Introduction to Operating System Concepts

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What is the fundamental unit of digital information storage in a computer?

A byte
A bit (correct)
A kilobyte
A word

How many bits make up a byte?

4 bits
8 bits (correct)
6 bits
16 bits

What is the term used for a computer architecture's native unit of data, made up of one or more bytes?

Byte
Bit
Kilobyte
Word (correct)

If a computer has 64-bit registers and 64-bit memory addressing, how many bytes would its word size typically be?

8 bytes (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following represents 1,024 bytes?

A kilobyte (KB) (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following units is an exception to the general rule of measuring computer storage in bytes and collections of bytes?

Networking measurements (bits) (D) Signup and view all the answers

How is the mode bit set to 'kernel' when kernel code is executing?

By the system call changing it (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the timer in the context of process management?

To prevent infinite loops or resource hogging by processes (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which entity is considered an active entity within the system?

Process (A) Signup and view all the answers

How does the operating system regain control or terminate a program that exceeds its allotted time?

By generating an interrupt when a counter reaches zero (A) Signup and view all the answers

What ensures that user cannot explicitly set the mode bit to 'kernel'?

System call changing the mode (A) Signup and view all the answers

Why are some instructions designated as privileged and only executable in kernel mode?

To prevent unauthorized access and ensure system integrity (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the generally slowest method when computer language is not compiled to native code?

Interpretation (C) Signup and view all the answers

In a virtualization setup, what does the VMM (Virtual Machine Manager) provide?

Virtualization services (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is a key advantage of multiprocessor systems according to the text?

Increased processing power and parallelism (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which network type is used to connect systems in a distributed system according to the text?

TCP/IP (D) Signup and view all the answers

What does a network operating system provide in a distributed system?

Features between systems across the network (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the illusion provided by a distributed system according to the text?

A single system (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a primary function of an operating system?

Implement a centralized control program for the computer system (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which component of a computer system is responsible for the concurrent execution of CPUs and devices competing for memory cycles?

Operating system (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of an interrupt in a computer system?

To transfer control to the interrupt service routine and save the address of the interrupted instruction (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the main difference between the two methods for handling I/O operations described in the text?

The first method returns control to the user program only upon I/O completion, while the second method returns control without waiting for I/O completion (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following storage media is typically volatile and provides random access for the CPU?

Main memory (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of the disk controller in a computer system?

To determine the logical interaction between the hard disk device and the computer (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a typical component of a computer system as described in the text?

Middleware (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the main purpose of the device-status table in an operating system's I/O structure?

To contain information about each I/O device, including its type, address, and state, and to allow the OS to index into the table to determine device status and modify entries (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a common function of interrupts in a computer system?

Allowing the CPU to execute user programs directly without any operating system intervention (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is the main difference between main memory and secondary storage as described in the text?

Main memory is volatile, while secondary storage is non-volatile (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of caching in a computer system?

To copy information into a faster storage system (C) Signup and view all the answers

How does Direct Memory Access (DMA) benefit a computer system?

It transfers data directly to main memory without CPU intervention (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of a device driver in a computer system?

To manage I/O between the kernel and controller (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of a bootstrap program (BIOS) in a computer system?

To initialize the system, load the kernel, and start system daemons (B) Signup and view all the answers

In multiprogramming, what happens when a running job has to wait for I/O?

The operating system switches to another job (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the key feature of multitasking in a computer system?

Frequent switching of jobs to allow user interaction (D) Signup and view all the answers

Why is dual-mode operation important in an operating system?

To allow the OS to protect itself and other system components (C) Signup and view all the answers