UNIT 1

OPERATING SYSTEM
1. An operating system is a program that acts as a intermediatory between
user and computer hardware.
2. Operating system (OS) is essential system software that manages
computer hardware and software resources, providing common services
for computer programs.
3. The purpose of an Operating system is to provide an environment in
which a user can execute a program.
4. Operating system is a integrated set of programs that we use to manage
various resources and overall operations of a computer system.
5. An operating system is a important part of almost every computer
system. A computer system is divided into four components.
 Hardware.
 Operating system.
 Software.
 Users.
The operating system control & coordinate the & use of hardware among the
various application program for the various users.
It can be explore from two view points-
1. User view
2. System view

1.User View: User view refers to how a system appears and functions from the
perspective of the end-user. It encompasses the user interface, interactions,
and overall experience.

1. Single User View: Most computer users use a monitor, keyboard,

mouse, printer, and other accessories to operate their computer
system. These systems are much more designed for a single user
experience and meet the needs of a single user, where the
performance is not given focus as the multiple user systems. In some
cases, the system is designed to maximize the output of a single user.
As a result, more attention is laid on accessibility, and resource
allocation is less important.
2. Multiple User View: If the user is using a system connected to a
mainframe or a minicomputer and many users on their computers
trying to interact with their kernels over the mainframe to each
other. The operating system is largely concerned with resource
utilization. This is because there may be multiple terminals connected
to the mainframe. The operating system makes sure that all the
resources, such as CPU, memory, I/O devices, etc., are divided
uniformly between them.
3. Handled User View: If the user uses a handheld computer such as a
mobile, then the operating system handles the device's usability,
including a few remote operations. The battery level of the device is
also taken into account. Smartphones interact via wireless devices to
perform numerous operations, but they're not as efficient as a
computer interface, limiting their usefulness. However, their
operating system is a great example of creating a device focused on
the user's point of view.
4. Embedded System User View: Some systems, like embedded
systems, lack a user point of view. The remote control used to
turn on or off the tv is all part of an embedded system in which the
electronic device communicates with another program where the
 user viewpoint is limited and allows the user to engage with the
application.

2. System View: The operating system is the bridge between applications

and hardware. It is most intimate with the hardware and used to control
it as required. The OS may be viewed as a resource allocator and control
program. A computer system comprises various sources, such as
hardware and software, which must be managed effectively. The
operating system act as the manager of the resources be ,there may be
numerous and conflicting request for the resources. The operating
system must decide how to allocate them to a specific program and the
user.

Functions of Operating system:

1. User Interface: A user interface (UI) is the point of interaction between a
human and a machine. It's essentially the part of a system that users see
and interact with. This includes everything from the appearance of a
website or app to the physical buttons on a device. Several forms of
interface are :-

 Command Line Interfaces (CLI)- A command line interface would

necessitate a user to type and input commands into the system from
a list of available commands. Such an interface is not very intuitive
and takes quite a lot of time and effort to learn. They are very
powerful for experienced users because they can get you rather close
to the workings of the components of a computer system.
 Graphical User Interfaces (GUI)- These are essentially user interfaces
that are graphical in nature. They are known as Graphical User
Interfaces (GUI) or WIMP interfaces (Windows, Icons, Menus and
Pointer). Such interfaces would generally be seen in multi-tasking
environments where’d you be opening and/or using more than one
software simultaneously.
 Form-based Interfaces- There are some operating systems, especially
ones used by businesses, where the users need to entire a large
amount of information. Form-based software interfaces are widely
 used for this purpose. The inputs into the computer are usually
predictable and form-based interfaces tend to have some common
features.
 Menu based Interfaces- Menu-based user interfaces are great for
situations in which you are not sure about a user’s IT skills or when
your users need to make quick selections from a vast range of
options.
 Natural Language Interfaces- These interfaces where users need to
enter answers to questions asked by the computer. They are known
as natural language interfaces because the computer and the user
seem to be engaging in a conversation.

2. Program Execution: Operating system must be able to load a program into

memory and to run the program with the help of processor. The program
must be able to end its execution either normally or abnormally.
3. Input/Output(I/O) operations: A running program must require input and
output. This I/O may involve a file of I/O devices. Therefore, the operating
system must provide a way to input/output operations.
4. File System: A file system is essentially the way your computer organizes
and manages data on a storage device. The program needs to read and
write files and also it creates and deletes files this task becomes easier due
to file system.
5. Error Detection: Error detection is a critical function of any operating
system. It involves identifying and responding to abnormal conditions that
might disrupt the system's operation. These errors can arise from
hardware, software, or user-related issues
6. Resource Allocation: When multiple users are logged onto the system or
multiple jobs are running on a system than resources must be allocated to
each of them.
7. Accounting: It refers to the process of keeping track of system resource
usage by various users and processes. It involves collecting, storing, and
analyzing data about how resources like CPU time, memory, disk space,
and I/O devices are utilized.

8. Protection & Security: Protection and security are fundamental aspects of

an operating system, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability
of system resources and data. While often used interchangeably, they have
distinct meanings. Protection focuses on controlling access to system
resources among users and processes within the system. Whereas,
security addresses threats from external sources, such as hackers, viruses,
and malware.
System call:
It is a technique that invoke the kernel for the process execution. Some other
task also perform the system call.
1. File Management- File management is a crucial aspect of operating
systems, responsible for organizing, storing, and retrieving data efficiently.
2. Resource Allocation- Resource allocation involves distributing system
resources (CPU, memory, disk, I/O devices) among processes efficiently.
3. Input/output Management- I/O management handles communication
between the computer and external devices.

Types of Operating System:

1. Batch Operating System- The users of a batch operating system do not
interact with the computer directly. Each user prepares his job on an off-
line device like punch cards and submits it to the computer operator. To
speed up processing, jobs with similar needs are batched together and
run as a group. The programmers leave their programs with the operator
and the operator then sorts the programs with similar requirements into
batches. Examples : Payroll Systems, Bank Statements, etc.
 Advantages of Batch Operating System:
 Multiple users can share the batch systems.
 The idle time for the batch system is very less.
 It is easy to manage large work repeatedly in batch systems.

Disadvantages of Batch Operating System:

 Batch systems are hard to debug.
 It is sometimes costly.
 The other jobs will have to wait for an unknown time if any job fails.
 In batch operating system the processing time for jobs is commonly
difficult to accurately predict while they are in the queue.
 It is difficult to accurately predict the exact time required for a job to
complete while it is in the queue.

Spooling:
Spooling is an acronym for simultaneous peripheral operation online.
Spooling is the process of temporary storage of data for use and execution
by a device, program, or system. Data is sent to and stored in main
memory or other volatile storage until it is requested for execution by a
program or computer.
Spooling is a process in which data is temporarily held to be used and
executed by a device, program, or system. Data is sent to and stored in
memory or other volatile storage until the program or computer requests
it for execution.
 Advantages:
 The spooling operation makes use of a disc as a very large buffer.
 It enables applications to run at the CPU’s speed while I/O devices
operate at their full speed.
 Spooling, on the other hand, is capable of overlapping I/O operations for
one job with processor operations for another.

Disadvantages:
 Depending on the volume of requests received and the number of input
devices connected, spooling needs a lot of storage.
 Since the SPOOL is created in the secondary storage, having lots of input
devices active at once may cause the secondary storage to fill up quickly
and increase disc traffic. As a result, the disc becomes slower and slower
as the volume of traffic grows.

2. Multiprogramming Operating system- Multiprogramming Operating

Systems can be simply illustrated as more than one program is present in
the main memory and any one of them can be kept in execution. This is
basically used for better execution of resources.
As the name suggests, more than one programs can be active at the
same time. Before the concept of Multiprogramming, there were single
tasking operating systems like MS DOS that used to allow only one
program to be loaded at a time and run. These systems were not
efficient as CPU was not used efficiently.
Advantages:
1. It provides less response time.
2. It may help to run various jobs in a single application simultaneously.
3. It helps to optimize the total job throughput of the computer.
4. Various users may use the multiprogramming system at once.

Disadvantages:
1. It is highly complicated and sophisticated.
2. The CPU scheduling is required.
3. Memory management is needed in the operating system because all
types of tasks are stored in the main memory.
4. The harder task is to handle all processes and tasks.

3. Multitasking (Time sharing) Operating system- Multi tasking operating

systems allow multiple users to perform multiple tasks at the same time.
The allocation of system resources such input/output devices,
CPU and memory among processes can be easily managed by multi-
tasking operating system. There are various states through which
a processor passes to complete particular or multiple executions.
Multitasking is the ability of an OS to execute more than
one task simultaneously on a CPU machine.
Advantages:
1. Manage Several Users.
2. Virtual Memory.
3. Good Reliability.
4. Secured Memory.
Disadvantages:
1. Processor Boundation
2. Memory Boundation
3. CPU heat up.

4. Multiprocessor operating system- A multiprocessing operating system

is defined as a type of operating system that makes use of more than
one CPU to improve performance. Multiple processors work parallelly
in multi-processing operating systems to perform the given task. All the
available processors are connected to peripheral devices, computer
buses, physical memory, and clocks. The main aim of the multi-
processing operating system is to increase the speed of execution of
the system. The use of a multiprocessing operating system improves
the overall performance of the system.
Advantages:
1. Increased reliability.
2. Failure of one processor does not affect the functioning of other
processors.
3. It divides all the workload equally to the available processors.
4. Makes use of available resources efficiently.
Disadvantages:
1. Symmetrical multiprocessing OS are more complex.
2. They are more costlier.
3. Synchronization between multiple processors is difficult.
4. Lack of scheduling.
Process:
A process is a program in execution. A process is an ‘active’ entity instead of a
program, which is considered a ‘passive’ entity. A single program can create
many processes when run multiple times. The structure of process in memory
can be summarized as follows-

 Stack- The process stack stores temporary information such as method

or function arguments, the return address, and local variables.
 Heap- This is the memory where a process is dynamically allotted while
it is running.
 Text- This consists of the information stored in the processor's registers
as well as the most recent activity indicated by the program counter's
value.
 Data- In this section, both global and static variables are discussed.
Contains the global variable.

Process States:
A process is a program that is being executed. During its execution, a
process goes through different states. Understanding these states helps us
see how the operating system manages processes, ensuring that the
computer runs efficiently.
States of process are as follows:-
1. New- This process is about to be created but not yet created. It is the
program that is present in secondary memory that will be picked up by
the OS to create the process.
2. Ready- After the creation of a process, the process enters the ready state
i.e. the process is loaded into the main memory. The process here is
ready to run and is waiting to get the CPU time for its execution.
3. Running State- The process is chosen from the ready queue by the CPU
for execution and the instructions within the process are executed by any
one of the available CPU cores.
4. Waiting- From the Running state, a process can make the transition to
the block or wait state depending upon the scheduling algorithm or the
intrinsic behaviour of the process.
5. Terminated- When a process finishes its execution, it comes in the
termination state.
 IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

1. Explain distributed operating system and its types.

2. What is clustered operating system? Explain its types.
3. What is process control block(PCB)?
4. Explain spooling?
5. What are process states? Explain with diagram.
6. Explain some important functions of operating system?
7. What is real time operating system? Explain its types.
8. What is the difference between multiprocessor and
multiprogramming operating system?
9. Explain batch operating system?
10. Explain the two view points of operating system?