Operating Systems and

System Software
Which is the world's most popular operating system
 Operating System
An operating system is a low-level piece of software that manages the computer’s
hardware & software, and provides an interface between the user and the computer
Operating System Application Utility
Software Software

File User Resource User

Multi tasking management interface
management management

Kernel Device Drivers

Operating System
Operating System Startup Process

BIOS / Device Post Application

Kernel GUI/CLI
POST Drivers Boot Software
 BIOS Firmware
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Kernel
The kernel is the core of the operating system,
binding all the other components together.

It is the first part of the operating system that is

loaded on system startup before device drives
and other system processes are started up.
Device Drivers
All hardware devices connected to a computer
need software that tells the computer how to use
the device. This software is called a device
driver.

Whenever a new piece of software is plugged

into your computer the operating system looks
for a device driver in its archives(or on the
internet) to use the device. If it cannot find a
device driver (for instance with a very new piece
of hardware) then you will need to install a driver
manually.
GUI vs CLI
Utility software
This software allows the user to maintain,
debug, upgrade and configure the operating
system, hardware and software .

Common utility software include:

● File managers
● User management
● Resources managers
● Compression
● Encryption
● Network management
● Interface configuration
File Management
● The process of controlling and organising the storage of files on a storage
device.
● File management can be done automatically by the operating system or by
the use of file management software.
File Management
Software
Allows user to:

● View, modify and delete files

● Sort files and folders
● View directory trees
● Compress files
● Copy files to external devices
User Management
The process of controlling access to a computer system and its resources.

This is done automatically by the operating system (such as checking a user's

access level before allowing them to install new software) and manually by the
user through the use of user management software.
User Management
Software
Allows the user to:

● Add and remove users

● Set user access and privileges
● Monitor user activity
Network Management
This is the process of controlling access to Network Interface Controller (NIC) and
can be done automatically by operating system and manually by the user through
the use of Network Management Software.
Network
Management
Software
Allows the use to:

● Connect to networks
● View network connections and
performance
● Set up ad-hoc networks
Resource Management
This is the process of controlling access to system resources by the running
processes. As computer resources are limited (e.g. RAM,Network
Controllers,Output Devices) access needs to be managed.

This is mostly completely automatically by the operating system or within the

programming language itself but can also be done manually through the use of
resource management software.
Resource
management
software
Allows the user to:

● View running tasks and

processes
● Kill unwanted processes
● Debug system errors and
performance issues
● Control access to hardware
peripherals
Printer Management
This is the process of controlling access to the printer and ensuring that
documents are printed correctly.

When multiple documents are sent to the printer, each document is prepared for
printing,held in a printer queue and sent to the printer when it is ready. This is
process is managed automatically within the operating system by a piece of
software known as the print spooler through a process is known as spooling.

The print queue can also be managed manually through the use of printer
management software.
Printer Management
Software
Allows the user to configure and debug
the printer.

Allows the user to inspect and edit the

printer queue.