INTRODUCTION TO

OPERATING SYSTEM
Module Learning Objectives:

At the end of this, students are expected to:

1. Define the concepts of Operating System

2. Describe the Components of Computer System
3. Discuss the importance of the evolution of Operating System
and Computer Environments
What is Operating System?

• Operating System is a program that acts as intermediary

between computer user and computer hardware.
• It is an integrated set of specialized programs used to manage
overall resources and operations of the computer.
• It is a specialized software that controls and monitors the
execution of all other programs that reside in the computer,
including application programs and other system software.
• OS as an Extended Machine - The architecture (such as instruction set,
memory organization, I/O, and bus structure) of most computers at the
machine-language level is primitive and difficult to program for
input/output.
• Drivers that deals with the hardware and provides an interface to process
tasks without getting into the details.
• Operating systems provide another layer of abstraction for using disks:
files. In the utilization of abstraction is the key to managing complexity
since programs can create, write, and read files, without having to deal
with the messy details of how the hardware works.
• Good abstractions, the impossible task turns into two manageable ones: defining and
implementing the abstractions and using these abstractions to solve the problem at hand.
Example abstraction is file that is much easier to deal with digital photo, emails, songs,
and web pages than with the details of SATA disks. The purpose of the operating system
is to create good abstractions and then implement and manage the abstract objects
created consequently. Hide the hardware and present programs and their programmers
with nice, clean, elegant, consistent, abstractions to work with is one of the major tasks of
the operating system. It is important to consider that operating system’s real customers
are the application programs via the application programmers (the ones who deal directly
with the operating system and its abstractions). In the contrary, end users deal with the
abstractions provided by the user interface, either a command line or a graphical
interface.
• Operating system serves as control program that controls the execution of programs to
prevent errors and improper use of computer.
• OS as Resource Manager – Operating system is there to manage all the pieces of a
complex system. The purpose of the operating system is a resource allocator (manages and
allocates resources) to provide an orderly and controlled allocation of the processors,
memories, and I/O devices among the various programs wanting them. Modern operating
systems allow multiple programs to be in memory and run at the same time. The operating
system can bring order to the potential chaos by buffering all the output destined for the
printer on the disk. Operating system holds that its primary task is to keep track of which
programs are using which resource, to grant resource requests, to account for usage, and to
mediate conflicting requests from different programs and users. Resource management
includes multiplexing (sharing) resources in time and in space. A resource is time
multiplexed when different programs or users take turns using it. The task of OS in time
multiplexed resource is determining “who goes next and for how long”. Example of time
multiplexing is sharing the printer. A decision has to be made about which one is to be printed
next when multiple print jobs are queued up for printing on a single printer. The other kind of
multiplexing is space multiplexing where each one gets part of the resource. For example,
the disk where a single disk can hold files from many users at the same time. A typical OS
task is allocating disk space and keeping track of who is using which disk blocks.
Components of Computer System

• Application Programs
• Application Program/Utilities
• Operating System
• Hardware
Figure 1: The computer system components
USER

SOFTWARE
Applications Programs

Application Program/Utilities

Operating System

HARDWARE
Hardware
Components of Computer System
•Application program helps users to carry out specific task and solve a particular problem.
•Operating system controls the operations of computer hardware by coordinating the activities
and functions of both hardware and software.
•Utility software helps manage, maintain and control computer resources. Operating systems
contain the necessary tools this, but separate utility programs can provide improved functionality.
•Hardware refers to the physical component, tangible equipment and devices connected to the
computer, which provide support for major functions such as input, processing (internal storage,
computation and control), output, secondary storage (for data and programs), and
communication.
Evolution of OS

•Operating systems have been evolving through generations. The

architecture of computers was anchored to the history of operating systems
since they run on different generations of computer architectures. Mapping
of operating system generations to computer generations provide some
structure in the evolution process.
Evolution of OS

Figure 2: Evolution of Operating Systems

Evolution of OS

•Serial processing perform instructions in a sequence manner (First In, First

Out) using program counter to execute all the instructions. It is being used on
vacuum tubes architecture.
•Simple batch processing technique is like serial processing with automatic
job sequencing. Batch system reads the first job from tape and ran it where
output was written onto a second tape instead of being printed. Operating
system automatically read the next job from tape every after each job is
finished. It was used during 2nd generation and upgraded until 3rd generations.
Evolution of OS

•Multi-programmed batch system was used during 3rd generation of

computer architecture. This technique uses memory and CPUs to execute
multiple programs on the system at a time. It will store several jobs in main
memory and the CPU multiplexed among them.
• 
• Time-sharing system also known as real time system and interactive
computing that follows the multiprogramming rapidly during 3rd generation.
The CPU is multiplexed among several jobs that are kept in memory and on
disk where the CPU is allocated to a job only if the job is in memory.
Evolution of OS

•Distributed processing system/Distributed system takes

place during 4th generation. It uses network to distribute the
computation among several physical processors. Data can be
stored and processed on multiple locations.
Computer Environments
•Traditional computing environment refers to stand-alone general-purpose machines that uses direct
cable connections as most systems interconnect with others (i.e. the Internet). Portals provide web
access to internal systems and network computers (thin clients) are like Web terminals. However,
mobile computers interconnect via wireless networks, and they use firewalls to protect computers from
Internet attacks even home systems since networking becoming ubiquitous.
• 
•Mobile computing environments are handheld smartphones, tablets, and the like, led by Apple iOS
and Google Android. It has more OS features (such as GPS and gyroscope) and it allow new types of
apps like augmented reality. This type of computing uses IEEE 802.11 wireless, or cellular data
networks for connectivity.
Computer Environments
•Distributed computing is a collection of separate, possibly heterogeneous, systems networked together
where network as communication path use the most common TCP/IP that includes: Local Area Network
(LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), and Personal Area Network (PAN).
Network Operating System provides features between systems across network. It is a communication
scheme that allows systems to exchange messages and provide an illusion of a single system.

•Client-Server Computing are dumb terminals supplanted by smart PCs. Many systems now are
servers, responding to requests generated by clients. It consists of compute-server system that
provide an interface to client to request services (i.e., database) and file-server system to provide
interface for clients to store and retrieve files.
Computer Environments
•Virtualization allows operating systems to run applications within other OSs. A vast and growing industry that provide
Emulation utility which used when source CPU type different from target type (i.e. PowerPC to Intel x86) and
Virtualization where OS natively compiled for CPU, running guest OSes also natively compiled considering VMware
running WinXP guests, each running applications, all on native WinXP host OS via VMM that provides virtualization
services.
• 
•Cloud Computing delivers computing, storage, even apps as a service across a network. It is a logical extension of
virtualization as based on virtualization such as Amazon EC2 that has thousands of servers, millions of VMs, PBs of
storage available across the Internet, pay based on usage. There are many types of cloud computing it includes the
following: Public cloud – available via Internet to anyone willing to pay, Private cloud – run by a company for the
company’s own use, Hybrid cloud – includes both public and private cloud components, Software as a Service (SaaS) –
one or more applications available via the Internet (i.e. word processor), Platform as a Service (PaaS) – software stack
ready for application use via the Internet (i.e a database server), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) – servers or
storage available over Internet (i.e. storage available for backup use).
Learning Activity

1.Different computing environments of operating systems

are described. Give a list of applications for each of
these systems (one per computing environments type).
2.What is the difference between timesharing and
multiprogramming systems?