Main Branches of Unix

Dozens of different operating systems have been

developed over the years, but only Unix has grown in
so many varieties. There are three main branches.
Four factors have facilitated this growth.
• Portability. It was the first widely-used operating
system written in a high level programming
language, C, making it easier to port to different
hardware architectures.
 • Modifiability. Since it was written in C,
modifications and enhancements are relatively
easier to make.
• Free open source software. The original version
was developed at AT&T Bell Labs, a non-profit
research institution, so the source code was
permitted to be published and shared with others.
• Open system. Research scientists designed it as an
open, modular system, with a host of utilities and
features to assist with the development and
integration of new applications.
 Main Branches of Unix

Contemporary Unix implementations differ in

whether they're open source (i.e., free to
download, use, or modify) or closed source (i.e.,
proprietary binary files not subject to user
modification).
• Minix is a Unix-like open-source project, rarely
used by home users.
• Linux is an open-source initiative to bring a Unix-
like environment to both the desktop and server
space. Linux is popular with home computers.
• AIX is a series of Unix-based operating
environments developed by IBM for its servers.
• Solaris is a proprietary server operating system
based on Unix and developed by Sun
Microsystems.
• OpenSolaris is an open-source variant of
Solaris.
• HP-UX is a series of Unix-based operating
environments developed by HP for its servers.
• OpenServer is based on FreeBSD and is a closed
source operating system. It is now owned by
Xinuos. Previously known as SCO UNIX, it was
developed by Santa Cruz Operation. SCO acquired
the rights to the UnixWare operating system,
portions of which became part of OpenServer.
No one knows exactly how many Unix flavors are
there, but it is safe to say that if including all those
that are obscure and obsolete, the number of Unix
flavors is at least in the hundreds.
 Linux Common Consumer Distributions

• Mint is a version of Ubuntu with additional

software drivers and minor customizations.
• Debian is a project that bills itself as a "universal
operating system" and enjoys significant market
share and a robust base of applications.
• Ubuntu is a significant player in the Linux
market. Ubuntu's goal is to offer an easy-to-use
distribution that's beautifully designed and
accessible despite language and disability
barriers.
• OpenSUSE is a long-running German distribution
that's the community version of the SUSE Linux
commercial distribution.
• Fedora is a community project based on Red Hat
Linux (an operating system that was discontinued
in 2004).
• Zorin is a distribution intended to mimic the look-
and-feel of Windows to help new Linux users
transition away from Microsoft's operating
system.
• Elementary is based on Ubuntu and uses a custom
desktop environment called Parthenon that
resembles, in some ways, Mac OS.

The Android operating environment for

smartphones and tablets is based on Linux and can
be considered a type of Linux distribution in its
own right.
 Real and protected mode
addresses
 Real mode address

The Intel Microprocessors.

Real Mode Memory Addressing Real mode, also

called real address mode, is an operating mode of
80286 and later x86-compatible CPUs. Real mode is
characterized by a 20 bit segmented memory
address space (giving exactly 1 MB of addressable
memory) and unlimited direct software access to all
memory, I/O addresses and peripheral hardware.
Real mode provides no support for memory
protection, multitasking, or code privilege levels
Real Mode Memory Addressing Segment and
offsets Segment address located in one of the
segment registers defines the beginning address
of any 64Kb memory segments. Offset address
selects any location within the 64Kb memory
segments. Offset sometimes referred to as
displacement. Ending address is found by
adding FFFFH with the beginning address.
Default Segment and Offset Registers CS:IP
Instruction Address SS: SP or BP(base pointer)
Stack Address DS: BX, DI Data address. ES :DI
String destination address.
 Protected Mode Memory Addressing

Protected Mode Memory Addressing In

computing, protected mode, also called protected
virtual address mode, is an operational mode of
x86- compatible central processing units (CPU). It
allows system software to utilize features such as
virtual memory, paging, safe multi-tasking, and
other features designed to increase an operating
system's control over application software.
 Protected Mode Memory Addressing
Descriptor describes the location, length and
access rights of the segment of memory.
Segment register contains a selector that
selects a descriptor from a descriptor table.
There are two descriptor tables used with
segment registers. Global Descriptor(System
descriptor): Contain segment definitions that
apply to all programs. Local
Descriptors(application descriptor): Unique to
an application.
 Base address: Indicates the starting location of
the memory segment. Segment Limit: Contains
the last offset address found in a segment.