1.5 - utility software Flashcards
What is a system software
Software that governs computer system
What does a system software do
Controls hardware, including peripherals
Allows the programs (applications) to run
Provides interface for user to interact with computer
Maintains the system
What is an OS
Collection of programs that manage and controls the computer
What does an OS do
Controls hardware computers
Provides platform for software to run on
Provides a user interface
Multitasking facilities
Manages the computers memory
Manages peripherals
Manages files
Manages users
Examples of OS
Microsoft Windows
Apple OS
Linux
Android
IOS
What is an interface
Program or collection of programs that allows user to interact with computer
Types of interface
Graphical user interface - GUI
Mobile user interface - Mobile UI
Command line interface - CLI
What is a GUI
Feature a desktop where everything is displayed, all objects represented by icons, interact using mouse and on screen pointer
Characteristics of GUIs
Powerful and easy to use
Require lots of processing power
What is a mobile UI
Similar to GUIs but respond to finger touch instead, found in smartphones and tablets
What is a CLI
Text based, users control it by typing in commands
CLI characteristics
Require little processing power
Extremely powerful
Difficult to use
What is multitasking
Multitasking means to be able to run more than one program simultaneously. Modern operating systems are multitasking in that they allow several programs to run side-by-side
What is needed for multitasking
the operating system can support multitasking
the computer has enough memory to hold more than one program in primary memory at the same time
Why is managing memory important
To ensure that:
- more than one program can run at the same time
- more than one document can be opened at the same time
What is paging
Way to manage memory
Memory split into sections called pages
When a program is run, it is loaded into memory. The operating system determines how much memory the program requires, and allocates enough pages to hold it and its documents. When the program is closed, the allocated pages are freed up for use by other programs.
Is data contiguous in paging
The pages a program occupies may or may not be contiguous, but this does not matter. The operating system knows what each page occupies and fetches the data held in them when needed.
What are peripherals
Peripherals are hardware devices connected to a computer, such as a monitor, printer, scanner or camera
What is a device driver
Program operating system uses to control peripherals. Each device has its own driver
Advantages to drivers
- any device can be used with the operating system, as long as a driver is available for it
- drivers can be updated, usually to give better performance or to remove a
bug
What does file handling software allow users to do
- create, modify and delete files and folders
- copy and duplicate files and folders
- move files and folders
- rename files and folders
- sort items into different orders, according to name, file type, date created and more
- search for particular files and folders
- restore deleted files
-set access rights to files such as read only or edit
What does user management allow
- individual users to be created and deleted
- access levels to be given to users, such as administrator rights or standard user rights
- auditing (keeping a log) of files a user creates, accesses, edits and deletes
What does encryption software do
disguises the contents of files so they can only be understood by authorised users. The software uses a complex algorithm to scramble the content so that it appears to be gibberish. Only authorised users can descramble the content.
What does utility software include
encryption software
defragmentation software
data compression software
backup software
What is disc defragmentation
Over time, more and more files become fragmented, as do individual files. A fragmented disk takes longer to read from and write to, making a computer run slower. Defragmentation software takes the fragmented files and rearranges the segments so that they run contiguously. This decreases read/write time, thereby speeding up computer performance.
What is fragmentation
When a file is stored on a hard disk it is actually stored not as a whole file, but as a series of segments. Sometimes the segments run together in sequence and sometimes the segments are split up over the disk
What is data compression
Compression software reduces the size of a file stored on secondary storage.
Why is data compression needed
Smaller files are easier to transmit across a network as they require fewer packets to be sent. Their reduced size also means more files can be stored in any given area of storage.
Why backup
Data can be lost accidentally, or deliberately. A user may accidentally delete or overwrite a file, or a hard disk may fail, preventing access to any files stored on it. A hacker or malicious user may deliberately delete or overwrite data.
What is a backup
To prevent data loss, regular copies of the data should be made. A copy of data is known as a backup. Backups can contain a copy of all files on a computer, or just ones specified by a user.
If data loss occurs, data can be retrieved from the backup. The software allows all backed-up files to be retrieved or just specified files.
Two types of backup
Full
Incremental
Full backup
A full backup involves making a copy of every file on the computer or network. They can require a lot of storage space and can be time consuming to make.
Incremental backup
Incremental backups take a copy of any new files created since the last backup, or of any files that have been edited, such as user documents.
Common way of backingup data
Most network managers make an initial full backup and then switch to daily incremental backups. This way all data is backed up and daily backups are small and less time-consuming.
