Operating system UNIT 1 2 Marks 1. What is an Operating system? An operating system is a program that manages the computer hardware.

It a so pro!ides a "asis #or app ication programs and act as an intermediary "etween a user o# a computer and the computer hardware. It contro s and coordinates the use o# the hardware among the !arious app ication programs #or the !arious users. 2. Why is the Operating $ystem !iewed as a resource a ocator % contro program? A computer system has many resources & hardware % so#tware that may "e re'uired to so !e a pro" em( ike )*U time( memory space( #i e+storage space( I,O de!ices % so on. The O$ acts as a manager #or these resources so it is !iewed as a resource a ocator. The O$ is !iewed as a contro program "ecause it manages the e-ecution o# user programs to pre!ent errors % improper use o# the computer. .. What is the /erne ? A more common de#inition is that the O$ is the one program running at a times on the computer( usua y ca ed the kerne ( with a e se "eing app ication programs. 0. What are 1atch systems? 1atch systems are 'uite appropriate #or e-ecuting arge 2o"s that need itt e interaction. The user can su"mit 2o"s and return ater #or the resu ts. It is not necessary to wait whi e the 2o" is processed. Operators "atched together 2o"s with simi ar needs and ran them through the computer as a group.

3. What is the ad!antage o# Mu tiprogramming? Mu tiprogramming increases )*U uti i4ation "y organi4ing 2o"s so that the )*U a ways has one to e-ecute. $e!era 2o"s are p aced in the main memory and the processor is switched #rom 2o" to 2o" as needed to keep se!era 2o"s ad!ancing whi e keeping the periphera de!ices in use. Mu tiprogramming is the #irst instance where the Operating system must make decisions #or the users. There#ore they are #air y sophisticated 5. What is an Interacti!e computer system? Interacti!e computer system pro!ides direct communication "etween the user and the system. The user gi!es instructions to the operating system or to a program direct y( using a key"oard or mouse (and waits #or immediate resu ts.

6. What do you mean "y Time+sharing systems? Time+sharing or mu titasking is a ogica e-tension o# mu tiprogramming. It a ows many users to share the computer simu taneous y. The )*U e-ecutes mu tip e 2o"s "y switching among them( "ut the switches occur so #re'uent y that the users can interact with each program whi e it is running. 7. What are mu tiprocessor systems % gi!e their ad!antages? Mu tiprocessor systems a so known as para e systems or tight y coup ed systems are systems that ha!e more than one processor in c ose communication( sharing the computer "us( the c ock and sometimes memory % periphera de!ices. Their main ad!antages are Increased throughput 8conomy o# sca e Increased re ia"i ity

9. What are the di##erent types o# mu tiprocessing? $ymmetric mu tiprocessing :$M*;< In $M* each processor runs an identica copy o# the Os % these copies communicate with one another as needed. A processors are peers. 8-amp es are Windows NT( $o aris( =igita UNI>( O$,2 % ?inu-. Asymmetric mu tiprocessing< 8ach processor is assigned a speci#ic task. A master processor contro s the system@ the other processors ook to the master #or instructions or prede#ined tasks. It de#ines a master+s a!e re ationship. 8-amp e $unO$ Aersion 0. 1B. What is grace#u degradation? In mu tiprocessor systems( #ai ure o# one processor wi not ha t the system( "ut on y s ow it down. I# there are ten processors % i# one #ai s the remaining nine processors pick up the work o# the #ai ed processor. This a"i ity to continue pro!iding ser!ice is proportiona to the sur!i!ing hardware is ca ed grace#u degradation. 11. What is =ua + Mode Operation? The dua mode operation pro!ides us with the means #or protecting the operating system #rom wrong users and wrong users #rom one another. User mode and monitor mode are the two modes. Monitor mode is a so ca ed super!isor mode( system mode or pri!i eged mode. Mode "it is attached to the hardware o# the computer to indicate the current mode. Mode "it is CBD #or monitor mode and C1D #or user mode.

12. What are pri!i eged instructions? $ome o# the machine instructions that may cause harm to a system are designated as pri!i eged instructions. The hardware a ows the pri!i eged instructions to "e e-ecuted on y in monitor mode.

1.. Eow can a user program disrupt the norma operations o# a system? A user program may disrupt the norma operation o# a system "y Issuing i ega I,O operations 1y accessing memory ocations within the O$ itse # Fe#using to re in'uish the )*U 10. Eow is the protection #or memory pro!ided? The protection against i ega memory access is done "y using two registers. The "ase register and the imit register. The "ase register ho ds the sma est ega physica address@ the imit register contains the si4e o# the range. The "ase and imit registers can "e oaded on y "y the O$ using specia pri!i eged instructions. 13. What are the !arious O$ components? The !arious system components are *rocess management Main+memory management Gi e management I,O+system management $econdary+storage management Networking *rotection system )ommand+interpreter system

15. What is a process? A process is a program in e-ecution. It is the unit o# work in a modern operating system. A process is an acti!e entity with a program counter speci#ying the ne-t instructions to e-ecute and a set o# associated resources. It a so inc udes the process stack( containing temporary data and a data section containing g o"a !aria" es. 16. What is a process state and mention the !arious states o# a process? As a process e-ecutes( it changes state. The state o# a process is de#ined in part "y the current acti!ity o# that process. 8ach process may "e in one o# the #o owing states< New Funning Waiting Feady Terminated 17. What is process contro " ock :*)1;? 8ach process is represented in the operating system "y a process contro " ock a so ca ed a task contro " ock. It contains many pieces o# in#ormation associated with a speci#ic process. It simp y acts as a repository #or any in#ormation that may !ary #rom process to process. It contains the #o owing in#ormation< *rocess state *rogram counter )*U registers )*U+schedu ing in#ormation

 Memory+management in#ormation Accounting in#ormation I,O status in#ormation 19. What are the use o# 2o" 'ueues( ready 'ueues % de!ice 'ueues? As a process enters a system( they are put into a 2o" 'ueue. This 'ueue consists o# a 2o"s in the system. The processes that are residing in main memory and are ready % waiting to e-ecute are kept on a ist ca ed ready 'ueue. The ist o# processes waiting #or a particu ar I,O de!ice is kept in the de!ice 'ueue. 2B. What is meant "y conte-t switch? $witching the )*U to another process re'uires sa!ing the state o# the o d process and oading the sa!ed state #or the new process. This task is known as conte-t switch. The conte-t o# a process is represented in the *)1 o# a process. 21. What is spoo ing? $poo ing+$imu taneous periphera operations on ine. It is a high+speed de!ice ike a disk is interposed "etween a running program and a ow &speed de!ice in!o !ed with the program in input,output. It disassociates a running program #rom the s ow operation o# de!ices ike printers. 22. What are $ystem ca s? $ystem ca s pro!ide the inter#ace "etween a process and the Operating system. $ystem )a s are a so ca ed as Monitor ca or Operating+system #unction ca . When a system ca is e-ecuted( it is treated as "y the hardware as so#tware interrupt. )ontro passes through the interrupt !ector to a ser!ice routine in the operating system( and the mode "it is set to monitor mode.

2.. ?ist the ser!ices pro!ided "y an Operating $ystem? H *rogram e-ecution H I,O Operation H Gi e+$ystem manipu ation H )ommunications H 8rror detection 20. What are the two types o# rea time systems? 1.Eard rea time system 2.$o#t rea time system 23.What is the di##erence "etween Eard rea time system and $o#t rea time system? A hard rea time system guarantees that critica tasks comp ete on time. In a so#t rea time system( a critica rea +time task gets priority o!er the other tasks( and retains that priority unti it comp etes. $o#t rea time systems ha!e more imited uti ity than do hard rea +time system

25.Write the di##erence "etween mu tiprogramming and nonmu tiprogramming? The operating system picks and "egins to e-ecute one o# the 2o"s in the memory. 8!entua y( the 2o" may ha!e to wait #or some task( such as a tape to "e mounted( or an I,O operation to comp ete. In a non+mu tiprogrammed system( the )*U wou d sit id e. In a mu tiprogramming system( the operating system simp y switches to and e-ecutes another 2o". When that 2o" needs to wait( the )*U is switched to another 2o"( and so on. 8!entua y( the #irst 2o" #inishes waiting and gets the )*U "ack. As ong as there is a ways some 2o" to e-ecute( the )*U wi ne!er "e id e.

26.What are the design goa s o# an operating system? The re'uirements can "e di!ided into two "asic groups< User goa s and $ystem goa s. Users desire that the system shou d "e con!enient and easy to use( easy to earn( re ia" e( sa#e and #ast. The Operating system shou d "e easy to design( imp ement( and maintain. A so it shou d "e # e-i" e( re ia" e( error #ree and e##icient. These are some o# the re'uirements( which are !ague and ha!e no genera so ution. 27.What are the #i!e ma2or categories o# $ystem )a s? H *rocess )ontro H Gi e+management H =e!ice+management H In#ormation maintenance H )ommunications 29.What is the use o# #ork and e-ec!e system ca s? Gork is a $ystem ca s "y which a new process is created. 8-ec!e is a so a $ystem ca ( which is used a#ter a #ork "y one o# the two processes to rep ace the process memory space with a new program. .B. =e#ine 8 apsed )*U time and Ma-imum )*U time? 8 apsed )*U Time< Tota )*U time used "y a process to date. Ma-imum )*U Time< Ma-imum amount o# )*U time a process may use.