Chapter 8 - Types of Operating System (1.2)

Question 1

What is a distributed operating system?

Answer 1

OS that runs across multiple devices and allows the load to be spread over multiple processors when a task is run

Question 2

What is a multi-tasking operating system?

Answer 2

Enables user to carry out tasks as if they’re simultaneous by using time slicing to switch quickly between programs and applications in memory

Question 3

What is a multi-user operating system?

Answer 3

Multiple users make use of one computer within a multi-user system, so a scheduling algorithm is needed to ensure processor time is shared fairly between jobs

Question 4

What is a disadvantage of a multi-user operating system?

Answer 4

Starvation can occur

Question 5

What is an embedded operating system?

Answer 5

Performs a small range of specific tasks as the OS is built to be catered towards a specific device

Question 6

What is an advantage of an embedded operating system?

Answer 6

Consumes less power than other operating systems

Question 7

What is a disadvantage of an embedded operating system?

Answer 7

Limited in their functionality and hard to update

Question 8

What is a real-time operating system?

Answer 8

Performs a task within a guaranteed time frame

Question 9

When would you need to use a real-time operating system?

Answer 9

Any situation where a response within a certain time period
is crucial to safety

Question 10

What features must a real-time operating system have? (4)

Answer 10

1. Must respond quickly to any inputs or sensors
2. Deal with many inputs simultaneously
3. Failsafe mechanisms that detect when a hardware component fails and takes appropriate action
4. Redundancy - If one component fails then it must switch to backup hardware

Question 11

What does BIOS stand for and what is it?

Answer 11

Basic Input/Output System, it’s the first program that runs when a computer system is turned on and is repsonsible for various key tests before the OS is loaded into memory

Question 12

What is a device driver?

Answer 12

Computer programs provided by the OS and allow it to interact with hardware, they’re OS specific

Question 13

What is a virtual machine?

Answer 13

A theoretical computer (it has a software implementation of a computer system), provides an environment with a translator for intermediate code to run.