1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

Operating System is a software program that acts as an interface between the user and the computer. It is a software package which allows the computer to function. Functions: Program creation Program execution Access to Input/Output devices Controlled access to files System access Error detection and response Interpreting the commands Managing peripherals Memory management Processor management Information management Process communication Netoworking

Roles of the operating system

The operating system has various roles: Management of the processor: the operating system is responsible for managing allocation of the processor between the different programmes using a scheduling algorithm. The type of scheduler is totally dependent on the operating system, according to the desired objective. Management of the random access memory: the operating system is responsible for managing the memory space allocated to each application and, where relevant, to each user. If there is insufficient physical memory, the operating system can create a memory zone on the hard drive, known as "virtual memory". The virtual memory lets you run applications requiring more memory than there is available RAM on the system. However, this memory is a great deal slower. Management of input/output: the operating system allows unification and control of access of programmes to material resources via drivers (also known as peripheral administrators or input/output administrators). Management of execution of applications: the operating system is responsible for smooth execution of applications by allocating the resources required for them to operate. This means an application that is not responding correctly can be "killed".

Management of authorisations: the operating system is responsible for security relating to execution of programmes by guaranteeing that the resources are used only by programmes and users with the relevent authorisations. File management: the operating system manages reading and writing in the file system and the user and application file access authorisations. Information management: the operating system provides a certain number of indicators that can be used to diagnose the correct operation of the machine.

Functions Of Operating System Today most operating systems perform the following important functions: 1. Processor management, that is, assignment of processor to different tasks being performed by the computer system. 2. Memory management, that is, allocation of main memory and other storage areas to thesystem programmes as well as user programmes and data. 3. Input/output management, that is, co-ordination and assignment of the different output and input device while one or more programmes are being executed. 4. File management, that is, the storage of file of various storage devices to another. It also allows all files to be easily changed and modified through the use of text editors or some other files manipulation routines. 5. Establishment and enforcement of a priority system. That is, it determines and maintains the order in which jobs are to be executed in the computer system. 6. Automatic transition from job to job as directed by special control statements. 7. Interpretation of commands and instructions. 8. Coordination and assignment of compilers, assemblers, utility programs, and other software to the various user of the computer system. 9. Facilities easy communication between the computer system and the computer operator (human). It also establishes data security and integrity.

FUNCTION OF OPERATING SYSTEM

Usually Operating system is there to manage all pieces of a complex system

Imagine what will happen if three programs running on a computer all try to print their output simultaneously on the same printer. The first few lines might be from program one and the next few lines might be from program two and so on with the result resulting in chaos. The operating system can bring order to potential chaos by buffering all the output destined for the printer on the disk.

The primary task of operating system is to keep track of who is using which resource, to grant resource request, to account for usage, and to meditate conflicting request from different programs and users. When a computer has multiple users, the need for managing and protecting the memory, input/output devices and other resources are even more apparent. This need arises because it is usually necessary to share expensive resource such as tapes drives and phototypesetters.

Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers. For large systems, the operating system has even greater responsibilities and powers. It is like a traffic cop -- it makes sure that different program and users running at the same time do not interfere with each other. The operating system is also responsible for security, ensuring that unauthorized users do not access the system. The set of software products that jointly controls the system resource using these resources on a computer system is known as operating system. Examples are Unix, Windows.

DEVICE INTERFACING:

Operating system should try and hide the complexity of interfacing to devices from user program and the user. Typically an operating system should also try and configure device to start up rather than getting the user to set them up.

File System: An Operating System can create and maintain a file System, where users can create, delete and move files around a structured file system. Many systems organize the files in directories (or folders). In multi-users system; these folders can have associated user ownership, and associated access rights.

MULTI-USER:

This allows one or more user to log into a system. Thus the operating system must contain a user account database, which contains user name, default home directory, user passwords and user right.

MULTIPROCESSING:

This allows two or more processes to be used at a time. Here the operating system must decide if it can run the different processes on individual processors. It must also manage the common memory between processors

MEMORY MANAGEMENT:

This involves allocating, and often to create a virtual memory for program. Paging which means organizing data so that the program data is loaded into pages of memory. Another method of managing memory is swapping. This involves swapping the content of memory to disk storage.

MULTI-THREADING: Processes are often split into smaller task, named threads. This thread allows smoother operations. Job Management Job management controls the order and time in which programs are run and is more sophisticated in the mainframe environment where scheduling the daily work has always been routine. IBM's job control language (JCL) was developed decades ago. In a desktop environment, batch files can be written to perform a sequence of operations that can be scheduled to start at a given time.

Task Management

Multitasking, which is the ability to simultaneously execute multiple programs, is available in all operating systems today. Critical in the mainframe and server environment, applications can be prioritized to run faster or slower depending on their purpose. In the desktop world, multitasking is necessary for keeping several applications open at the same time so you can bounce back and forth among them. Multitasking.

Data Management Data management keeps track of the data on disk, tape and optical storage devices. The application program deals with data by file name and a particular location within the file. The operating system's file system knows where that data are physically stored (which sectors on disk) and interaction between the application and operating system is through the programming interface. Whenever an application needs to read or write data, it makes a call to the operating system

Device Management

Device management controls peripheral devices by sending them commands in their own proprietary language. The software routine that knows how to deal with each device is called a "driver," and the OS requires drivers for the peripherals attached to the computer. When a new peripheral is added, that device's driver is installed into the operating system. User Interface All graphics based today, the user interface includes the windows, menus and method of interaction between you and the computer. Prior to graphical user interfaces (GUIs), all operation of the computer was performed by typing in commands. Not at all extinct, command-line interfaces are alive and well and provide an alternate way of running programs on all major operating systems. Operating systems may support optional interfaces, both graphical and command line. Although the overwhelming majority of people work with the default interfaces, different "shells" offer variations of appearance and functionality. Security Operating systems provide password protection to keep unauthorized users out of the system. Some operating systems also maintain activity logs and accounting of the user's time for billing purposes. They also provide backup and recovery routines for starting over in the event of a system failure. Other Functions Of An Operating System:(1) Services of an O.S.:Operating system by itself does not perform work i.e. Useful to the end user of the computer. It creates the environment in which the application program can function o.s. Provided services to users are1) Program Execution :- Loading the program into memory , executing & terminating the program.

2) Error Deletion :Identifying & traffic of errors detected while processing user request to hardware like keyboard error , shortage of memory etc. 3) Resource Allocation :Management of available resources & allocation of resources to different users. 4) Input/Output Operation :Execution of input/output request involving devices & files. 5) File Management or Manipulation :Executing request for read , write , rename or delete the data file as well as file management services. 6) Accounting :Maintaining accounts of uses of the resources by different users & generating usable table. 7) Security :Providing protection to program & data & to ensure data security.