Operating Systems Midterm Flashcards
operating system definition
a program that acts as an intermediary b/w a user of a computer and the computer hardware
operating system goals
execute user programs and make solving user problems easier, make the computer system convenient to use, use computer hardware efficiently
computer system can be divided into four components
hardware, operating system, application programs, users
bootstrap program definition
the first program that a computer will run when you push its power button
what does a bootstrap program do
initializes the hardware system, loads the OS kernel, and starts execution
where is the bootstrap program located
read-only memory (ROM) or EPROM, aka firmware
volatile
loses its contents when power to the device is removed (ex: main memory)
nonvolatile
loss of power does not result in loss of content (ex: solid-state disks, magnetic disks, optical disks, magnetic tapes; also flash memory and NVRAM, which is DRAM with battery backup power)
software-generated interrupt
code error (exception) or system call (trap)
hardware-generated interrupt
keyboard, insert ethernet cord
cache
a temporary storage system for easy/faster access to recently used information
when new information is needed but not in the cache, what will happen?
it will be loaded into the cache
two design issues for cache
size and management/replacement
if the cache size is too big
too expensive
if the cache size is too small
slows down performance