Operating System Fundamentals

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Questions and Answers

What type of operating system allows multiple users to run multiple programs simultaneously?

Multi-User, Single-Tasking
Multi-User, Multi-Tasking (correct)
Single-User, Multi-Tasking
Single-User, Single-Tasking

What is the core of the operating system that manages hardware resources and provides services to applications?

Device Drivers
System Libraries
Kernel (correct)
System Utilities

What is the primary function of an operating system?

To provide a platform for application development
To manage only memory and storage resources
To manage computer hardware resources and provide common services to computer programs (correct)
To control only the input/output operations between devices and programs

Which of the following operating system services is responsible for allocating CPU time to processes?

Process Scheduling (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of device drivers in an operating system?

To interact with hardware devices (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following operating systems is an open-source Unix-like OS?

Linux (B) Signup and view all the answers

What are the key differences between a single-user single-tasking OS and a single-user multi-tasking OS?

A single-user single-tasking OS allows one user to run one program at a time, whereas a single-user multi-tasking OS allows one user to run multiple programs simultaneously. Signup and view all the answers

What are the primary functions of the kernel in an operating system?

The kernel manages hardware resources and provides services to applications. Signup and view all the answers

What is the main purpose of system calls in an operating system?

System calls provide an interface through which applications can request services from the operating system. Signup and view all the answers

What are the key characteristics of a real-time operating system?

A real-time operating system is designed to manage real-time applications with strict timing constraints. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of file management in an operating system?

File management provides a file system for storing and retrieving files. Signup and view all the answers

What are the key differences between a multi-user operating system and a mobile operating system?

A multi-user operating system allows multiple users to access the system simultaneously, while a mobile operating system is designed specifically for mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. Signup and view all the answers

What are the different states a process can be in, and what happens during each state?

A process can be in one of four states: newborn, running, waiting, and zombie. In the newborn state, the process is created. In the running state, the process is being executed. In the waiting state, the process is waiting for some event to occur. In the zombie state, the process has finished executing but its parent process has not acknowledged its termination. Signup and view all the answers

What is the memory hierarchy, and what are its components?

The memory hierarchy is the organization of memory levels, including main memory, cache, and virtual memory. Main memory is the primary storage for program execution, cache is a small and fast memory that stores frequently accessed data, and virtual memory is a combination of physical memory and secondary storage. Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference between contiguous and non-contiguous memory allocation?

Contiguous memory allocation allocates a single block of contiguous memory to a process, while non-contiguous memory allocation allocates memory to a process in non-contiguous blocks. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of a file system, and how is it organized?

A file system is a hierarchical structure of files and directories on a storage device, organized as a tree of directories and subdirectories. Signup and view all the answers

What are some common security threats to an operating system, and how can they be mitigated?

Some common security threats include unauthorized access, viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. These can be mitigated through security mechanisms such as authentication, authorization, encryption, and access control. Signup and view all the answers

What is paging, and how does it improve memory management?

Paging is a memory management technique that divides memory into fixed-size blocks called pages. It improves memory management by allowing for efficient allocation and deallocation of memory. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Operating Systems

Definition

An operating system (OS) is a software that manages computer hardware resources and provides common services to computer programs.

Functions

Process Management: creates, runs, and manages processes (programs)
Memory Management: manages main memory and virtual memory
File Management: provides file system and storage management
I/O Management: handles input/output operations between devices and programs
Security: provides mechanisms for controlling access to computer resources
Interrupt Handling: handles interrupts generated by hardware devices
Resource Allocation: manages allocation and deallocation of system resources

Types of Operating Systems

Single-User, Single-Tasking: allows one user to run one program at a time (e.g., MS-DOS)
Multi-User, Single-Tasking: allows multiple users to run one program at a time (e.g., early Unix)
Multi-User, Multi-Tasking: allows multiple users to run multiple programs simultaneously (e.g., modern Unix, Windows)

Operating System Components

Kernel: core of the OS, manages hardware resources and provides services to applications
Device Drivers: software components that interact with hardware devices
System Libraries: provide common functions and services to applications
System Utilities: perform maintenance and management tasks

Operating System Services

Process Scheduling: allocates CPU time to processes
Memory Management: manages memory allocation and deallocation
File Systems: provides file organization, storage, and retrieval
I/O Management: manages input/output operations between devices and programs
Security: provides mechanisms for controlling access to computer resources

Popular Operating Systems

Windows: developed by Microsoft
Unix: developed by Bell Labs, now maintained by various organizations
Linux: open-source Unix-like OS, developed by Linus Torvalds
macOS: developed by Apple Inc.

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Test your knowledge of operating systems, including process management, memory management, file systems, and more. Learn about the different types of operating systems and their components.