Operating Systems

UCC 103: PRINCIPLES OF

COMPUTING
 What is an OS?
 OS: the software that manages the sharing of
the resources of a computer and provides
users with an interface used to access those
resources.
 It forms a platform for other system software
and application software.
 Examples: Ms Windows, FreeBSD, Unix, Linux
(Redhat, Fedora, Ubuntu), MacOS, Android,
iOS. 2/10/2025 2
 The Power-On Self Test (POST)
 POST: Execution of the code stored in the
ROM, it examines the system h/w to make
sure everything is functioning properly.

 After the POST, the BIOS activates the disk

drives and executes the bootstrap loader.
 The bootstrap loader loads the OS into
memory.
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 Functions of an OS
 Process management  Access to I/O devices

 Memory Management  Device management

 Support disk and file  Storage management

systems
 Application interface
 Provide security
 User interface etc
 Error detection &response
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 Process Management
 On a Von Neumann architecture, only one
process per CPU can be run at a time.

 The OS makes Multitasking possible - The

mechanism was used in mainframes since the
early 1960s, but in the personal computers, it
became available in the 1990s.
 Process management involves computing and
distributing CPU time as well as other resources:
processes are assigned priorities.
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 Memory Management
 An operating system's disk manager
coordinates the use of various types of
memory by tracking which one is available,
which is to be allocated or deallocated and
how to move data between them.

 This makes disk memory seem like main

memory.
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 Support Disk and file systems
 Modern file systems comprise a hierarchy
of directories.

 Differences between file systems:

a) Characters used to separate directories.
b) Case sensitivity.

 File systems may provide journaling

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 File Systems supported by the various
OSs
 Microsoft Windows: FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, NTFS.

 Mac OS X supports HFS+ with journaling as its primary file

system. It has facilities to read and write to FAT16, FAT32,
NTFS and other file systems, but cannot be installed to
them.

 Linux distributions: support some or all of ext2, ext3,

ReiserFS, Reiser4, GFS, GFS2, OCFS, OCFS2, and NILFS.
Linux also has full support for XFS and JFS, along with the
FAT file systems, and NTFS.
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 Provision of Security
1. Operating system provides access to a
number of resources, directly or indirectly.

2. The OS distinguishes between authorized

and unauthorized requesters of resources.

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 Internal Security
 This is protecting the computer's resources
from the programs concurrently running on
the system.

 The programs should not have the same

privileges as the OS, neither should they
perform the same task as the OS.

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 External Security
 Provides security on the Network.

 Services provided on the network: File

sharing, print services, email, web sites,
Telnet and file transfer protocols (FTP),
most of which can compromise security.

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 Other Functions of the OS
 Error detection and response

 Access to I/O devices

 User interface

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 Categories of OSs
 This categories are based on the types of
computers they control and the sort of
applications they support.
1. Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS).
2. Single User Single Task Operating Systems.
3. Single User Multitasking Operating Systems.
4. Multi-user Operating System.

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 Categories of OSs contd.
 Difference: Multi-user OSs and single-
user OSs that support networking.

 Kernel: the nucleus/central component

of an operating system.

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Evolution of OSs

Principles of Computing
Layers of a Computer System

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 Why OS evolution?
 To adapt to hardware upgrades and new
types of hardware.
 Character Vs Graphic terminals
 Need to offer new services e.g. internet
support.
 New OS design:
 Modular design with clean interfaces
 Object oriented methodology
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 Stages of OS Evolution
1. Stage1: Early Systems (1954)
2. Stage2: Batch Processing (early 1960s)
3. Stage3: Multiprogramming (Late 1960s)
4. Stage4: Timesharing
5. Stage5: Personal/Desktop Computers (1980)
6. Stage6: Multiprocessor Systems (1980)
7. Stage7: Networked/Distributed Systems (1980)
8. Stage8: Web-based Systems (1990)

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 Stage 1: The Mid 1950s
 No OS: Computers operated manually e.g.
IBM 701

 User allocated 15-min slot, 10 spent in

setting up equipment – 2/3 wasted

 Interaction was a via a command line

interface
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Example of an early computer
system

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 Characteristics of Early Systems
 Early software: Assemblers, Libraries of
common subroutines (I/O, Floating-point),
Device Drivers, Compilers, Linkers.
 Need significant amount of setup time.

 Extremely slow I/O devices.

 Very low CPU utilization.

 But computer was very secure.

 Stage 2: Batch Processing
 Idea: Computers to schedule there own
work
 Steps
1. Users load jobs on punched cards
2. Operators receive punched cards and use a satellite
computer to retrieve jobs and store on a magnetic tape
3. Jobs run in their order of appearance on the tape
4. Output posted on a tape
5. Tape moved to a satellite comp and printed on a line
printer
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 Batch Processing Cont’d

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 Disadvs of Batch Processing
 Slow: Sequential nature of tapes
 The comps at the time couldn’t do
multitasking

 Examples: SHARE used for the IBM 709

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 Stage 3: Multiprogramming
 Interrupts enabled concurrent
execution of multiple programs
 When one job needs to wait for I/O,
the processor can switch to the other
job

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 Multiprogramming cont’d

Examples: Egdon system, Exec II system

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 Stage 4: Timesharing
 Using multiprogramming to handle
multiple interactive jobs
 Processor’s time is shared among multiple
users
 Multiple users simultaneously access the
system through terminals
 Examples: Multics file system, Unix, titan file system

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 Major Achievements
 Processes
 Memory Management
 Information protection and security
 Scheduling and resource management
 System structure

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 Difficulties with designing
System software
 Improper synchronization
 Ensure a process waiting for an I/O device
receives the signal
 Failed mutual exclusion
 Non-determinate program operation
 Program should only depend on input to it,
not on the activities of other programs
 Deadlocks
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 Stage 5:
Networked/Distributed OSs

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 System Administration
 OS Installation
 The Desktop
 The Taskbar
 The Start Menu
 Screen Saver
 Background image
 Close down the PC: Log off, Stand By, Shut
down
 Change computer password
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 System Administration
 Drives, Folders and Files
 Printing
 Sending email
 Managing Users /User accounts

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 END
 What is an OS?
 Functions of an OS?
 What is POST
 What is Multitasking?
 What is a File system? Any examples?
 Categories of OSs

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 END
 Why/How come there is OS evolution?
 Explain Batch Processing
 Disadvantages of Batch Processing?
 Differentiate between
multiprogramming and timesharing
 What is meant by Deadlock in
computing?

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