Lecture 6

Question 1

what is the function of the OS?

Answer 1

to interpret and carry out
commands issued by
– users of the computer or
– by application programs running on the
computer.

Question 2

What are the two fundamental purposes of the OS?

Answer 2

to control and operate hardware in an
efficient way;
– to allow the user powerful access to the
facilities of the machine

Question 3

What does modern operating systems now offer?

Answer 3

allow for the simultaneous processing of
multiple programs and
– provide support for multiple users

Question 4

In order to accept the command of the user what must the OS do?

Answer 4

accept the input keystrokes from the keyboard;
– interpret these keystrokes as a command;
– determine the location of the file containing the
code for this command;
– read the appropriate blocks of memory from
(secondary storage) device into memory;
– transfer control to the program being executed.

Question 5

if there are multiple programs executing simultaneously what must the os DO?

Answer 5

– allocate memory and other resources to
each program ;
– allocate CPU time to each program (more
details later on);
– maintain the integrity of each program;

Question 6

what is a computer network

Answer 6

A computer network is an interconnected

collection of autonomous computers

Question 7

Advantage of computer networks

Answer 7

To increase computer power.
• To increase system reliability by providing
redundant processing.
• To share valuable resources (printers, large
disks facilities, programs, data bases, etc)
• To organize convenient interactions of users
working at their own computers, often in
different locations