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Learning Guide Unit 2

Site: University of the People Printed by: Khoa Le

Course: CS 2301-01 Operating Systems 1 - AY2024-T3 Date: Friday, 23 February 2024, 5:08 PM
Book: Learning Guide Unit 2

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Description

Learning Guide Unit 2

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Table of contents

Overview
Introduction
Reading Assignment
Discussion Assignment
Written Assignment
Learning Journal
Self-Quiz
Checklist

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Overview

UNIT 2: Abstraction and Process

Topics
Abstraction
API
Process States
System Calls

Learning Objectives
By the end of this Unit, you will be able to:

1. Analyze and close specific processes in a slow system to increase speed.

2. Identify and explain processes that run on an operating system.
3. Describe system calls and process states in Linux/Unix.

Tasks
Peer-assess Unit 1 Written Assignment
Read through the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
Complete and submit the Written Assignment
Complete an entry in the Learning Journal
Take and submit the Self-Quiz

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Introduction

Operating systems utilize a form of abstraction so that the end-user does not have to run everything; or code in the interface everything that the
operating system needs to be doing. This is how you can work on your Mac/Windows/Linux environment by just working on your browser or office
suite and not code how each application needs to run with the operating system. This is an abstraction, in that the operating system (OS) does
many things for you in the background while governed by a set of rules and procedures. The OS does not run many programs at once but runs
several in states of suspended animation and activates what is needed at the time it is needed. This is executed by a set of application program
interfaces (API) as well as system calls, states, and some fancy scheduling.

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Reading Assignment

1. Arpaci-Dusseau, R. H., & Arpaci-Dusseau, A. C. (2018). Operating systems: three easy pieces (1.01 ed.). Arpaci-Dusseau Books. Retrieved June 16,
2022, from https://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~remzi/OSTEP/

Read Virtualization: Chapter 3 – Dialogue, Chapter 4 – Processes, and Chapter 5 – Process API

2. Baeldung. (2021, November 9). A guide to POSIX. https://www.baeldung.com/linux/posix

Learn the history of POSIX and how it works with Linux/Unix/Mac systems.

3. Franklin, C., & Pollette, C. (2021, November 18). How operating systems work. howstuffworks. Retrieved June 16, 2022, from
https://computer.howstuffworks.com/operating-system9.htm

Learn how operating systems use APIs to call processes and do things.

4. Multitasking. (n.d.). javaTpoint. https://www.javatpoint.com/multitasking-operating-system

Learn how operating systems work in terms of multitasking.

5. Operating system - Process scheduling. (n.d.). Biggest Online Tutorials Library.

https://www.tutorialspoint.com/operating_system/os_process_scheduling.htm

Learn how operating systems work in terms of scheduling.

6. System calls in operating system. (n.d.). javaTpoint. https://www.javatpoint.com/system-calls-in-operating-system

Learn what are system calls.

Video Resources

1. Neso Academy. (2018, July 9). Process state [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ_6PXoaoxo

This video explains process states in detail.

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2. Neso Academy. (2018, March 15). System calls [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhToWeuWWfw

This video explains system calls in detail.

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Discussion Assignment

Think of a hypothetical situation where you are working on your Windows computer and it seems to be slowing down over time. You are curious
and look at the processes running on your system. You wonder what processes are causing the system to slow down and wish to end some to fix
this issue.

Utilize the following resources to figure out what might be happening in the system and hypothetically what you need to eliminate to increase
speed and free up resources for the system:

How to Close Unnecessary Processes in Windows 10

15 Task Manager tips for a faster PC

In your responses to your peers, compare and contrast your answer to those of your peers.

References

Samson, E. (2019, April 8). How to close unneccessary processes in windows 10. auslogics. https://www.auslogics.com/en/articles/speed-up-pc-by-
disabling-processes/

Williams, M. (2021, August 9). 15 task manager tips for a faster PC. TechRadar. https://www.techradar.com/news/computing/pc/15-task-manager-
tips-for-a-faster-pc-649623

Your Discussion should be a minimum of 200 words in length and not more than 500 words. Please include a word count.

Use APA citations and references for the textbook and any other sources used; you should use at least 1 APA citation and reference, but you can
use more if needed. Refer to the UoPeople APA Tutorials in the LRC for help with APA citations. You are required to post an initial response to the
question/issue presented in the Forum and then respond to at least 3 of your classmates’ initial posts. You should also respond to anyone who has
responded to you. Don’t forget to rate the postings of your classmates according to the Rating Guidelines. Review the Discussion Forum rating
guidelines to see how your classmates will be rating your post.

After posting an appropriate, meaningful, and helpful response to your three classmates, you must rate their posts on a scale of 0 (unsatisfactory)
to 10 (excellent).

10 (A) - Excellent, substantial, relevant, insightful, enriching, and stimulating contribution to the discussion. Also, uses external resources to support
position where required and/or applicable.
8 - 9 (B) - Good, quite substantial and insightful, but missing minor details which would have otherwise characterized it as an excellent response.
6 - 7 (C) - Satisfactory insight and relevance, but required some more information and effort to have warranted a better rating.
4 - 5 (D) - Limited insight and relevance of the material; more effort and reflection needed to have warranted a satisfactory grading.
0 - 3 (F) - Unsatisfactory insight/relevance or failure to answer the question, reflecting a poor or limited understanding of the subject matter and/or
the guidelines of the question.

The rating scores are anonymous; therefore, do NOT mention in your remarks the separate rating score you will give the peer. The instructor is the
only person who knows which score matches the comment given to a peer. Some classmates may worry that some peers will not provide a fair
rating, or be unable to provide accurate corrections for grammar or other errors. It is the instructor’s responsibility to ensure fairness and accuracy.

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Written Assignment

In this assignment, you will:

1. Open your system processes to examine what is running on your system. This will be different depending on your system. Following are the
instructions for some popular operating systems:

Instructions for a Mac: https://macpaw.com/how-to/see-whats-running-

mac#:~:text=Check%20Activity%20Monitor&text=Open%20a%20Finder%20window%20and,on%20your%20Mac%20right%20now
Instructions for Windows: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/debugger/finding-the-process-id
Instructions for Linux: https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/how-to-check-running-process-in-linux-using-command-line/

2. Sort the processes based on CPU usage in descending order.

3. Take screenshots of your system processes.
4. Describe what is running on your system and what you think all these processes are for. You need to describe (at least) the first ten
processes.

Important Note: Do not select the same process twice.

Submit the assignment in MS Word or PDF file.

You will be assessed on:

Your ability to open and sort the system processes on your system.
Your description of the processes running on your system.
Organization and style of the essay (including APA formatting).

References

Degtiarenko, I. (2021, November 26). How to see what is running on your mac. MacPaw. https://macpaw.com/how-to/see-whats-running-
mac#:~:text=Check%20Activity%20Monitor&text=Open%20a%20Finder%20window%20and,on%20your%20Mac%20right%20now

DOMARS, & Kellylorenebaker. (2022, March 19). Finding the process ID. Microsoft Docs. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-
hardware/drivers/debugger/finding-the-process-id

Gite, V. (2022, March 14). How to check running process in linux using command line. nixCraft. https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/how-to-check-
running-process-in-linux-using-command-line/

Submit a paper that is at least 2 pages in length exclusive of the reference page, double-spaced using 12-point Times New Roman font.
The paper must cite a minimum of two sources in APA format and be well-written. Check all content for grammar, spelling and be sure
that you have properly cited all resources (in APA format) used. Refer to the UoPeople APA Tutorials in the LRC for help with APA citations.

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Learning Journal

Assignment instructions
The purpose of this assignment is for you to demonstrate your skills and knowledge regarding describing system calls and process states in
Linux/Unix.

Please read the resources below on system calls and process states:

Linux system call in detail

What are the 5 Linux Process States?

Answer the following questions.

1. Discuss the various categories of system calls and explain the functionality of any one system call that is handled by the operating system
with an example.

2. Give an example to illustrate the various process states. Why is it expensive to switch between processes? Additionally, discuss the
circumstances under which a parent process can stop a child process from executing.
Submission instructions
Your answer should be a minimum of 500 words and not more than 750 words. Use APA citations and references if you use ideas from the
readings or other sources. For assistance with APA formatting, view the Learning Resource Center: Academic Writing.

This assignment will be assessed by your instructor using the rubric available on the assignment page located on the course homepage.

References

Chapman, D. (2021, December 9). What are the 5 Linux process states? CBT
Nuggets. https://www.cbtnuggets.com/blog/certifications/open-source/what-are-the-5-linux-process-states
magichat. (2022, June 8). Linux system call in detail. GeeksforGeeks. Retrieved February 14, 2023, from https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/linux-
system-call-in-detail/

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Self-Quiz

The Self-Quiz gives you an opportunity to self-assess your knowledge of what you have learned so far.

The results of the Self-Quiz do not count towards your final grade. However,the quiz is an important part of the University’s learning process and it
is expected that you will take it to ensure understanding of the materials presented. Reviewing and analyzing your results will help you perform
better on future Graded Quizzes and the Final Exam.

Please access the Self-Quiz on the main course homepage; it is listed inside the Unit.

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Checklist

Peer-assess Unit 1 Written Assignment

Read through the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
Complete and submit the Written Assignment
Complete an entry in the Learning Journal
Take and submit the Self-Quiz

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