EIE 282: Information Technology

Operating Systems

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 Lecture Outline
1. Basics of Operating Systems (OS).
2. OS Examples: Microsoft Windows, Unix, Linux.
3. OS for Process Management:
a) Multi-Tasking,
b) Multi-Processing.

4. OS for Memory Management:

a) Virtual memory management,
b) Virtual address management.

5. OS for Management of Networking & Device Drivers

6. OS for Security: internal and external.

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 Operating System
An operating system (OS) is a computer program that manages the
hardware and software resources of a computer

At the foundation of all system software, the OS performs these basic tasks:
 prioritizing system requests

 controlling and allocating memory, managing files

 controlling input and output devices, providing a graphical user interface

for higher-level functions

 facilitating networking

 providing security

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 Operating System Categories
• Four categories:
– Real-Time (RTOS)
• Real-time operating systems don’t require the
intervention of any users at all.
– Single-User, Single-Task
• Single-user, single-task operating systems are
proprietary systems developed specifically for the
devices they manage.
– Single-User, Multitask
– Multiuser
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 Real-Time Operating Systems
• Systems with a
specific purpose and
a certain result
• Uses include:
– Industrial machines
– Robotic equipment
– Automobiles
– Video game consoles
– Home appliances

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 Single-User Operating Systems
Single-task systems Multitask systems
• Perform one task at a time • Perform simultaneous tasks
• PDAs: • Windows
– Pocket PC • MAC OS
– Palm OS • Linux
– Windows Mobile
• MS-DOS

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 Multiuser Operating Systems
• Known as network operating systems
• Allow access to the computer system by more
than one user
• Manage user requests
• Systems include:
– UNIX
– Novell Netware
– Windows Server 2003

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 Features of an OS
• Co-ordinates programs to work

with various devices and other

programs.

• Allocates resources to different

users.

• Provides user-interface.

• Organizes files on memory-disks.

• Provides security control.

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Starting the Computer: Loading the OS
• When the computer is first powered up, nothing is in the RAM.

• The CPU starts to read the BIOS-instructions stored in the ROM.

• The CPU then:

– Initializes all I/O devices: hard disk, video, mouse, keyboard, CD-ROM, etc

– Loads the bootstrap-loader of the operating system to RAM.

– Starts to execute the bootstrap-loader in RAM

• The bootstrap-loader further loads the other part of the operating system to the RAM

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 Starting the Computer
The Boot Process
• Step 1: The basic input/output 2
system (BIOS) is activated

• Step 2: A Power-on self-test 1

(POST) checks attached
hardware
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• Step 3: The operating system
loads into memory
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• Step 4: Configuration and
customization settings are
checked
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 Desktop Operating Systems
• Operating system combined with the processor
is known as a platform
– Microsoft Windows / Intel
– Apple Macintosh / Motorola
• Desktop operating systems include:
– Microsoft Windows
– MAC OS
– UNIX
– Linux

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 OS for Personal Computers
For IBM-PC compatible computers –

Microsoft Windows, Unix variants, and Linux variants

For Apple Macintosh computers –

Mac OS X (a Unix variant), Linux, BSD

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Microsoft Windows OS
 The Microsoft Windows family of operating systems originated as a
graphical layer on top of the older MS-DOS environment for the IBM-PC.

 In 2004, Windows held a near-monopoly of around 90% of the worldwide

desktop market share.

 Windows is also used on low-end and mid-range servers, supporting

applications such as web-servers and database-servers

 Recent Windows OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista (formerly Longhorn,

new functionalities, particularly in security, network administration, and digital
rights management. )
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 MAC OS
• First operating system with point-and-click technology
(Graphical User Interface)
• Excellent in: MAC OS X
– Graphics display
– Processing capabilities
– System reliability
– Document recovery
• Fewer software applications

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 UNIX
• Multiuser, multitask operating system
• Used primarily with mainframes

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 Linux
• Open-source operating
system
• Based on UNIX
• Stable system
• Free
• May be downloaded
through the Internet

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 What the Operating System Does
• Provides user
interface
• Manages the CPU
• Manages memory
• Manages hardware
• Coordinates
application software
with the CPU

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 The User Interface
• Enables you to
interact with the
Command-driven
computer
• Types of interfaces:
– Command-driven
interface (CLI:
command line
Menu-driven
interface)
– Menu-driven interface
– Graphical user
interface
Graphical

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 Processor Management
• The OS arranges for the execution of all
its activities in a systematic way.
• The OS assigns a slice of its time to each
activity requiring the CPU’s attention. The
OS then switches between processes
thousands of times a second so it appears
that everything is happening seamlessly.

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 Processor Management
• Controls the timing of events the
processor works on
– Interrupts: tell the OS it is in need of attention.
– Interrupt handler: a special numerical code
that prioritizes the requests
– Interrupt table: in RAM
– Stack Operatin
Process
Process
g3rd
1st
2nd
4th
REQUEST System

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 Memory Management
• The operating system allocates space in
RAM for instructions and data

RAM

Operating

System
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 Virtual Memory
• Instructions and data are stored on the
hard drive when RAM is full
– Swap file

FULL
– Paging
– Thrashing

Operating

System
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 Memory Management
Parkinson's Law: "Data expands to fill the space available for storage"

Memory Properties:
• has finite size and finite speed.
• is arranged hierarchically, from the fastest registers to the slowest disk storage.

Virtual Memory Management:

 The OS’ memory manager coordinates the finite memories by tracking
o which memory is available,
o which memory is to be allocated or de-allocated to which process,
o how to swap between the main memory and the secondary memories.
 Can greatly increase the amount of memory available for each process.
 If the running processes require more RAM than available, there will be a
speed-penalty in swapping RAM to disk-memory.

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 Memory Management

Virtual addresses management

• If multiple processes are simultaneously in the primary memory, they must be

prevented from interfering with each other's memory.

• This is achieved by having separate address-spaces.

• Each process sees the whole virtual address-space as uniquely assigned to it.
• The operating system maintains tables to match virtual addresses to physical
addresses. This process is called “paging”.
• The OS tracks all memory used by each process, so that when a process
terminates, that process’ memory will be made available to other processes.

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Networking
 Most OS use the TCP/IP networking protocols.
 A computer can appear on another computer’s network to share resources,
such as files, printers, and scanners.

Device Drivers
 A computer & its OS do not know how to control every device.
 A device driver is an interface software to allow specific OS or software
applications to communicate transparently with specific hardware devices –
 to provide commands to the device,
 to receive data from the device,
 to translate these OS’ function-calls into device-specific function-calls.
 provides the requisite interrupt-handling for any asynchronous time-dependent
hardware interfacing needs.
 is generally hardware-specific and OS-specific.

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 Hardware Management
• Device drivers:
– Programs that enable the
operating system to
communicate with
peripheral devices
– Provided by the
manufacturer of the device
• Plug and Play:
– Hardware and software
standard
– Facilitates the installation
of new hardware

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 Software Application Coordination
• Application programming interfaces
(APIs):
– Blocks of code contained in the operating
system
– Coordinates the operating system with
software applications
• Similar toolbars and menus
– Microsoft Direct X

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 File Management
• The operating system provides an
organizational structure to the computer’s
contents
• Hierarchical structure of directories:
– Drives
• Folders
Subfolders
» Files

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 File path

• File path
– Location of the file

Secondary Filename
folders

C:\My Documents\Tech in Action\TIA Pics\dotmatrix.gif

Drive Primary
folder

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 Working with Files
• File management
actions:
– Open
– Copy
– Move
– Rename
– Delete
• Recycle bin
Saving files

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 Utility Programs
• Small application programs that perform
special functions:
– Manage system resources
– Create pleasant environment
– Improve efficiency

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Security
1. The OS provides access to a number of resources, directly or indirectly. E.g., files on a
local disk, privileged system calls, personal information about users, and the services
offered by the programs running on the system.
2. The OS can distinguish between authorized requesters of these resources allowed access,
from unauthorized (forbidden) requesters.
3. OS has requester identity, such as a user name.

Requesters may be divided into two categories:

1. Internal security: an already running program. Sometimes, a program (once it is running)
has no limitations. More often, a program has an identity which it keeps and is used to
check all of its requests for resources.
2. External security: a new request from outside the computer, e.g., a login at a connected
console or some kind of network connection. To establish identity, there may be a
process of authentication, e.g., username & password.
3. A high-security OS audits: tracking of requests for access to resources (such as, "who has
been reading this file?").
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 Internal Security
 protects the computer's resources from other programs concurrently running.

 is especially relevant for multi-user systems, allowing each user to have

private files that other users cannot change or read.

 is vital for auditing, as a program can potentially bypass the operating system.

 For a less-privileged program:

 Less-privileged programs are disallowed from certain hardware

instructions, they have to ask a privileged program (e.g., the OS) to do so.

 The operating system can thus check the less-privileged program's

identity. The OS may then allow or refuse the request.

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 External Security
 An OS offers various services to (i.e., hosts) other computers on a network, e.g.,

file sharing, print services, email, web sites, and file transfer protocols.

 At the front line of the external security are hardware devices known as firewalls.

 In OS, a software firewall is configured to allow or deny traffic to a service

running on top of the operating system.

 Thus, while running insecure service (e.g., Telnet or FTP) , another service would

not be threatened by a security breach because the firewall would deny all

attempts from telnet or FTP to connect to the other service.

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 Lecture Summary
1. Basics of Operating Systems (OS).
2. OS Examples: Microsoft Windows, Unix, Linux.
3. OS for Process Management:
a) Multi-Tasking,
b) Multi-Processing.

4. OS for Memory Management:

a) Virtual memory management,
b) Virtual address management.

5. OS for Management of Networking & Device Drivers

6. OS for Security: internal and external.

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