2.2 - Tyoes of operating system

Question 1

Distributed OS

Answer 1

• Form of parallel processing which spreads the load over multiple computer servers
• A single job is split up into several tasks and each of these is run on a separate computer
• The OS coordinates the memory, tasks and provides more power than a single large server, and results in better performamnce

Question 2

Multi tasking system

Answer 2

• Can run on standalone computers (such as a PC or laptop)

Question 3

Multi user, multi tasking system

Answer 3

One powerful mainframe or supercomputer is connected to 100s of terminals all using the mainframe, and get a slice of processor time according to a scheduling algorithm

Question 4

Mobile operating systems

Answer 4

Combine features of multitasking features with their own which are useful for mobile products (like managing cellular data)

Question 5

Embedded operating systems

Answer 5

• minimal user interface
• accepts input from sensors and sends output to control devices
• limited amount of RAM so it does not need a complex memory management is not required
  no permanent data storage devices to be managed

Question 6

Real time operating system

Answer 6

• responds quickly to any inputs or sensors
• able to deal with many inputs simultaneously
• “failsafe” mechanisms to detect and take action if hardware fails
• incorporate redundancy, and use backup hardware if something fails

Question 7

BIOS

Answer 7

• Basic program stored in EPRIN
• Initialise PC and test system hardware components
• An abstraction layer to configure hardware

Question 8

Devices drivers

Answer 8

• A computer program that provides a software interface to a particular piece of hardware
• Drivers are hardware and software specific