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computer science > Operating Systems - computer science > Flashcards

Operating Systems - computer science Flashcards

1
Q

What is an operating system?

A

An operating system (OS) is software that helps to manage resources of a computer system

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2
Q

What is the role of the Operating System?

A

manage the CPU so that applications and processes can be run efficiently

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3
Q

Manage Memory (RAM)

A
  • The OS reserves memory space in RAM for stored programs to be copied into.
    The FDE cycle is executed continuously to carry out the instructions
  • The OS ensures that programs are appropriately managed so that data is stored in correct memory locations and not corrupted
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4
Q

Manage Interrupts

A
  • A interrupt is an alert signal sent to the CPU when an application or hardware device requires immediate attention.
  • The OS must efficiently manage interrupts so that a problem can be dealt with quickly if one occurs
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5
Q

Manage Multi-Tasking

A
  • The OS manages tasks so instructions can be executed by the CPU in turn (known as scheduling)
  • The OS prevents processes from interfering with others and crashing.
    Tasks should appear to run simultaneously even though only one process can be executed at a time
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6
Q

Manage Backing Store

A
  • T The OS ensures data is stored correctly and can be efficiently retrieved from the backing store.
  • Files are organised in a hierarchical (logical) structure
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7
Q

What is another name for backing store?

A

Backing store is another name for Secondary storage devices

e.g. magnetic hard disk drive, optical drives or solid state memory sticks

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8
Q

Manage Peripherals

A
  • A peripheral is an external device connected to a computer system to input or output data
  • The OS manages the receiving of data from input devices(e.g. a keyboard or mouse) and the transfer of data to output devices (such as a monitor or speaker)
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9
Q

What is a peripheral?

A
  • A peripheral is an external device connected to a computer system to input or output data
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10
Q

Manage Security

A
  • The OS allows users to create, manage and delete accounts with different permissions.
  • It also permits multiple users to log in and change passwords
  • Antivirus and firewall software is managed by the OS as well as some data encryption processes
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11
Q

Manage the User Interface

A
  • The OS provides a user interface , allowing a human to interact with the computer system.
  • The way in which a user can navigate a computer system is known as a human- computer interaction (HCI)
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12
Q

What is the most common type of user interface?

A

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

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13
Q

Give ways Graphical User Interfaces can be presented

A

Icons - displayed to represent shortcuts to applications and files

Multiple Windows - can be opened at the same time and switched between

Menus - can be opened from the Start button to display files and shortcuts

Taskbar - allows shortcuts to be pinned for quick access

System settings - can be accessed as network and hardware options

A folder and file system - displayed and manipulated allowing for copying, searching, sorting and deleting data

Customization - the interface can be customised, such as changing font sizes and the desktop background

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14
Q

Command-Line interface

A
  • Entirely text-based
  • Requires users to interact with the system by typing commands
  • This is a complicated process and mistakes could easily accidentally delete data.
  • There are many commands to learn so only experts who have been trained to learn this interface will be able to efficiently make use of it.
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15
Q

What is Touch-Sensitive Interface used for?

A

Smartphones and tablets

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16
Q

Touch- Sensitive Interface

A
  • A human interacts with the device by pressing on a touch screen making it very intuitive and suitable for most users without training
  • Touch-sensitive interfaces may not work with dirty or wet fingers and it will take longer to write text compared to using a keyboard
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17
Q

Menu-Driven Interface

A
  • displays data in a series of link filled menus. e.g cash machines(ATMs) and old iPods.
  • Generally user friendly and easy to use as commands do not need to be memorised
  • It can be annoying to find specific data through a large number of menus without a search feature.
18
Q

What is an example of a Menu-Driven interface?

A

Cash Machines(ATMs) and old iPods

19
Q

Voice-Driven Interface

A
  • A voice-driven interface can be controlled by speaking commands aloud to a listening device. e.g. Amazon’s Alexa devices , Apple’s Siri technology and Google Home
  • This interface is intuitive, can be used hands-free and helps to speed up processes.
  • Commands may be misheard or limited in what can be performed
20
Q

Examples of Voice-Driven Interfaces

A

voice-driven interface can be controlled by speaking commands aloud to a listening device. e.g. Amazon’s Alexa devices , Apple’s Siri technology and Google Home

21
Q

What is a utility software?

A

Utility software are dedicated programs used for the maintenance and organisation of a computer system

22
Q

Antivirus software

A
  • used to locate and delete viruses on a computer system
  • The antivirus scans each file on the computer and compares it against a database of known viruses
  • Files with similar features to viruses in the databases are identified and deleted
23
Q

Role of the Firewall

A
  • A firewall manages incoming and outgoing network traffic
  • Each data packet is processed to check whether it should be given access to the network by examining the source and destination address
  • Unexpected data packets will be filtered out and not accepted to the network
24
Q

Explain the process of Disk Defragmentation

A
  • As files are edited over time they will become fragmented
  • This is when the file splits into parts that are stored in different locations on the hard disk drive.
  • Files that are fragmented take longer to load and read because of the distance between the fragments of the file
25
Q

Disk Defragmentation

A
  • As files are edited over time they will become fragmented
  • This is when the file splits into parts that are stored in different locations on the hard disk drive.
  • Files that are fragmented take longer to load and read because of the distance between the fragments of the file
  • Defragmentation software is used to rearrange the file on the hard disk drive so that all parts are together again in order
  • Defragmentation improves the speed of accessing data on the hard disk drive
26
Q

Backup software

A
  • System backup copies data onto a separate storage device in case the original information is lost or corrupted.
  • Backups should be saved regularly and stored in a different location to the rest of the data. Magnetic tape is a common medium backup
  • A typical backup policy is one known as ‘grandfather - father- son’ which uses three different backups at a time
27
Q

Disk Compression

A
  • compression is the process of decreasing the size of a file
  • Disk compression is a utility tool that automatically compresses files when saved so that more data can be stored on the hard disk drive
  • When a file is to be opened, the program is automatically decompressed.
  • Disk compression increases the amount of space on a hard disk drive but it takes longer to open and close files
28
Q

What is compression?

A

compression is the process of decreasing the size of a file

29
Q

Disk Checker

A
  • This utility is used to scan a hard drive for any corrupted data
  • The corrupted data is deleted to speed up reading from and writing to the hard drive
  • More advanced disk checkers are used to scan for bad sectors.
  • A bad sector is a permanently damaged section of the hard drive which can no longer be used and must be skipped over
30
Q

What is a ‘bad sector’ in a hard drive?

A

A bad sector is a permanently damaged section of the hard drive which can no longer be used and must be skipped over

31
Q

Disk Formatter

A
  • prepares a storage device such as the hard disk drive to be used by removing the current data and creating a file system
  • A file system manages how data is stored and accessed
  • Other devices like a USB stick may need to be formatted before they can be used for the first time
32
Q

Disk Partition Editor

A
  • Within memory , partitions are segments of data that have been grouped together logically on the hard drive disk
  • A disk partition editor allows a user to view and modify these memory partitions. options include : creating , editing and deleting partitions
33
Q

Clipboard Manager

A
  • The clipboard is a temporary storage space for copied data. E.g. a large amount of text can be copied and stored on the clipboard to be pasted into another document, even when the original file has been closed
  • The clipboard manager adds more functionality to the clipboard to allow multiple pieces of data to be copied, cut and pasted
34
Q

What is the clipboard a temporary storage space for?

A

Copied data

35
Q

System Profiles

A
  • A system profiler displays detailed information about the applications on a computer system, as well as data about any attached hardware devices
  • Information is provided and updated in real-time about the performance of software and internal components such as the CPU
36
Q

Data Recovery

A
  • Data recovery tools allow deleted, corrupted or otherwise inaccessible data to be returned to a usable state.
  • The data loss may have been caused by physical damage to the drive, corrupt memory partitions or accidental deletion
  • Most data is not permanently removed when it is deleted so data recovery software can often be used to reaccess files
37
Q

What may data loss have been caused by ? (data recovery)

A

The data loss may have been caused by physical damage to the drive, corrupt memory partitions or accidental deletion

38
Q

Revision Control

A
  • Revision control software manages previous versions of an application so that if an error occurs, the program can be returned to a previous state
  • Also called version control software and can be used to manage and monitor changes made to files overtime
39
Q
A
  • Archiving is the process of storing important data that is not currently required. It must not be deleted but it shouldn’t take up valuable storage space either
  • An archive compresses multiple files using lossless compression into one folder. This archived folder can be stored on a computer system or transferred to a storage device and won’t take up much s[ace
40
Q

What is archiving ?

A
  • Archiving is the process of storing important data that is not currently required. It must not be deleted but it shouldn’t take up valuable storage space either
41
Q

Cryptographic Utilities

A
  • A cryptographic utility is used to encrypt data so that it cannot be understood if intercepted. Encryption is commonly for data in transit - being sent between devices
  • Cryptographic software can also encrypt data at rest - when stored on a hard disk drive e.g. hackers would be unable to use the data
42
Q

File Manager

A
  • The utility tool provides an interface to the user for accessing , editing and moving files and folders on the system
  • Programs will be displayed in a hierarchical (ordered) structure with icons representing the application logo or file type
  • Files can be ordered in alphabetical, chronological or other orders and the manager provides an abstracted visualization of where the data is stored.

computer science (12 decks)

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