What is an Operating System

1
Introduction

• What is an Operating System
• What Operating Systems Do
• How is it filling our life

2
What is an Operating System?

• A program that acts as an intermediary between a
  user of a computer and the computer hardware
• Operating system goals
• Execute user programs and make solving user
  problems easier
• Use the computer hardware in an efficient manner
• Make the computer system convenient to use

3
What is a Computer System?

• Computer system structure can be divided into
  four components
• Hardware provides basic computing resources
• CPU, memory, I/O devices
• Application programs define the ways in which
  the system resources are used to solve the
  computing problems of the users
• Word processors, compilers, web browsers,
  database systems, video games
• Users
• People, machines, other computers
• Operating system the manager of the above
  three
• Controls and coordinates use of hardware among
  various applications and users

4
Computer System and how OS fits into it
5
Operating System Definition

• From system point of view
• OS is a resource allocator
• Manages all resources
• Decides between conflicting requests for
  efficient and fair resource use
• OS is a control program
• Controls execution of programs to prevent errors
  and improper use of the computer

6
How OS evolved

• Mainframe Systems
• One of the earliest computer systems
• Huge computers
• Very simple systems
• Can process one job after another
• Jobs were fed with punch cards
• Operators sort jobs into batches
• Also known as Batch Systems
• Mainframe systems have severe efficiency problem
• WHY?

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Mainframe OS severe disadvantages

• Mainframe Systems
• Process one job after another
• Jobs were fed with punch cards
• CPU works in microseconds range
• I/O system very slow
• Approx. 1200 cards/min.
• 20 cards/sec.
• CPU is almost always idle!!!
• It was needed to keep multiple jobs ready so that
  CPU does not become idlehow?
• Introduction of disk technology changed the
  complete OS history

Image courtesy http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File
Ibm704.gif
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Multiprogrammed Systems

• Multiprogramming needed for efficiency
• Single user cannot keep CPU and I/O devices busy
  at all times
• Multiprogramming organizes jobs (code and data)
  so CPU always has one to execute
• How to achieve this?
• Disk technology helped us to keep multiple jobs
  in job pool (Disk)
• A subset of total jobs in system is kept in
  memory
• One job selected and executed
• When it has to wait (I/O for example), OS
  switches to another job

• Multiprogrammed introduced two novel challenges
• Job scheduling
• Memory management

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Time-Sharing Systems

• Time-sharing systems are logical extension of
  multiprogrammed systems
• Also known as multitasking
• Each user has at least one program executing in
  memory ?process
• CPU switches jobs so frequently that users can
  interact with each job while it is running,
  creating interactive computing
• Response time should be lt 1 second
• If several jobs ready to run at the same time ?
  CPU scheduling
• If processes dont fit in memory, swapping moves
  them in and out to run
• Virtual memory allows execution of processes not
  completely in memory

10
Multiprocessor Systems

• Most systems use a single general-purpose
  processor (PDAs through mainframes)
• Multiprocessor systems growing in use and
  importance
• Also known as parallel systems, tightly-coupled
  systems
• Advantages include
• Increased throughput
• Economy of scale
• Increased reliability graceful degradation or
  fault tolerance
• Two types
• Asymmetric Multiprocessing
• Symmetric Multiprocessing

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Symmetric Multiprocessing Architecture
12
A Dual-Core Design
13
Shift to Distributed Systems

• Client-Server Computing
• Distributed systems over the network
• Many systems now servers, responding to requests
  generated by clients
• Compute-server provides an interface to client to
  request services (i.e. database)
• File-server provides interface for clients to
  store and retrieve files

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Peer-to-Peer Systems

• Another model of distributed system
• P2P does not distinguish clients and servers
• Instead all nodes are considered peers
• May each act as client, server or both
• Node must join P2P network
• Registers its service with central lookup service
  on network, or
• Broadcast request for service and respond to
  requests for service via discovery protocol
• Examples include Napster and bitTorrent

15
Change in Computing Environments

• Traditional computing
• Office environment
• Earlier, PCs connected to a network, terminals
  attached to mainframe or minicomputers providing
  batch and timesharing
• Now, portals allowing networked and remote
  systems access to same resources
• Home networks
• Earlier, used to be single system, then modems
• Now, firewalled, networked