Operating System File Management Quiz

Mass-Storage Management

• Proper management of mass-storage is essential for computer operation to ensure efficient and reliable data storage and retrieval.
• The operating system plays a central role in mass-storage management by performing activities such as:
  • Managing disk space allocation and deallocation
  • Handling file organization and retrieval
  • Providing a uniform view of information storage
• Tertiary storage includes devices such as tapes and optical disks, which require management to ensure data is safely stored and can be retrieved when needed.

Operating System Roles

• The primary role of the operating system in mass-storage management is to provide a uniform view of information storage.
• The operating system is responsible for managing hardware devices and providing a layer of abstraction between the user and the hardware.
• The I/O subsystem is responsible for managing input/output operations between devices and the operating system.

Security and Protection

• The main purpose of protection in an operating system is to ensure that resources are accessed and used in a controlled and authorized manner.
• The purpose of security in an operating system is to prevent unauthorized access, use, or malicious modification of system resources.
• User identities (user IDs, security IDs) are used to authenticate and authorize users to access system resources.
• Privilege escalation occurs when a user or process gains unauthorized access to higher-level privileges.

System Architecture

• In a multitasking environment, it is essential to use the most recent value of a datum to avoid data inconsistencies.
• Kernel data structures are used to manage system resources and implementing system policies.
• In a multiprocessor environment, cache coherency is necessary to ensure that data is consistent across all processors.

Distributed Systems

• In a P2P distributed system, all nodes are considered peers and may act as clients, servers, or both.
• Nodes in a P2P network must register their services with a central lookup service or broadcast requests for service and respond to requests via a discovery protocol.

Virtualization and Cloud Computing

• Virtualization allows operating systems to run applications within other OSes, often used when the source CPU type is different from the target type.
• Emulation is generally used to run applications when the computer language is not compiled to native code.
• Virtualization involves running guest OSes natively compiled on a host OS.
• Cloud computing is a logical extension of virtualization, providing computing, storage, and apps as a service across a network.
• Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides servers or storage available over the Internet.
• Software as a Service (SaaS) delivers computing, storage, and apps as a service across a network.

Real-Time Embedded Systems

• Real-time embedded systems are a type of computer system that require processing within well-defined fixed time constraints.
• They are often used in applications where timely processing is critical, such as control systems or robotics.