IT Infrastructure And Networks

Question 1

Define operating system (OS)

Answer 1

• collection of programs or systems that help interconnect and/or control the elements of input devices, computer processing operations, output devices, data files, application programs, and hardware. Typically, systems software is provided by outside vendors
• often called the brain of a computer
• An OS is a program that runs on a computer and provides a software platform on which other programs can run. In addition, an OS is responsible for processing user input commands, sending output to a display, interacting with storage devices to store and retrieve data, and controlling peripheral devices, such as printers and modems

Question 2

Examples of OS

Answer 2

Popular OSs for workstations include Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and UNIX. Network connectivity devices, such as routers, have proprietary OSs; and many embedded systems, such as cell phones, digital cameras, and audio players, also use OSs.

Question 3

What 2 states does OS data exist in?

Answer 3

Nonvolatile and volatile data.

Both types of data are useful to internal auditors when they perform IT system audits

Question 4

Nonvolatile Data

Answer 4

Nonvolatile data is data that persists even after a computer is powered down, such as a file system stored on a hard drive

Question 5

Volatile Data

Answer 5

Is data on a live system that is lost after a computer is powered down, such as the current network connections to and from the system.