Y10 04 P22 Slides

Y10-04-P22:
OS: peripherals and user management

Y10-04-P22: OS: peripherals and user management
Learning objectives
In this lesson you will learn to:
• Define what is meant by the term ‘peripheral’

• Describe how the OS uses drivers to communicate with and
manage peripherals
• Explain the purpose of a user interface and describe the features
of a user interface
• Define what is meant by the term ‘access control’
• Describe commonly used methods of authentication
• Select suitable access rights for specified individuals.
For more information and additional student activities see Topic 3.2 of
the student book.
© Pearson Education Ltd 2020. Copying permitted for purchasing institution only.
Operating systems
• Previously you learned the main functions of operating systems:
• process management
• file management
• user management
• peripheral management.
• You learned that the OS stores files in directories organised in
hierarchies.
• You learned that the OS schedules processes to be executed by
the CPU, gives pages of memory to processes, and moves pages
to virtual memory when RAM is full.
• In this lesson, you will learn how the OS manages peripherals and
users.
Peripheral device
• The word peripheral means ‘on the edge’ or ‘secondary to
something else’.
• Peripheral devices are additional hardware that are connected to
a computer.
• Peripherals can be inside or outside the computer case itself.
• There are many types of peripheral devices used in modern
computing systems.
Devices speaking the same language

• As you have seen, there is a huge variety of peripheral devices.
• It would be impossible for operating systems to contain the right
code to communicate with them all correctly.
• In order to overcome this problem, devices have specialist pieces
of software called drivers that are installed on the hard disk.
• The driver provides an interface between the peripheral device
and the operating system so that they are able to communicate.
• Drivers have to be kept up to date to ensure that peripheral
devices work as expected.
• Most of the hardware components in a computer require a driver –
this includes internal devices such as graphics cards or wireless
internet receivers.
The purpose of the OS
‘The operating system must provide an environment in which a

user can execute programs conveniently and efficiently.’
•What does this statement mean?

•How is this achieved?
The user interface

• The user interface (UI) of an operating system is the point at
which you, the human user, and the system interact.
• There are several different types of UI.
• The most common and familiar to you will be the graphical user
interface (GUI).
• The other most common interface (used particularly in industry) is
the command line interface (CLI).
• Other types of interface exist, such as menu-driven interfaces (for
example, the menu you see on an ATM). These are less common.
Graphical user interfaces (GUIs)

• There are many styles of GUI.
• Each operating system has a particular style of GUI, some of which you
may be familiar with.
• Most GUIs use the WIMP format. This stands for:

• Windows - programs that open in frames that can be moved around
and overlaid
• Icons – pictures to represent programs you can execute or actions
you can do
• Menus – lists of options to choose from. These usually expand in
layers
• Pointer – using a mouse to click on items.
Command line interfaces (CLIs)

• This will probably be less familiar to you.
• CLIs are commonly used by people who need to
control the function of a computer, server or
network at a more complex level than most
users.
• There are no icons or pointers in a CLI. The
user can only interact with the computer by
typing in commands to be executed.
• CLIs are more challenging to use, but give the
user more control over the function of the
computer.
• Machines running a CLI tend to run more
quickly as the user interface is not competing
for machine resources.
User control
• When you log into a computer at school, you may have a slightly
different experience to when you log in at home.
• This is due to the level of access control each system has in
place.
• Access control is the job of the OS.
• The OS enforces the rules of access associated with each
individual user.
• This is related to the access permissions you learned about when
you looked at file management.
Logging in
• The amount of access you have to a computer will depend on the
rights that the system administrator has given your user account.
• When you log in at school, you may have to enter a username and
password.
• This process is called authentication – proving you are the
account holder.
• In some systems (particularly online systems such as social media
or email accounts) multi-factor authentication may be required.
• This may include a passcode sent to a different device, a
password and an ID card, or even biometrics.
• This is done to make computer systems more secure.
Wrap up: you have learned how to…

 Describe how the OS uses drivers to communicate with and
manage peripherals.
• Peripherals are additional hardware devices connected to a
computer. Each peripheral needs a driver so that the OS can
communicate with it.
 Explain the purpose and describe the features of a user interface.
• Enables users to interact with a computer and run programs.
 Define what is meant by the term ‘access control’.
• Using authentication to ensure a user is who they say they are,
so that restrictions to files and hardware can be put in place.
 Describe commonly used methods of authentication.
• Username/password combinations, multi-factor authentication
with ID cards, biometrics, additional one-off passcodes, etc.

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Y10-04-P22:

OS: peripherals and user management

• Define what is meant by the term ‘peripheral’

Devices speaking the same language

The purpose of the OS

‘The operating system must provide an environment in which a

•What does this statement mean?

The user interface

Graphical user interfaces (GUIs)

• Most GUIs use the WIMP format. This stands for:

Command line interfaces (CLIs)

Wrap up: you have learned how to…

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