Midterm Portion Flashcards
Chapter 1, 3, 6.
What is an Operating System (OS) ?
A program that acts as an intermediary between the user of a computer and the computer hardware.
One of the names of the OS is “Manager”. (True or False)
True.
What the Operating System (OS) goals?
1- Execute user programs & make solving user problems easier.
2- Make the computer system convenient to use.
3- Use the computer hardware in an efficient manner.
What are the 4 components of the computer system?
1- Hardware (CPU, memory, Inputs/Outputs..).
2- Operating System.
3- Application programs (web browsers, video games..).
4- Users.
Give examples of users that make up 1 of the computer system components :-
1- People.
2- Machines.
3- Other computers.
What Operating systems do?
1- Ease of use.
2- Good performance.
3- Make users for big computers (mainframe or minicomputer) happy.
One of the names of the OS is “Resource allocator”. (True or False)
True.
Why is the Operating System called “resource allocator”?
1- Manages all resources.
2- Decides between conflicting requests for fair resource use.
One of the names of the OS is “Control program”. (True or False)
True.
Why is the Operating System called “Control program”?
Controls execution of programs to prevent errors and improper use of the computer.
What is kernel?
Part of the OS, the one program running at all times on the computer.
Aside from Kernel what is everything else is considered as?
1- A system program.
2- An application program.
What is a bootstrap program?
its loaded at power-up or reboot
What are the details of the bootstrap program?
1- Typically stored in ROM or EPROM, generally known as “firmware”
2- Initializes all aspects of system
3- Loads operating system kernel and starts execution
What are the resources of the Operating System (OS) ?
1- CPU.
2- Memory.
3- Input devices.
4- Output devices.
5- Secondary storage.
What are examples of Input devices ?
1- Mouse.
2- Keyboard.
What are examples of Output devices ?
1- Monitor.
2- Printer.
What are examples of Secondary storage?
Disks
What is a hardware interrupt?
Communication between CPU & hardware devices.
What is a trap or exception?
A software interrupt.
What causes software interrupt?
Its caused by either an “Error” or “User request”.
One of the names of the OS is “Interrupt Driven”. (True or False)
True.
What is Main Memory and its main details?
Large storage media that the CPU can access directly.
- Main details :-
1- Random access.
2- volatile.
What is Secondary storage and its main details?
Extension of main memory that provides large “nonvolatile” storage capacity.
- Main details :-
1- nonvolatile.
What is the “criteria” to organize storage systems in hierarchy?
1- Cost.
2- Speed.
3- Volatility.
What is Caching?
copying information into faster storage system; main memory can be viewed as a cache for secondary storage.
One of the names of the OS is “Device Driver”. (True or False)
True.
What if “Cache” is checked to determine if it has information?
1- if it has information, Information is used directly from the Cache.
2- if it doesn’t have information, Data copied to cache and used there.
What is “Multiprocessors Systems” also known as?
1- parallel systems.
2- tightly-coupled systems.
What are the advantages of the “Multiprocessors Systems” ?
1- Increased throughput.
2- Economy of scale.
3- Increased reliability.
What are the types of “Multiprocessing Systems”?
1- Asymmetric Multiprocessing (each processor is assigned a special task)
2- Symmetric Multiprocessing (each processor performs all tasks)
What is “Clustered Systems”?
Multiple systems working together sharing storage via a storage-area network.
What are the types of “Clustered Systems”?
1- Asymmetric clustering (has one machine in hot-standby mode)
2- Symmetric clustering (has multiple nodes running applications, monitoring each other)
What is the difference between “Multiprogramming” & “Timesharing” ?
1- Multiprogramming :-
- batch system.
- job scheduling.
- For mainframes.
2- Timesharing :-
- Multitasking.
- Interactive.
- For windows.
What is “Dual-mode” ?
An operation that allows OS to protect itself and other system components.
What are the modes in “Dual-mode” ?
1- User mode.
2- Kernel mode.
What does the “Mode bit” provides in Dual-mode?
1- to know which mode is running.
2- gives privilege to kernel mode.
3- it changes between the modes.
What is a process?
A program in execution.
A Program is a Passive entity. (True or False)
True.
A Process is a Active entity. (True or False)
True.
What are the resources of a Process?
1- CPU.
2- Memory.
3- Input.
4- Output.
5- Files.
6- Data.
What does Process termination require?
Reclaim of any reusable resources.
What are the OS activities for Process management?
1- Creating and deleting both user and system processes.
2- Suspending and resuming processes.
3- Providing mechanisms for process synchronization, communication and deadlock.
What are the OS activities for Memory management?
1- Keeping track of which parts of memory are currently being used and by whom.
2- Deciding which processes and data to move into and out of memory.
3- Allocating and deallocating memory space.
What are the OS activities for Storage management?
1- Creating and deleting files and directories.
2- Primitives to manipulate files and directories.
3- Mapping files onto secondary storage.
4- Backup.
What are the OS activities for Mass-Storage management?
1- Free-space management.
2- Storage allocation.
3- Disk scheduling.
What is the Typical size for Registers? its managed by? its backed by?
Typical size : < (Less than) 1 KB.
Managed by : Compiler.
Backed by : Cache.
What is the Typical size for Cache? its managed by? its backed by?
Typical size : < (Less than) 16 MB.
Managed by : Hardware.
Backed by : Main memory.
What is the Typical size for Main memory? its managed by? its backed by?
Typical size : < (Less than) 64 GB.
Managed by : OS (Operating system).
Backed by : Disk.
What is the Typical size for Solid state disk? its managed by? its backed by?
Typical size : < (Less than) 1 TB.
Managed by : OS (Operating system).
Backed by : Disk
What is the Typical size for Magnetic disk? its managed by? its backed by?
Typical size : < (Less than) 10 TB.
Managed by : OS (Operating system).
Backed by : Disk or Tape.
What is Protection?
Any mechanism for controlling access of processes or users to resources defined by the OS.