Introduction to Linux OS

Introduction to Linux
▪ Linux is an open-source Unix-like operating system-based
family on the Linux kernel.
▪ The Linux Kernel is like the brain of the operating system
because it manages how the computer interacts with its
hardware and resources.
▪ It makes sure everything works smoothly and efficiently.
 Introduction to Linux
▪ But the Linux Kernel alone is not enough to make a
complete operating system.
▪ To create a full and functional system, the Linux Kernel is
combined with a collection of software packages and
utilities, which are together called Linux distributions.
▪ These distributions make the Linux Operating System
ready for users to run their applications and perform tasks
on their computers securely and effectively.
▪ Ex: Ubuntu, Fedora Linux, Debian…
 Open Source
▪ Linux is one of the most outstanding examples of
open-source and free software collaboration.
▪ The source code may be distributed, modified, and used
non-commercially or commercially by everyone under the
conditions of its respective licenses, like the GNU GPL.
 Operating systems
• operating system: Manages activities and resources of a
computer.
– software that acts as an interface between hardware and
user
– provides a layer of abstraction for application developers
• features provided by an operating system:
– ability to execute programs (and multi-tasking)
– memory management (and virtual memory)
– file systems, disk and network access
– an interface to communicate with hardware
– a user interface (often graphical)

• kernel: The lowest-level core of an operating system.

Operating systems
 Operating System
▪ It is a type of software that interface between user and
computer hardware devices.
▪ It allows user to communicate with devices and to perform
desired functions.
▪ It performs all the basic tasks like file management,
memory management, process management, handling
input and output, and controlling peripheral devices such
as disk drives and printers.
 Operating System
▪ The primary purposes of an Operating System are to
enable applications (Software's) to interact with a
computer’s hardware and to manage a system’s hardware
and software resources.
▪ Some popular Operating Systems include Linux , Windows
, macOS, iOS, Android, etc. In the modern days, when
speaking about servers, around 80% run GNU/Linux and
20% run Windows.
 Operating System
▪ And talking about mobile devices, around 75% run Android
(which uses the Linux kernel) and 25% run IOs (which is
Apple’s mobile OS).
▪ We can see here Linux is on top when we talk about
servers, but regarding desktop segment Window (with
73.72% market share) has more market share than Linux
(with 3% market share)
Linux OS
 Linux OS
▪ The Linux operating system is a powerful and flexible
open-source software platform.

▪ It acts as the basis for a variety of devices, such embedded

systems, cell phones, servers, and personal computers.

▪ Linux, that’s well-known for its reliability, safety, and flexibility,

allows users to customize and improve their environment to suit
specific needs
 Linux
• Linux: A kernel for a Unix-like operating system.
– commonly seen/used today in servers, mobile/embedded
devices, ...
• GNU: A "free software" implementation of many
Unix-like tools
– many GNU tools are distributed with the Linux
kernel
• distribution: A pre-packaged set of Linux software.
– examples: Ubuntu, Fedora
• key features of Linux:
– open source software: source can be downloaded
– free to use
– constantly being improved/updated by the community
 What Is an Operating System?
▪ The operating system is what turns your hardware into a
usable computer. It is in charge of managing the
resources provided by your system's particular hardware
components and of providing a base for application
programs to be developed on and executed.
▪ If there were no operating system, each program would
have to include drivers for all the hardware it was
interested in using, which could prove prohibitive to
application programmers.
 Monolithic Kernel
▪ Monolithic kernels are the simplest and most common type of
Kernel.
▪ They include the core functionality of the operating system
and support all devices connected to it.
▪ In this, the user and kernel services are implemented in the
same memory space.
▪ Due to this, the size of the kernel increases, which in turn
increases the size of the operating system.
▪ The main benefit is that the process execution is faster as
there is no separate memory space for the user and Kernel.
 Microkernel
▪ Microkernels are a newer development and, as such, are
not as common as monolithic kernels.
▪ They include only the essential services and devices
required for the system to function. This results in a
smaller kernel that is faster and uses less memory.
▪ Here, the user and kernel services are implemented in
two different spaces. It has separate User Space and
Kernel Space. This reduces the size of the Kernel and
results in reducing the size of the operating system.
 Hybrid Kernel

▪ Hybrid kernels combine monolithic and microkernels.

▪ They include more services than microkernels but less
than monolithic kernels.
▪ This allows them to offer some of the benefits of both
kernels.
▪ It borrows speed from the monolithic kernels and
modularity from microkernels.
User and Supervisory Mode Structure
 User and Supervisory Mode Structure

▪ When using an OS, the processor in the system runs in

two modes. There is clock, called system clock every tick
of the clock, there is an interrupt.
▪ On interrupt, the system time updates, the system
context s in the supervisory mode from the user mode.
▪ After completing the supervisory (kernel-space) functions
system context switches back to the user mode.
 USER MODE
• The user process is permitted to run and use only a
subset of functions and instructions OS. This is done in
the user mode either by sending a message to a waiting
process associated with he OS kernel or by initiating a
system call (call by an OS function).
• The use of hardware resources including memory is not
permitted without making the call to the OS functions.
 USER MODE
• The OS calls the resources system call. User function
call is distinct from a system call, and is not permitted to
read and write into the protected memory allotted to the
OS functions, data, stack and heap. This protected
memory space is also called kernel space.
• Hence execution of user functions calls is slower than
the execution of the OS functions (which run on system
call). This is because of the protected access to memory
by the functions running in user-space
 Supervisory mode:

• The OS runs the privileged functions and instructions in the

protected mode and the OS (more specifically, the kernel)
only accesses the hardware resources and the protected
area memory [The term kernel means nucleus.]
• In the supervisory mode the kernel codes run in protected
mode. Only a system-call is permitted to read and write into
the protected memory allotted to the OS functions, data,
stack and heap. The kernel space functions execute faster
than the user-space functions.
 Layered Model of the System
Layer Top-down Structure Layers Actions
from Top
1 Application software Executes as per the applications, run on the
given system hardware using the interfaces
and the system software
2 Application program Provides the interface (for inputs and
interface (API) outputs) between the application software
and system software so that it is able to run
on the processor using the given system
software
3 System software other than The OS may not have the functions, for
the one provided at the OS example, for the specific network and
(operating system) certain device
drivers, such as a multimedia device. This
layer gives the system software services
other than those provided by the OS service
functions.
 Layered Model of the System
Layer Top-down Structure Layers Actions
from Top
4 OS interface Interface (for inputs and outputs) between
the above and OS
5 OS Kernel supervisory mode services , file
management and other functions such as
the user-mode processing services.
6 Hardware-OS interface Interfaces to let the functions be executed
on the given hardware (processor, memory,
ports and devices) of the system.
7 Hardware Processor(s), memories, buses, interfacing
circuits, ports, physical devices, timers and
buses for devices networking.