Flashcards
Describe the role of the Object manager in Windows
The Object manager creates, manages, and deletes Windows objects representing resources like processes, threads, and synchronization objects.
What is the function of the Windowing and graphing system in Windows?
The Windowing and graphing system implements the graphical user interface (GUI) controls and illustrations.
How does the Plug-and-play manager contribute to Windows operation?
The Plug-and-play manager determines and loads the drivers required to support specific devices.
Define the responsibility of the Power manager in Windows
The Power manager coordinates power consumption among devices and can reduce power usage by shutting down idle devices or setting the processor to sleep.
Describe the role of the Security reference monitor in Windows
The Security reference monitor enforces access validation and audit rules for protected objects like files, processes, and I/O devices.
What is the function of the Virtual memory manager in Windows?
The Virtual memory manager manages virtual addresses, physical memory, and paging files on disk.
How does the Configuration manager contribute to Windows operation?
The Configuration manager implements and manages the system registry, storing system-wide and per-user settings.
Define the purpose of the Advanced local procedure call (ALPC) facility in Windows
The ALPC facility implements an efficient cross-process call mechanism for communication between local processes and subsystems.
Describe the Windows Kernel in the context of the OS
The Windows Kernel is considered the core software of the operating system.
Describe the role of the Kernel in an operating system.
The Kernel controls the execution of processors, manages thread scheduling, process switching, exception and interrupt handling, and multiprocessor synchronization.
What is the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) responsible for in an operating system?
The HAL isolates the OS from platform-specific hardware variances, making each computer’s system bus, DMA controller, interrupt manager, system timers, and memory controller appear the same.
Define User-mode Processes in an operating system.
User-mode Processes include special system processes, service processes, device drivers, and environment subsystems that provide different operating system environments.
How do Device drivers contribute to an operating system?
Device drivers are dynamic libraries that extend the functionality of the Windows Executive by including hardware device drivers that translate user I/O function calls into specific hardware device I/O requests.
Describe the role of Environment subsystems in an operating system.
Environment subsystems provide different operating system environments and support POSIX and Win32 subsystems by containing processes shared among all applications.
What are User applications in an operating system?
User applications include executable programs (EXE) and dynamic link libraries (DLLs) that provide the functionality a user needs to make use of the system.
Explain the function of the Shell in a classic UNIX system.
The Shell supports system calls from applications, other interface software, and components of the C compiler, allowing interaction with hardware.