Operating System Concepts

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Questions and Answers

What type of user interface is NOT typically found in operating systems?

Web-Based Interface (WBI) (correct)

Batch Interface

Graphics User Interface (GUI)

Command-Line Interface (CLI)

Which service allows an operating system to load and run a program?

Program execution (correct)

I/O operations

User interface

File-system manipulation

Which of the following is NOT a necessary function of an operating system's services?

Launching applications

Managing I/O operations

Performing mathematical calculations (correct)

Handling file-system manipulation

Which of the following best describes the role of I/O operations in an operating system?

Enabling communication between the program and peripheral devices Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of the file-system manipulation service in an operating system?

To manage files and directories Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes the user operating system interface?

A point of interaction between the user and the OS features Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'system boot' refer to in operating systems?

The initialization process of the operating system Signup and view all the answers

What are system calls used for in an operating system?

To provide a way for programs to request services from the OS Signup and view all the answers

Which component of the Android architecture is responsible for providing process, memory, and device-driver management?

Linux kernel Signup and view all the answers

What programming language are Android applications typically developed in?

Java Signup and view all the answers

What type of file is generated by an operating system failure that captures kernel memory?

Crash dump file Signup and view all the answers

Which specialized environment includes core libraries and allows execution of applications in Android?

Dalvik virtual machine Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a feature of the iOS Cocoa Touch API?

Kernel memory management Signup and view all the answers

What strategy can be used to optimize system performance beyond just fixing bugs?

Performance tuning Signup and view all the answers

Which library is associated with multimedia functions in Android?

Dalvik Signup and view all the answers

What does Kernighan’s Law suggest about the process of debugging?

Debugging is harder than coding Signup and view all the answers

Which function is NOT typically associated with system programs?

Running the operating system kernel Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best defines the role of background services?

They continually run until the system is shut down. Signup and view all the answers

What is the main distinction between mechanisms and policies in operating systems?

Mechanisms decide how to do something, while policies dictate what will be done. Signup and view all the answers

Which type of program would be least likely to be considered a part of the operating system?

Video games launched by users Signup and view all the answers

Which programming language is predominantly used for the main body of modern operating systems?

C Signup and view all the answers

What is a primary user goal in operating system design?

To be error-free and efficient Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the structure of MS-DOS?

It is not divided into modules and poorly separates interfaces. Signup and view all the answers

What aspect is primarily focused on by system goals in OS design?

Ease of design, implementation, and maintenance Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of UNIX in comparison to MS-DOS?

UNIX has a more complex structure while being limited by hardware functionality. Signup and view all the answers

What programming construct is primarily used at the lowest levels of operating system development?

Assembly language Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes a tool used in file modification?

Text editor Signup and view all the answers

Which service allows communication between processes over a network?

Communication mechanisms Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements is true regarding high-level programming languages in operating systems?

High-level languages are typically easier to port, but may result in slower performance. Signup and view all the answers

What advantage does emulation provide for operating systems?

It allows an OS to run on hardware for which it was not originally designed. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of programming language support in an operating system?

Assemblers Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of system programs?

They handle direct hardware management. Signup and view all the answers

What is a microkernel in the context of operating system structure?

A simple and minimalistic approach to operating system design. Signup and view all the answers

System programs that provide information about the system's status may typically be used to check:

The amount of available memory. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of system calls?

To provide a programming interface to the services of the operating system Signup and view all the answers

Which API is commonly used in UNIX-like operating systems?

POSIX API Signup and view all the answers

What method is NOT typically used to pass parameters to the OS in a system call?

Using an external file for parameters Signup and view all the answers

Which type of system call does 'create file' belong to?

File management Signup and view all the answers

In multitasking operating systems, what is the purpose of the fork() system call?

To create a new process Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following system calls is responsible for terminating a process?

exit() Signup and view all the answers

How are device attributes generally managed in system calls?

By the system call itself directly Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct order of operations when a process is created in a UNIX-like system?

Fork, execute, wait Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the common methods of passing parameters via stack?

Push parameters onto the stack and pop them off by the OS Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes 'protection' in the context of system calls?

Controlling access to resources and permissions Signup and view all the answers

Which statement about system calls is false?

System calls can only be made using high-level programming languages. Signup and view all the answers

What does the 'get process attributes' system call do?

Retrieves information about a specific process Signup and view all the answers

What happens if a process exits with an error code greater than zero?

It usually indicates an error occurred during execution Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Operating System Services

Operating systems provide services to users, process, and other systems.
User interface: Provides a way for the user to interact with the system, using command-line, graphical user interface, or batch interfaces.
Program execution: Operating systems load programs into memory and run them.
I/O operations: Programs require I/O operations to interact with files or devices.
File-system manipulation: Operating systems manage the file system, allowing users to create, delete, read, write, and manipulate files.

Operating System Structure

There are various ways to structure an operating system.
Simple structure, exemplified by MS-DOS, lacks modularity.
More complex structures, like UNIX, have better separation of functions and interfaces.
Layered approach provides abstraction, where each layer provides services to the next.
Microkernel structure places most of the OS in user space, making the kernel smaller and more portable.

System Calls

System calls are the interface for programs to access the operating system services.
They are typically written in high-level languages like C or C++.
Applications generally interact with system calls through Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), such as Win32 API, POSIX API, and Java API.

Types of System Calls

Process Control: creation, termination, waiting, and manipulating processes.
File Management: creation, deletion, opening, closing, reading, and writing files.
Device Management: requesting, releasing, reading, writing, and managing devices.
Information Maintenance: retrieving system information like time, date, and system data.
Communications: establishing connections between processes, sending and receiving messages, and managing shared memory.
Protection: controlling access to resources and managing permissions.

System Programs

System programs provide a user-friendly environment for development and execution.
Examples include file manipulation tools, status information displays, programming language support, program loading and execution tools, communication tools, background services, and application programs.
They offer a higher-level interface to the system services compared to system calls.

Operating System Design and Implementation

Operating system design involves defining goals, specifications, and principles.
User goals: convenience, ease of use, reliability, safety, and speed.
System goals: ease of design and implementation, flexibility, reliability, absence of errors, and efficiency.
Separation of policy from mechanism: Policies specify what to do, while mechanisms define how to do it, allowing for flexibility and adaptability.
Implementation involves using a variety of programming languages, including assembly, C, C++, scripting languages, and other specialized tools. ### iOS
Developed by Apple
Cocoa Touch Objective-C API for developing apps
Media services layer for graphics, audio, and video
Core services provide cloud computing and databases
Core operating system based on Mac OS X kernel

Android

Developed by Open Handset Alliance, mostly Google
Open source
Similar stack to iOS
Based on the Linux kernel but modified
Provides process, memory, and device driver management
Adds power management
Runtime environment includes a core set of libraries and the Dalvik virtual machine
Apps developed in Java plus Android API
- Java class files compiled to Java bytecode then translated to executables that run in the Dalvik VM
Libraries include frameworks for a web browser (webkit), database (SQLite), multimedia, and a smaller libc

Android Architecture

Uses a layered architecture
Provides a Linux kernel and a set of system services
Applications run in a user space above the system services

Operating System Debugging

Finding and fixing errors or bugs
Operating systems generate log files containing error information
Failure of an application can generate a core dump file (captures memory of the process)
Operating system failure can generate a crash dump file (containing kernel memory)
Beyond crashes, performance tuning can optimize the system performance
- Sometimes using trace listings of activities, recorded for analysis
- Profiling is periodic sampling of the instruction pointer looking for statistical trends
Kernighan’s Law: "Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug it."

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Description

Explore key concepts and services provided by operating systems, including user interfaces, program execution, and file-system manipulation. Understand different structures of operating systems and their functionalities, from simple designs to complex layered approaches.