41 Questions
What is the smallest unit of storage in a computer?
Bit
How many bits are there in a byte?
8
In most computers, what is the smallest convenient chunk of storage?
Byte
Which term refers to a computer architecture's native unit of data?
Word
How many bytes are in a kilobyte?
1024
Why are networking measurements typically given in bits?
Because networks move data a bit at a time.
What is the main goal of an operating system?
Manage computer hardware resources
Which component is responsible for coordinating the use of hardware among various applications and users?
Operating system
What defines the ways in which system resources are used to solve computing problems?
Application programs
Which type of computer usually has dedicated resources but can also use shared resources from servers?
Workstations
What is considered as part of the kernel in an operating system?
System programs
Which component of a computer system is responsible for transferring data between main memory and local buffers?
CPU
What occurs when an interrupt is triggered on a computer system?
The operating system determines the type of interrupt and takes appropriate action
Which statement about I/O handling is correct?
"System call allows user to wait for I/O completion"
What type of memory provides large nonvolatile storage capacity in a computer system?
Hard Disk Drives (HDD)
Which component determines the logical interaction between a hard disk drive and a computer in a computer system?
Disk controller
What is the purpose of the timer mentioned in the text?
To interrupt the computer after a specified time period
How does the system ensure that a user cannot set the mode bit to 'kernel'?
By resetting the mode bit after kernel code execution
What differentiates a program from a process based on the provided text?
A program is a passive entity, while a process is an active entity
Why are some instructions designated as privileged and only executable in kernel mode?
To protect critical parts of the operating system
What does the counter decremented by the physical clock help achieve in the system?
Preventing infinite loops in processes
How does the timer contribute to controlling processes in an operating system?
By preventing processes from exceeding allotted time
What are the responsibilities of the operating system in connection with process management?
Suspending and resuming processes
In a single-threaded process, how many program counters are there?
One, specifying the location of the next instruction to execute
What does a multi-threaded process have?
One program counter per thread
What does memory management determine?
What is in memory and when
What does file-system management abstract?
Physical properties to logical storage unit - file
What is a key aspect of mass-storage management?
Disk scheduling algorithms
What does caching aim to achieve?
Copy data from faster to slower storage
Why is cache management considered an important design problem?
Cache size and replacement policy impact performance
Concurrency in operating systems involves:
Multiplexing the CPUs among processes/threads
What is the purpose of caching in a computer system?
To copy information into a faster storage system for quicker access
In a von Neumann architecture, what is the primary function of the device controller?
Manage I/O operations between devices and the kernel
Which statement best describes the role of the bootstrap program (BIOS) in operating systems?
It initializes the system and loads the kernel
What is the main purpose of multiprogramming in a computer system?
To organize jobs so the CPU always has one to execute
What is the key feature distinguishing multitasking from multiprogramming?
The CPU switches jobs frequently allowing user interaction with each job
Why is dual-mode operation necessary in an operating system?
To protect itself and other system components
What distinguishes a software interrupt (exception or trap) from a hardware interrupt?
A software interrupt is caused by errors like division by zero
What is the primary function of direct memory access (DMA) in a computer system?
Transfer blocks of data from buffer storage directly to main memory
What is the main advantage of virtual memory in a computer system?
It allows execution of programs not completely in memory
What is the primary purpose of a device driver in an operating system?
To provide a uniform interface between controllers and the kernel
Test your knowledge on storage hierarchy, caching, device drivers, and I/O management as discussed in Operating System Concepts 10th Edition by Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne in 2018.
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