment of compilers,
interpreters, assemblers and other software to the various users of the computer systems.
Thank You