Organization of a Computer System

Study Notes

Organization of a Computer System

A computer system consists of four major high-level components:
- Hardware (CPU, memory, I/O devices) that provides basic computing resources
- Operating system that manages the use of hardware among various application programs and users
- Applications programs that define the ways in which system resources are used to solve computing problems
- Users (people, machines, other computers)

Purpose of a Computer System

The primary purpose of a computer system is to generate executable programs and execute them
Key issues involved in performing these tasks include:
- Storing an executable on a secondary storage device
- Loading executable from disk into main memory
- Setting the CPU state appropriately
- Creating multiple cooperating processes and synchronizing their access to shared data

Operating System Services

The operating system provides the following services:
- Managing secondary storage devices (hard disk, etc.)
- Managing primary storage (main memory)
- Managing processes (scheduling CPU, preventing deadlocks, etc.)
- Allowing a user to manage files and directories properly
The operating system provides these services to ensure efficient use of system resources

What is an Operating System?

There are two views of what an operating system is:
- Top-down view: a program that acts as an intermediary between a user and the computer hardware, making the computer system convenient to use
- The operating system manages the computer's hardware and resources, allowing users to use simple commands to perform tasks
The operating system enables users to access and utilize computer hardware and software resources (CPU time, memory space, file storage space, I/O devices, etc.) to solve problems

Description

Learn about the major components of a computer system, including hardware, operating system, and application programs. Understand how they work together to provide computing resources and solve problems.