ITEC55 Platform Technologies

Module 1

Prepared by:
MAC JOHN T. POBLETE
Faculty, Information Technology Department
Cavite State University Naic
Email: mjpoblete@cvsu-naic.edu.ph
ITEC55 Platform Technologies Module 1 Introduction to Operating System

In this module, the students must be able to:

a. define operating system
b. identify different operating system functions
c. differentiate the types of operating systems

Instructions:
1. Read carefully all instruction for each task before working on the requirements.
2. All questions related to requirements shall be coursed through email only. Replies will be sent
during office hours.

Pretest:
1. What is operating system?
2. What are the operating system functions?
3. What are the types of operating systems?
4. Give examples of each operating system.

LET US LEARN!
What is an operating system?
An operating system or OS is software installed on a computer's hard drive that enables the
computer hardware to communicate and operate with the computer software. Without a computer
operating system, a computer and software programs would be useless. The OS helps you to
communicate with the computer without knowing how to speak the computer’s language. It is not possible
for the user to use any computer or mobile device without having an operating system.

With earlier computers, the user interacted with them using a command line interface, which
required memorization of commands. Today, almost every computer uses a GUI (Graphical User
Interface) operating system that's easy to use and operate.

The main task an operating system carries out is the allocation of resources and services, such
as allocation of: memory, devices, processors and information. The operating system also includes
programs to manage these resources, such as a traffic controller, a scheduler, memory management
module, I/O programs, and a file system.

Functions of Operating System

An operating system has three main functions: (1) manage the computer's resources, such as
the central processing unit, memory, disk drives, and printers, (2) establish a user interface, and (3)
execute and provide services for applications software. Moreover, it has the following important functions:

Security. The operating system uses password protection to protect user data and similar other
techniques. it also prevents unauthorized access to programs and user data.

Control over system performance. Monitors overall system health to help improve
performance. records the response time between service requests and system response to have a
complete view of the system health. This can help improve performance by providing important
information needed to troubleshoot problems.
ITEC55 Platform Technologies Module 1 Introduction to Operating System

Job accounting. Operating system Keeps track of time and resources used by various tasks
and users, this information can be used to track resource usage for a particular user or group of user.

Error detecting aids. Operating system constantly monitors the system to detect errors and
avoid the malfunctioning of computer system.

Coordination between other software and users. Operating systems also coordinate and
assign interpreters, compilers, assemblers and other software to the various users of the computer
systems.

Memory Management. The operating system manages the Primary Memory or Main Memory.
Main memory is made up of a large array of bytes or words where each byte or word is assigned a certain
address. Main memory is a fast storage, and it can be accessed directly by the CPU. For a program to
be executed, it should be first loaded in the main memory. An Operating System performs the following
activities for memory management:
It keeps tracks of primary memory, i.e., which bytes of memory are used by which user program.
The memory addresses that have already been allocated and the memory addresses of the memory that
has not yet been used. In multi programming, the OS decides the order in which process are granted
access to memory, and for how long. It Allocates the memory to a process when the process requests it
and deallocates the memory when the process has terminated or is performing an I/O operation.

Processor Management. In a multi programming environment, the OS decides the order in

which processes have access to the processor, and how much processing time each process has. This
function of OS is called process scheduling. An Operating System performs the following activities for
processor management.
Keeps tracks of the status of processes. The program which performs this task is known as traffic
controller. Allocates the CPU that is processor to a process. De-allocates processor when a process is
no more required.

Device Management. An OS manages device communication via their respective drivers. It

performs the following activities for device management. Keeps tracks of all devices connected to system.
designates a program responsible for every device known as the Input/Output controller. Decides which
process gets access to a certain device and for how long. Allocates devices in an effective and efficient
way. Deallocates devices when they are no longer required.

File Management. A file system is organized into directories for efficient or easy navigation and
usage. These directories may contain other directories and other files. An Operating System carries out
the following file management activities. It keeps track of where information is stored, user access settings
and status of every file and more. These facilities are collectively known as the file system.

Operating System also provides certain services to the computer system in one form or the other.
The Operating System provides certain services to the users which can be listed in the following manner:

Program Execution. The Operating System is responsible for execution of all types of programs
whether it be user programs or system programs. The Operating System utilises various resources
available for the efficient running of all types of functionalities.
ITEC55 Platform Technologies Module 1 Introduction to Operating System

Handling Input/Output Operations. The Operating System is responsible for handling all sort
of inputs, i.e, from keyboard, mouse, desktop, etc. The Operating System does all interfacing in the most
appropriate manner regarding all kind of Inputs and Outputs.
For example, there is difference in nature of all types of peripheral devices such as mouse or
keyboard, then Operating System is responsible for handling data between them.

Manipulation of File System. The Operating System is responsible for making of decisions
regarding the storage of all types of data or files, i.e, floppy disk/hard disk/pen drive, etc. The Operating
System decides as how the data should be manipulated and stored.

Error Detection and Handling. The Operating System is responsible for detection of any types
of error or bugs that can occur while any task. The well secured OS sometimes also acts as
countermeasure for preventing any sort of breach to the Computer System from any external source and
probably handling them.

Resource Allocation. The Operating System ensures the proper use of all the resources
available by deciding which resource to be used by whom for how much time. All the decisions are taken
by the Operating System.

Accounting. The Operating System tracks an account of all the functionalities taking place in
the computer system at a time. All the details such as the types of errors occurred are recorded by the
Operating System.

Information and Resource Protection. The Operating System is responsible for using all the
information and resources available on the machine in the most protected way. The Operating System
must foil an attempt from any external resource to hamper any sort of data or information.

All these services are ensured by the Operating System for the convenience of the users to make
the programming task easier. All different kinds of Operating System provide the same services.

Operating System Types and Examples

Although the fundamental roles of an operating system are ubiquitous, there are countless
operating systems that serve a wide range of hardware and user needs.

General-purpose operating system. A general-purpose OS represents an array of operating

systems intended to run a multitude of applications on a broad selection of hardware, enabling a user to
run one or more applications or tasks simultaneously. A general-purpose OS can be installed on many
different desktop and laptop models and run applications from accounting systems to databases to web
browsers to games. General-purpose operating systems typically focus on process (thread) and
hardware management to ensure that applications can reliably share the wide range of computing
hardware present.

Common desktop operating systems include the following:

• Windows is Microsoft's flagship operating system, the de facto standard for home and
business computers. Introduced in 1985, the GUI-based OS has been released in many
ITEC55 Platform Technologies Module 1 Introduction to Operating System

versions since then. The user-friendly Windows 95 was largely responsible for the rapid
development of personal computing.
• Mac OS is the operating system for Apple's Macintosh line of PCs and workstations.
• Unix is a multiuser operating system designed for flexibility and adaptability. Originally
developed in the 1970s, Unix was one of the first operating systems to be written in the
C language.
• Linux is a Unix-like operating system that was designed to provide PC users a free or
low-cost alternative. Linux has a reputation as an efficient and fast-performing system.

Mobile operating system. Mobile operating systems are designed to accommodate the unique
needs of mobile computing and communication-centric devices, such as smartphones and tablets. Mobile
devices typically offer limited computing resources compared to traditional PCs, and the OS must be
scaled back in size and complexity in order to minimize its own resource use, while ensuring adequate
resources for one or more applications running on the device. Mobile operating systems tend to
emphasize efficient performance, user responsiveness and close attention to data handling tasks, such
as supporting media streaming. Apple iOS and Google Android are examples of mobile operating
systems.

Embedded operating system. Not all computing devices are general purpose. A huge
assortment of dedicated devices -- including home digital assistants, automated teller machines (ATMs),
airplane systems, retail point of sale (POS) terminals and internet of things (IoT) devices -- includes
computers that require an operating system. The principal difference is that the associated computing
device only does one major thing, so the OS is highly stripped down and dedicated to both performance
and resilience. The OS should run quickly, not crash, and handle all errors gracefully in order to continue
operating in all circumstances. In most cases, the OS is provided on a chip that is incorporated into the
actual device. A medical device used in a patient's life support equipment, for example, will employ an
embedded OS that must run reliably in order to keep the patient alive. Embedded Linux is one example
of an embedded OS.

Network operating system. A network operating system (NOS) is another specialized OS

intended to facilitate communication between devices operating on a local area network (LAN). A NOS
provides the communication stack needed to understand network protocols in order to create, exchange
and decompose network packets. Today, the concept of a specialized NOS is largely obsolete because
other OS types largely handle network communication. Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019, for
example, include comprehensive networking capabilities. The concept of a NOS is still used for some
networking devices, such as routers, switches and firewalls, and manufacturers may employ proprietary
NOSes, including Cisco Internetwork Operating System (IOS), RouterOS and ZyNOS.

Real-time operating system. When a computing device must interact with the real world within
constant and repeatable time constraints, the device manufacturer may opt to use a real-time operating
system (RTOS). For example, an industrial control system may direct the operations of a sprawling
factory or power plant. Such a facility will produce signals from myriad sensors and also send signals to
operate valves, actuators, motors and countless other devices. In these situations, the industrial control
system must respond quickly and predictably to changing real-world conditions -- otherwise, disaster may
result. An RTOS must function without buffering, processing latencies and other delays, which are
ITEC55 Platform Technologies Module 1 Introduction to Operating System

perfectly acceptable in other types of operating systems. Two examples of RTOSes include FreeRTOS
and VxWorks.

The differences between operating system types are not absolute, and some operating systems
can share characteristics of others. For example, general-purpose operating systems routinely include
the networking capabilities found in a traditional NOS. Similarly, an embedded operating system
commonly includes attributes of an RTOS, while a mobile operating system can still typically run
numerous apps simultaneously like other general-purpose operating systems.

Post Test
Write an essay about what you’ve learned with operating system.
I learned that ________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

References
GeeksforGeeks. (2021, June 25). Functions of Operating System.
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/functions-of-operating-system/

Operating Systems. (n.d.). CS URI. Retrieved September 18, 2021, from

https://homepage.cs.uri.edu/faculty/wolfe/book/Readings/Reading07.htm

What is an operating system? (n.d.). Goodwill Community Foundation, Inc. Retrieved September 18,
2021, from https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/computerbasics/understanding-operating-systems/1/

Williams, L. (2021, September 1). What is Operating System? Explain Types of OS, Features and
Examples. Guru99. https://www.guru99.com/operating-system-tutorial.html