operating system Flashcards
what is the operating system (OS)
the software running in the background of a computer system. It manages many of the basic functions
what is an interrupt
a signal sent from the device to processor requesting its attention
what does the interrupt do
it causes the processor to temporarily stop what its doing to serve the interrupt
state some things the OS does
it loads software manages hardware manages error handling manages user accounts allows multitasking provides an interface
state an example of an interrupt
paper jam in the printer
what is a buffer
a temporary memory area in the device
what does the buffer allow to happen
it allows the processor to carry on with other tasks
what is the software in the computer that will receive and manage all interrupt signals
operating system
what does the interrupt enable?
it allows the computer to carry out many tasks or have more than one window open at the same time
whenever, an interrupt is serviced, the status of the current task is saved
why is a buffer essential?
hardware devices operate at much slower speeds than the processor
without a buffer, the processor would stay idle while waiting for the hardware device to complete its operation
how does the buffer allow the processor to carry on?
buffers are filled from the processor or memory unit whilst these are emptied to the hardware device
