Operating Systems

Question 1

What are the 3 purposes of Operating Systems?

Answer 1

1) Manage System Resources
2) Create a Common Platform for software applications
3) Access Input/output devices on behalf of software applications

Question 2

What are the 6 main tasks of OS’s?

Answer 2

1) Process Management
2) Memory Management
3) File System Management
4) Device Management
5) Application Interface
6) User Interface

Question 3

What is Prfocess Management?

Answer 3

OS gives commands to CPU

Question 4

What is Memory Management?

Answer 4

OS puts data inside RAM

Question 5

What is File System Management?

Answer 5

How data is stored on our long term devices

Question 6

What is Device Management?

Answer 6

Managing Input/output devices

Question 7

What is Application Interface?

Answer 7

Common look and feel of software from outside vendors (mostly applicable to programmers)

Question 8

What is User Interface?

Answer 8

How we (users) interact with Operating System

Question 9

What are the two ways to interface with OS’s ?

Answer 9

1) GUI “Gooey” - Graphical User Interface, mouse driven interaction
2) Command Line - Strictly keyboard driven interaction

Question 10

What are the 4 families of OS’s?

Answer 10

1) Real Time OS
2) Single-User, Single-Task
3) Single-User, Multi-Task
4) Multi-User, Multi-task

Question 11

What is Real Time OS?

Answer 11

Designed for one task and do it over and over again; custom written for specific reason
(mostly found in factories, utilities, etc)

Question 12

What is Single-User, Single-Task?

Answer 12

Allow for only ONE logged on user at a time, user can ONLY do one thing at a time
(dos, no background programs running)

Question 13

What is Single-User, Multi-Task?

Answer 13

Only one user at a time, but can run multiple programs at once
(most Commonly used by us)

Question 14

What is Multi-User, Multi-Task?

Answer 14

More than one user, actively using at once, multiple activities going on at once
(most often in servers, websites, etc)

Question 15

**What is “Partitioning”?

Answer 15

taking a hard drive and making it into multiple storage areas;

Making one Physical Drive into multiple Logical drives. Each Partition is assigned a letter
(ie. “E drive”)

Question 16

What is step 1 of the start up sequence?

Answer 16

The BIOS invokes the Power On Self Test (POST), checks the system hardware to make sure everything is working properly

Question 17

**What is the POST?

Answer 17

Power On Self Test - CPU, RAM and Keyboard must be in place in order to start up, all of the info initially goes into RAM

Question 18

What is step 2 of the start up sequence?

Answer 18

After POST, the BIOS-CMOS executes various instructions including looking for boot devices from which to boot:

1) Recalls all saved settings
2) Recalls date and time
3) Looks for boot devices (OS to load)
- you can manipulate boot order in BIOS if you need to

Question 19

What is step 2.5 in the start up sequence?

Answer 19

The BIOS system check info goes into RAM

Question 20

What is step 3 of the start up sequence?

Answer 20

Once the bootable drive is identified, the first part of the OS to activate is the “Boot Strap Loader”

Question 21

**What is the “Boot Strap Loader”?

Answer 21

The beginning code for the OS, all BSL’s for OS’s are located in the same exact set/location on the hard drive, CD, thumb drive or any device it is started on

Question 22

What is step 4 of the start up sequence?

Answer 22

Once the OS BSL has fully executed, the OS itself takes over the remainder of the boot-up process

Question 23

What is a “graceful” shut down?

Answer 23

shutting the OS down the way it was intended to be shut down

Question 24

What is an “un-graceful” shut down?

Answer 24

opposite of graceful, you just STOP the computer

Question 25

What is the MAIN function of an Operating System?

Answer 25

It runs your hardware

Question 26

What is a “Process”?

Answer 26

Any running program on your computer