Operating System

Lecturer: Sarah Dsane-Nsor

TA: Kwadjo Owusu-Ansah Quarshie
 Whatis an Operating system?

▪ An operating system (OS) is a software program that serves as an

interface between computer hardware and the user.

▪ It manages the hardware resources of a computer system,

▪ providing a set of services to software applications and enabling

communication between software and hardware components.

 Cont’d
▪ A fundamental piece of software which run on kernel
mode(supervisor mode).

▪ A kernel is the core component of the OS, using inter-process

communication & system calls it act as a bridge b/w App’s and
data processing which is performed at H/w level.
▪ It has complete access to all H/W & can execute any instruction

the machine is capable of executing

Cont’d
 Role and Pur pose of OS

▪ It is a crucial software component that acts as an intermediary

between computer hardware and user applications.

▪ Its primary role is to manage and coordinate the various resources

and functions of a computer system.

▪ It provides a stable and efficient environment for users and

applications.
 Function of OS
▪ Memory Management

▪ Processor Management

▪ File management

▪ Device Management

▪ Security Management

▪ User interfacing

▪ Coordination of communication

▪ Error detecting aids

 Memory Management

▪ Memory Management refers to management of Primary Memory or

Main Memory.

✔ Allocating and de allocating memory to processes

✔ Managing multiple processes within memory

✔ keep track of which parts of memory are used by which processes.

✔ Manage the sharing of memory between processes.

✔ Determining which processes to load when memory becomes available.

 Processor Management

✔ Keeps tracks of processor and status of process.

✔ Allocates the processor (CPU) to a process.

✔ De-allocates processor when a process is no longer required.

 Device Management

✔ Keeps tracks of all devices.

✔ Decides which process gets the device when and for how much time.

✔ Allocates the device in the most efficient way.

✔ De-allocates devices.
 File Management
✔ Keeps track of information, location, uses, status etc.

✔ Decides who gets the resources.

✔ Allocates the resources

✔ De-allocates the resources.

✔ responsible for archiving and backups.

 SecurityManagement

▪ By means of password and similar other techniques, it prevents

unauthorized access to programs and data.

 Error detecting aids

▪ Production of dumps, traces, error messages, and other debugging

and error detecting aids.

 Communication

▪ Processes may exchange information, on the same computer or

between computers over a network.

▪ Communications may be via shared memory or through message

passing (packets moved by the OS).

▪ Operating system also enables interposes communication

 Generationof OS
1. First Generation:
• Operating systems in the 1950s had no distinction between system and
user functionalities, and they were closely tied to the hardware.

2. Second Generation:
• The 1960s saw the development of batch processing systems, where
multiple jobs were submitted and processed in batches, introducing more
sophisticated job control features.

3. Third Generation:
• In the 1970s, time-sharing systems emerged, allowing multiple users to
interact with the computer simultaneously, and the concept of
multitasking and multi-programming gained prominence.
 Cont’d
4. Fourth Generation:
• The 1980s and 1990s witnessed the rise of graphical user interfaces
(GUIs) and the shift towards personal computing, with operating systems

like Windows, MacOS, and Linux becoming prominent.

5. Fifth Generation:
• The current era is characterized by distributed and networked computing,
with operating systems supporting advanced networking, virtualization,
and cloud computing technologies.
 Types of OS

▪ Based on number of user Operating System can be classified into

two

• Single user and

• multi user Operating system .

 Single User OS
▪ A single-user operating system (OS) is designed for one person to use at
a

time.

▪ It doesn't support multiple user sessions.

▪ Example: Windows 95, Windows NT workstation, Windows

200 professionals
 Single- user s ingle Tasking OS
▪ Allows a single user to execute one program at a particular time.
▪ This operating system is designed especially for wireless phones and two-

way messaging.

▪ Some functions such as

✔ Printing a document, and
✔ downloading images and videos are performed in one given frame.
 Single- user multi Tasking OS
▪ allows a single user to perform multiple tasks at once.
▪ These operating systems are commonly found on personal laptops and

desktops

▪ Examples :
✔ Microsoft Windows,
✔ Macintosh OS,
✔ macOS,
✔ Linux,
✔ UNIX, MS-DOS, OS/2, Classic Mac OS.
Single- user multi Tasking OS

Single user multi

Tasking
 Multi- User OS
▪ It allows multiple users that are on different computers to access a
single

system's OS resources simultaneously,

▪ They are commonly found in servers and mainframes.

 Cont’d
▪ Some examples of multi-user operating systems include:

✔ Linux: A popular multi-user operating system used in web servers

✔ Windows Server: An example of a multi-user operating system used

in enterprise environments

✔ UNIX: A multitasking, time-sharing system that allowed multiple users

to access the same resources at the same time

 Characteristics of Multi- User OS
▪ Distributed Resource Sharing:
• Several devices, like printers, fax machines, plotters, and hard drives,

can be shared in a multi-user operating system.

▪ Multi-Tasking
▪ Time sharing systems:
• These systems are multi-user systems in which CPU time is divided
among the users.
• The division is made on the basis of a schedule.
 Advantage of Multi- User OS
▪ can be used in the printing process to allow multiple users to access the
same printer, which a normal operating system may not do.
▪ On a single computer system, several users can access the same copy of
a document.

▪ If one computer fails in its own network system, the entire system does not
come to a halt.
▪ Airlines use multi-user operating systems for some of their functions.
▪ The ticket reservation system uses a multi-user operating system.
 Disadvantage of Multi- User OS
▪ Virus attacks occur simultaneously on all of them as the computers
are shared.

✔ As a result, if one machine is affected, the others will be as well.

▪ All computer information is shared publicly, and your personal information
is accessible to everyone on the network.

▪ Multiple accounts on a single computer may not be suitable for all users.
Thus, it is better to have multiple PCs for each user.
 Types of OS
▪ Based on Functionality and design goals Operating Systemcan be

classified
• Batch Operating System
• Time-Sharing Operating System
• Embedded Operating System
• Multiprogramming Operating System
• Network Operating System
• Distributed Operating System
• Multiprocessing Operating System
• Real-Time Operating System
 Batch Operating System
▪ there is no direct interaction between user and computer.
▪ user needs to prepare jobs and save offline mode to punch card or
paper tape or magnetic tape.
▪ After creating the jobs, hand it over to the computer operator; then
the operator sort or creates the similar types of batches like B2, B3,
and B4.
▪ Now, the computer operator submits batches into the CPU to
execute the jobs one by one.
Batch Operating System
 Time-sharing Operating System
▪ allows us to connect many people located at different locations to
share and use a specific system at a single time.
▪ The time-sharing operating system is the logical extension of the
multiprogramming through which users can run multiple tasks
concurrently.

▪ It represents the CPU's time is shared between many user processes.

Time-sharing Operating System
 Embedded Operating System
▪ It is the specific purpose operating system used in the computer
system's embedded hardware configuration.
▪ These operating systems are designed to work on dedicated devices
like automated teller machines (ATMs), airplane systems, digital
home assistants, and the internet of things (IoT) devices.
Embedded Operating System
 Multiprogramming Operating System
▪ A multiprogramming operating system refers to the concepts
wherein two or more processes or programs activate simultaneously to
execute the processes one after another by the same computer
system.
▪ When a program is in run mode and uses CPU, another program or
file uses I/O resources at the same time or waiting for another
system resources to become available.
Multiprogramming Operating System
 Network Operating System
▪ It operates on a server using network devices like a switch, router,
or
firewall to handle data, applications and other network resources.
▪ It provides connectivity among the autonomous operating system,
called as a network operating system.
▪ The network operating system is also useful to share data, files,
hardware devices and printer resources among multiple computers to
communicate with each other.
 Cont’d
▪ Types of network operating system
✔ Peer-to-peer network operating system
• The type of network operating system allows users to share
files, resources between two or more computer machines
using a LAN.

✔ Client-Server network operating system

• that allows the users to access resources, functions, and
applications through a common server or center hub of
the

resources.
Cont’d
 Distributed Operating System
▪ provides an environment in which multiple independent CPU or
processor communicates with each other through physically separate
computational nodes.

▪ Each node contains specific software that communicates with the

global aggregate operating system.
▪ It is the extension of a network operating system that facilitates a
high degree of connectivity to communicate with other users over the
network.
Distributed Operating System
 Multiprocessing Operating System
▪ refers to using two or more central processing units (CPU) in a single
computer system.
▪ However, these multiprocessor systems or parallel operating
systems are used to increase the computer system's efficiency.
▪ With the use of a multiprocessor system, they share computer bus,
clock, memory and input or output device for concurrent execution
of process or program and resource management in the CPU.
Multiprocessing Operating System
 Real-Time Operating System
▪ Used to provide services and data processing resources for
applications in which the time interval required to process & respond
to input/output should be so small without any delay real-time system.
▪ For example, real-life situations governing an automatic car, traffic
signal, nuclear reactor or an aircraft require an immediate response
to complete tasks within a specified time delay.
▪ real-time operating system must be fast and responsive for an
embedded system, weapon system, robots, scientific research
&

experiments and various real-time objects.

 Real-Time Operating System
▪ Types of the real-time operating system
✔ Hard Real-Time System:
• used with those required to complete critical tasks within the
defined time limit.

• If the response time is high, it is not accepted by the system

or may face serious issues like a system failure.
✔ Soft Real-Time System
• It is a less restrictive system that can accept software

and hardware resources delays by the operating system.

 Cont’d
• In a soft real-time system, a critical task prioritizes less
important tasks, and that priority retains active until completion
of the task.

• Also, a time limit is set for a specific job, which enables short
time delays for further tasks that are acceptable.
• For example, computer audio or video, virtual
reality, reservation system, projects like undersea,
etc.
Real-Time Operating System