Operating System Structures –

Dr.VIDHYA B
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR & HEAD
Department of Computer Technology
Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts and Science
Coimbatore - 641 006
Tamil Nadu, India

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 Operating-System Structures

• Operating System Services

• User Operating System Interface
• System Calls
• Types of System Calls
• System Programs
• Operating System Structure

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 Operating-System Structures

• OS provides an environment within

which programs are executed.
• Goals of designing a new Operating
system are well defined. OS can be
viewed in several aspects.
Focus on services

Aspects of OS Interface between user & pgm

Components and their interaction

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 Operating-System Services

• Operating systems provide an environment for execution of

programs and services to programs and users.
• One set of operating-system services provides functions that are
helpful to the user:
– User interface - Almost all operating systems have a user
interface (UI).
Varies as follows:
• Command-Line (CLI)- text commands and methods
for entering them using keyboard options
• Batch interface- commands and directives are used
and entered through files
• GUI- windows system pointing device to direct I/O,
choose from menus and make selections, a
keyboard to enter text.
some system provide two or all three variation
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 Operating-System Services

– Program execution - The system must be able to load a

program into memory and to run that program, end
execution, either normally or abnormally (indicating error)
– I/O operations - A running program may require I/O, which
may involve a file or an I/O device. Specific devices may
require special functions may be required. Eg: recording CD
or DVD DRIVE. Users cannot control I/O devices directly can
be done only with the help of OS.
– Communications – Processes may exchange information,
on the same computer or between computers over a
network
• Communications may be via shared memory – two or
more processes read and write to a shared section of
memory or through message passing (packets moved by
the OS)

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 Operating-System Services

– File-system manipulation - The file system is of particular

interest. Programs need to read and write files and directories,
create and delete them, search them, list file Information,
permission management to allow or deny access to files or
directories based on file ownership.
– Many OS provide variety of file system such as allowing personal
choice or providing specific features.
– Error detection – OS needs to be constantly aware of possible
errors
• May occur in the CPU and memory hardware (memory error or
power failure), in I/O devices (parity error in disk, connection
failure in a n/w, lack of paper), in user program (arithmetic flow,
access an illegal memory location, too much usage of CPU time)
• For each type of error, OS should take the appropriate action to
ensure correct and consistent computing
• Debugging facilities can greatly enhance the user’s and
programmer’s abilities to efficiently use the system
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 Operating-System Services
• Another set of OS functions exists for ensuring the efficient operation of
the system itself via resource sharing

– Resource allocation - When multiple users or multiple jobs

running concurrently, resources must be allocated to each of them
• Many types of resources - CPU cycles, main memory, file
storage, I/O devices.
– Accounting - To keep track of which users use how much and what
kinds of computer resources
– Protection and security - The owners of information stored in a
multiuser or networked computer system may want to control use of
that information, concurrent processes should not interfere with
each other
• Protection involves ensuring that all access to system
resources is controlled
• Security of the system from outsiders requires user
authentication, extends to defending external I/O devices from
invalid access attempts

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A View of Operating System Services

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 User Operating System Interface - CLI

CLI or command interpreter allows direct command entry

• Some OS include command interpreter in kernel, others
such as windows, unix, treat command interpreyer as a
special program ie running when a job is initiated or when
a user first logs on
– Sometimes multiple flavors implemented – shells
Shell types: Bourne Shell, C Shell, Bourne –
Again Shell, Korn Shell
– Primarily fetches a command from user and executes it
– Sometimes commands built-in, sometimes just names
of programs
• If the latter, adding new features doesn’t require
shell modification

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Bourne Shell Command Interpreter

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 User Operating System Interface - GUI

• User-friendly desktop metaphor interface- mouse

based window-and-menu system
– Usually mouse, keyboard, and monitor
– Icons represent files, programs, actions, etc
– Various mouse buttons over objects in the interface cause
various actions (provide information, options, execute
function, open directory (known as a folder)
– Invented at Xerox PARC
• Many systems now include both CLI and GUI interfaces
– Microsoft Windows is GUI with CLI “command” shell
– Apple Mac OS X is “Aqua” GUI interface with UNIX kernel
underneath and shells available
– Unix and Linux have CLI with optional GUI interfaces (CDE,
KDE, GNOME)
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 Touchscreen Interfaces

 Touchscreen devices
require new interfaces
 Mouse not possible or not desired
 Actions and selection based on
gestures
 Virtual keyboard for text entry
 Voice commands.

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 Touchscreen Interfaces

 Touchscreen devices
require new interfaces
 Mouse not possible or not desired
 Actions and selection based on
gestures
 Virtual keyboard for text entry
 Voice commands.

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The Mac OS X GUI

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