Operating Systems Concepts Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What is the main function of the operating system's memory resident component?

To provide security and protection services.

To provide interfaces for the user and user programs.

To contain essential services required by other parts of the operating system and applications. (correct)

To handle all interrupt processing.

What is the difference between multitasking and multiprocessing?

Multitasking uses multiple CPUs while multiprocessing uses a single CPU.

Multitasking is used for single-user systems while multiprocessing is used for multiuser systems.

Multitasking is used for resource allocation while multiprocessing is used for program execution.

Multitasking simulates simultaneous program execution while multiprocessing achieves actual simultaneous execution. (correct)

Which of the following is NOT a service provided by an operating system?

Network services

User interface design and development (correct)

File management and support services

Memory allocation and management

What is the term used for the process of starting a computer?

Bootstrapping (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a common characteristic of both multitasking and multiprocessing?

They both support the simultaneous execution of multiple programs. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is a key characteristic of the Hierarchical model of an OS?

Each layer is independent of the other layers. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the main difference between a monolithic kernel and a microkernel?

Monolithic kernels include all essential system services, while microkernels only contain a minimal set. (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which operating system is a primary example of a microkernel architecture?

Macintosh OS X (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential drawback of using a monolithic kernel?

The codebase can be more complex and difficult to maintain. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What type of operating system was commonly prevalent in the past but is now considered obsolete?

Single-user, single-tasking (D) Signup and view all the answers

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

Primarily aimed at individual users. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is a key advantage of client-server systems used in a microkernel architecture?

Enhanced scalability and modularity. (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following operating systems primarily utilizes a hierarchical (layered) configuration?

Windows 2000 and later versions (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary error in the statement: "One of the major tasks performed by the operating system program is to load and execute programs." ?

Operating systems perform numerous tasks, not just loading and executing programs (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a service provided by operating systems to support concurrent processing?

Error handling, identifying and logging errors that occur during program execution. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of an Application Programming Interface (API)?

To provide a standardized way for application programs to access operating system services (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the key difference between multiprogramming and multiprocessing?

Multiprogramming utilizes a single processor to switch between multiple programs, while multiprocessing uses multiple processors to execute multiple programs simultaneously (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary task performed by device drivers?

Managing the flow of data between the operating system and peripheral devices (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of the bootstrap program in an operating system?

Initializing the system and loading the operating system kernel. (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which of these is NOT a feature typically provided by an operating system's file management system?

Compiling program code into executable files. (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which type of operating system is designed to respond to events in real-time, typically with very low latency?

Real-time systems. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What does the term "non-resident" refer to in the context of memory management?

Programs that are not currently in memory but can be loaded quickly. (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a user interface type mentioned in the content?

Textual User Interface (TUI) (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of "context switching" in operating systems?

Transferring control from one running process to another. (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a service or facility typically provided by an operating system?

Managing network communication. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is a "thread" in the context of process control?

An individual, executable part of a process that shares resources with other parts. (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a high-level scheduler?

Handles interrupt processing and device management. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the main role of the "memory management system" in an operating system?

Managing the physical memory space of the system. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference between a "non-preemptive" and a "preemptive" scheduling system?

Non-preemptive systems allow a process to run until it voluntarily relinquishes the CPU, while preemptive systems use a clock interrupt to switch processes. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference between a "command processor" and a "shell" in an operating system?

A command processor executes commands from the user, while a shell provides a user interface and interacts with the kernel. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of "plug and play" in an operating system?

Automatically detecting and configuring newly connected hardware devices. (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a feature typically provided by an operating system's I/O services?

Compiling software code into executable files. (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following can be considered a type of inter-process messaging service?

A pipe that acts as a temporary connection between two programs or commands. (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of these statements is TRUE about a standard operating system?

It provides portability for programs and files, allowing them to run on different hardware platforms. (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which of these is NOT a service provided by an operating system?

Programming Language Compiling (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of an Operating System?

To manage and allocate computer resources efficiently (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of these is NOT a characteristic of a computer system without an operating system?

The system requires a specialized programmer to operate (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is a major difference between an operating system and a typical application program?

An operating system manages resources, while an application only uses them (A) Signup and view all the answers

According to the content, how does an operating system facilitate a more efficient user experience?

By automating tasks that would otherwise be tedious and time-consuming (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which of these services would not be considered a part of the operating system's "security protection services"?

Antivirus and firewall protection (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the primary reasons why the operating system is considered the "heart" of a modern computer system?

Because it creates the environment where all other programs run (D) Signup and view all the answers

The passage suggests that the operating system is a complex piece of software. What evidence supports this?

It is made up of hundreds or thousands of specialized programs (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the dispatcher in a multitasking operating system?

To allocate CPU time to different processes based on their priority. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary mechanism for achieving multitasking in an I/O bound operating system?

Sharing the CPU time between different programs during I/O operations. (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a security and protection service provided by an operating system?

Optimizing performance and resource allocation. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of TCP-IP in network communication?

To route data packets between different systems over a network. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of 'sysgen' in IBM z/OS?

To reconfigure the operating system to accommodate new hardware. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of 'fsck' in Unix/Linux?

To check and repair file systems for errors. (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a typical system administration task?

Developing and testing new applications. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the main purpose of secondary storage management in an operating system?

To ensure efficient use of disk space and optimize I/O operations. (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a common network application enabled by operating systems?

Email. (A) Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Operating System Overview

An operating system (OS) is a collection of programs that integrates computer hardware and makes resources available to users and their programs.
This allows users to interact with the computer effectively and efficiently.
OS functions can include accepting user commands and requests, managing loading and executing programs, managing hardware (including network and external parts), and handling file storage, retrieval and manipulation.
An OS is actually composed of hundreds or thousands of specialized programs for the various tasks it performs.
Without an OS, users would need to directly interact with the hardware, manually loading instructions to memory, and deal with only one program running at a time causing the computer to halt after each program.
An operating system provides a framework for a computer's integrated environment; a central framework to allow the user, applications, and other hardware to interact, allowing concurrent processing, and efficient management of resources.

Learning Outcomes

Define an Operating System
Describe the function and requirements of an Operating System.

Key Terms

application association
application program
batch program
command language
command line interface
command shell
common look and feel
desktop
display server
dock
drag-and-drop
Finder
GUI
icon
intranet
kernel
menu bar
microkernel
mouse focus
monolithic kernel
network
operand
path variable
positional operand
process
remote procedure call (RPC)
scripting language
shell
task bar
thread
title bar
unmount a device
volume
widget
wild card
window
X Window

Operating System Services

Provides communication interfaces for the user and their programs
Managing files and their access.
Managing input/output
Starting up the computer.
Interrupt handling
Network services
Resource Allocation (e.g., memory, CPU time, I/O devices)
Security and protection services
System administration

Operating System Components

Memory resident components
- Always loaded in memory
- Essential functions (e.g., kernel)
- Managing memory and other processes
Memory non-resident components
- Programs used less frequently
- Software tools, commands
Bootstrap program: loads the operating system.

Simplified Diagram of Operating System Services

The diagram shows the system's components and their interconnected services.
A user interacts with applications.
Applications use services provided by the core system and core services.
The OS manages the computer's hardware.
The OS and hardware work together to support network services

OS Degree of Activity

Interactive (conversational)
Batch processing (submitting programs/jobs)
Event driven (interrupts)

Hardware and the OS

Hardware platforms may support various OS versions.
A single OS can run on multiple platforms with program/file portability.
OS implementation often utilizes languages (like C++, Java) rather than assembly language.

Services and Facilities

Command processor, file management, I/O control, process control and communication, memory management, scheduling system, secondary storage management, network management, communication support, system protection and security, system administration.

User Interface and Command Execution Services

CLI (Command Line Interface), GUI (Graphical User Interface)
Shell interacts with the kernel using command languages.
- Examples: UNIX/Linux (e.g., C, Bourne, bash, Korn shells), IBM Mainframes, MS Windows, and UNIX/Linux shell scripts

File Management

Files are logical storage units.
The OS provides directory structures for each I/O device.
It includes tools for copying, moving, storing and retrieving files.
Security mechanisms control access and protect files.
Additional features include backup, retrieval, file compression, journaling, and transparent network file access.

I/O Services

Startup configuration (e.g., BIOS on IBM PCs)
Device drivers handle interrupts.
- IBM-style PCs utilize BIOS
Plug-and-play is a key aspect of modern I/O management

Process Control Management

A process is an executing program.
Inter-process messaging facilitates communication between programs.
Threads are individual executable parts of a process that share resources with other threads of the same process.

Memory Management

Memory management tracks allocated memory: identifies programs, their space, and available space.
It prevents programs from accessing memory outside their allocated sections.
It manages queues of programs waiting to be loaded and unloaded.

Scheduling

High-level scheduling places these programs in priority queues for execution.
Dispatching selects a program for execution at a specific time.
- Nonpreemptive (program releases control voluntarily)
- Preemptive (Uses clock interrupt)
Context switching transfers control between processes.
Processing requirements involve CPU (central processing unit)-intensive tasks and I/O-intensive tasks.

Achieving Multitasking

Time slicing rapidly switches between programs when one is waiting on input/output (I/O) to give the impression of executing multiple programs concurrently.
Dispatcher is activated by an I/O operation or interrupt and decides which process to execute next

I/O operations frequently occupy a significant portion of a program's execution time.
The CPU can perform other tasks while waiting for I/O to complete.

OS dispatcher decides which program will use the CPU (time slicing, using interrupts).
This switching is done rapidly for the illusion of simultaneous tasks.

Secondary Storage and Security

Secondary storage management optimizes I/O tasks for efficient storage (disk usage).
Security/protection protects OS against unauthorized access, other users, or unauthorized use by authorized users using various schemes to control access and security.

Network and Communication Services

TCP/IP protocol suite facilitates communication between computers.
It transmits data packets, accesses files and devices on remote systems.
- Networking support through TCP/IP.
- Distributed processing through network.
- Network applications such as email, login, web services and other applications, streaming multimedia, VOIP telephony and VPN.
- Interface between communication software and the OS allowing network I/O access.

System Administration Support

Configuring systems, setting group policies, adding/deleting users, controlling and changing user privileges, system security, and file system management.
- System-level tasks such as backups, installations and upgrades, tuning systems for performance, monitoring, and recovering lost data.

Systems Tools Examples

IBM z/OS, Unix/Linux (superuser, user accounts, mounting/unmounting filesystems, file system checking, recovery), Windows (backup creation, restore, control panel, task manager).

Typical System Status Report

Detailed information displays about CPU processes, memory, and system files/directories.
Real-time information used for analysis and troubleshooting.

OS Configurations

OS configuration (Monolithic, Hierarchical, Microkernel).
- Monolithic: All functionality is loaded into the kernel (e.g., Unix/Linux).
- Hierarchical: Layers form a functional hierarchy.
- Microkernel: Minimally essential functions.
- Example of configuration: Windows 2000 and later/Macintosh OS X (layered), Unix/Linux (Monolithic) and Multics.

Monolithic Kernel

Drawback: Maintaining the integrity of a monolithic kernel is critical since all operations reside inside the kernel, therefore any vulnerability can compromise the entire system.
Examples include UNIX and Linux.

Hierarchical Model of an OS

Different layers run independently and requests pass between the layers.
The layers are interconnected allowing the request to propagate down layers.

Microkernel

Very essential functionality only loaded into the kernal.
Client-server approach where clients request services from the microkernel for specific server tasks.

8 Types of Operating Systems

Single-user, single-tasking
Single-user, multitasking
Mainframes
Network servers
Mobile operating systems
Real-time systems
Embedded control systems
Distributed systems

Quick Review Questions.

What are the two primary purposes of an operating system?
What are the mistakes in this statement: "One of the major tasks performed by the operating system program is to load and execute programs."
Explain concurrent processing.
What are the memory parts of an OS called? When are these loaded into memory?
Explain a diskless workstation and thin client.
What does API stand for? What does API do?
What does event-driven OS mean?
What is the difference between multiprogramming and multiprocessing?
What tasks do device drivers perform?

Summary

Modern OS provides interfaces for users and programs to interact with the system.
They offer varying services like user interface, program execution, file management, security features, communication and sharing capabilities.
The API standard interface for programs to access OS services.

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Description

Test your knowledge on key concepts of operating systems, including memory management, multitasking versus multiprocessing, and kernel architecture. This quiz covers fundamental characteristics and services provided by operating systems, along with historical insights into their evolution.