1.5.

1 Operating system

Why a computer system requires an operating system

An operating system (OS) is software that manages computer

hardware and software resources and provides common services for computer
programs. The operating system is an essential component of the system
software in a computer system.

Application programs usually require an operating system to function. The

application programs make use of the operating system by making requests for
services through a defined application program interface (API).

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.

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Summary

 OS system manages the physical resource of computer

 OS provides the interface between human user and computer
 It provides a platform for applications softwares to run
 It hides the complexity of hardware from the user
 It provides security e.g. passwords on files and access rights for different
users.

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Types of Operating System

Batch Processing:

When computing was still a new science, there were not enough machines to satisfy
the demand for processor time from students in universities who wanted great
calculations done, firms who wanted their payroll worked out, and many others.
The big problem was the ‘speed mismatch’ between the user sitting at the keyboard
who was very slow, and the machine which was very fast. This meant that the
expensive part, the computer, was sitting there doing nothing while the human
being decided what to do. There are two simple solutions to this problem, one is to
buy more machines and the other is to make the machines work more effectively
by taking away the slowest part of the system “the human being”. Nowadays we
might well opt to buy more machines, but was too costly in the past. This problem
gave rise to the development of batch processing.

A Batch processing OS is one that does not allow for interaction between the user

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and the processor during the execution of the work. Lots of programs or data that

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need to be run are collected together (to form a batch) and they are sent to the
computer in one go. The batch operating system then controls their passage
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Nowadays, batch processing is used where:
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 Processing cannot be started until all the data is collected

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 Large amounts of data to be processed,

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 The data is very similar in nature and…

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 Requires similar processing,

 The computer system has identifiable times when it is not being used, and so
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has available processor time

 The application does not require human intervention.
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Example of applications of the Batch processing OS:

 In banks for the production of bank statements from customer files

 The production of utility bills from customer records
 Compilation of high level language programs where a number of users want
programs compiled.

Real-time processing:

A real-time O.S. is one which can react quickly enough to a process and get ready
for the next input or process to be carried out.
The following examples of real-time applications show why immediate response can
be vital:

 In a chemical plant the temperature is critical to the result of the process.

The temperature is monitored by a compute that accepts input from a
sensor. The compute uses the sensor data to make decisions about adjusting

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 the heating elements. A delay in the decision-making process might corrupt
the reaction.
 A robot trolley is controlled by a processor that takes input from a sensor
following a blank line of the floor. The processor makes decisions about
steering to keep the trolley on the black line. The trolley might lose its
directions if it was not steering quickly enough.
 A catalogue shop processes orders. The code for a product is input and the
system compared it with information in its files. When it finds the correct
code, it can report to the user the quantity of that product in stock. It is
necessary to record a purchase before the next shopper’s request is
processed otherwise the second person might be sold the same item.

Single user

A single user operating system controls a system which has only one user and their
programs at one time. A perfect example of a single user system is the one that

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you may have at home. Only one person uses it at a time. Most single user systems
are also multi-tasking.

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Multi-user

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This type of operating system allows the computer to service more than one user
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simultaneously. A multi-user OS has a single (normally powerful) computer which is
connected to a number of terminals. These terminals are not computers, although
they may have a very limited amount of processing power.
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The computer sends a message to each of the terminals in turn which is called a
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time-share or a round robin system. Each of the small amount of time is called a
“time slice”.
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Multi-tasking
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A multi-tasking allows several applications to be available simultaneously. On a

single user system, you might load number of processes in main memory at the
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same time. e.g. spreadsheet along with a word processing application and browsing
internet as well as playing music etc.

The OS can switch between tasks so quickly that it seems to the user as if they are
all being done at once. The tasks are allocated time slices similar to multi-user OS.

Network OS

A network contains number of computers linked together for the purpose of

communication and the sharing of resources. A network operating system is
required to manage the network computers and resources. One machine is used to
control rest of the system which is called server. A network OS must carry out tasks
such as

 Control of access to the network

 Management of the filing system
 Managing all application programs available from the server
 Management of all shared peripherals.

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1.5.2 Utility programs

Disk formatter

When a disk is first produced the surface is blank. It cannot be used to store data
until it has been formatted by disk formatter software. The formatting process
divides the disk into smaller areas, each of which can be searched more easily.
The disk surface is divided into a number of tracks an each track is divided into
smaller blocks called sectors.

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The amount of information that can be stored is enormous. One of the tracks is
used as an index to hold data about where the other data are stored. The
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formatting process removes all data from the disk so you should save the contents
of a disk elsewhere before re-formatting it.
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Virus checker
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A computer virus is a small program that can reproduce itself. If it “infects” a

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computer system, a virus can cause a range of damage including deleting files.
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A virus checker utility program continually compares a dictionary of known viruses

against the files accessed by the computer. It alerts the user if any of the files
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matches a virus “signature”.

It is crucial that the virus dictionary is kept up-to-data o a daily basis as new
viruses are constantly appearing.

Defragmenter software

it is a utility software to increase access speed by re-arranging files stored on

a disk to occupy contiguous storage locations, a technique called defragmentation.
Defragmenting a disk minimizes head travel, which reduces the time it takes to
read files from and write files to the disk. Disk Defragmenter also reduces system
startup times.

Disk content analysis /Disk repair software

Disk checker software can scan a hard disk to find files or areas that are corrupted
in some way, or were not correctly saved, and eliminate them for a more efficiently
operating hard drive. This is not to be confused with a disk cleaner, which can find

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files that are unnecessary to computer operation, or take up considerable amounts
of space.

Some disk checkers can perform a whole surface to attempt to find any
possible bad sectors, whereas others scan only the contents of the hard disk.

File compression

Files containing video information are usually large in size. File compression
software reduces the size of a file by cutting out much of the duplication of data in
the file.

If file is to be sent electronically e.g. a an email attachment, you can use a utility
(such as WinZip) to compress .files may also be compressed to save space on a
secondary storage device.

Backup software

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Files on a computer need to be protected from being damaged. A backup or

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archiving utility is a simple routine that copies the contents of files to another
location. If the original file is damaged, the copy can be used to replace it.

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Volumes: Voluming allows the ability to compress and split backup data into
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separate parts for storage on smaller, removable media such as CDs. It was
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often used because CDs were easy to transport off-site and inexpensive
compared to hard drives or servers. However, the recent increase in hard
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drive capacity and decrease in drive cost has made voluming a far less
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popular solution
Data compression: Since hard drive space has cost, compressing the data will
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reduce the size allowing for less drive space to be used to save money.
Differential and incremental backups:Backup solutions generally
support differential backups and incremental backups in addition to full
backups, so only material that is newer or changed compared to the backed
up data is actually backed up. The effect of these is to increase significantly
the speed of the backup process over slow networks while decreasing space
requirements.
Encryption: To prevent data theft, some backup software offers cryptography
features to protect the backup.

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1.5.3 Library programs

In computer science, a library is a collection of non-volatile resources used

by computer programs, often to develop software. These may include configuration
data, documentation, help data, message templates, pre-written code and
subroutines, classes etc. Library code is organized in such a way that it can be used
by multiple programs that have no connection to each other, while code that is part
of a program is organized to only be used within that one program.

What is DLL?

A DLL is a library that contains code and data that can be used by more than one
program at the same time. For example, in Windows operating systems, the
Comdlg32 DLL performs common dialog box related functions. Therefore, each
program can use the functionality that is contained in this DLL to implement
an Open dialog box. This helps promote code reuse and efficient memory usage.

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Updates are easier to apply to each module without affecting other parts of the

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program. For example, you may have a payroll program, and the tax rates change
each year. When these changes are isolated to a DLL, you can apply an update
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without needing to build or install the whole program again.
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DLL advantages
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The following list describes some of the advantages that are provided when a
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program uses a DLL:

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Uses fewer resources

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When multiple programs use the same library of functions, a DLL can reduce the
duplication of code that is loaded on the disk and in physical memory. This can
greatly influence the performance of not just the program that is running in the
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foreground, but also other programs that are.

Promotes modular architecture

A DLL helps promote developing modular programs. This helps you develop large
programs that require multiple language versions or a program that requires
modular architecture. An example of a modular program is an accounting
program that has many modules that can be dynamically loaded at run time.

Eases deployment and installation

When a function within a DLL needs an update or a fix, the deployment and
installation of the DLL does not require the program to be re-linked with the DLL.
Additionally, if multiple programs use the same DLL, the multiple programs will
all benefit from the update or the fix. This issue may more frequently occur when
you use a third-party DLL that is regularly updated or fixed.

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1.5.4 Language translators

Assembler

It converts the code written in assembly language into machine language. The
assembly process is relatively simple because assembly language has a one-to-one
relationship with machine code. That is, every assembly language instruction
translates into exactly one machine code instruction.

Basically the assembler translate the mnemonics (e.g. LDA,STO)into binary by

having a simple lookup table with mnemonics in one column and the binary
machine code equivalents alongside.

Advantages of using an Assembler disadvantages of using an Assembler

1. Very fast in translating assembly 1. Assembly language is written for a

language to machine code as 1 certain instruction set and/or

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to 1 relationship processor
2. Assembly code is often very 2. Assembly tends to be optimized for

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efficient (and therefore fast) the hardware it's designed for,
because it is a low level meaning it is incompatible with
language
3. Assembly code is fairly easy to us different hardware
3. Lots of assembly code is needed to
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understand due to the use of do relatively simple tasks, and
English-like mnemonics complex programs require lots of
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programming time
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Compiler
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A compiler takes a program written in a high-level language(source program)and

translates it into an equivalent program in machine code(object program).once this
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is done, the machine code version can be loaded into the machine an executed
without any further need of compiler.
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Advantages of using a compiler disadvantages of using a compiler

1. The final object (.exe) can easily 1. The final object file can only be
be distributed among many users. produced after all errors in source
2. Once the .exe file is produced, code have been located and fixed.
users do not need the compiler 2. The compilation process uses a lot
software. of computer resources.
3. Users have no sight of the original
source code and so there is no
risk that it could be changed.

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Interpreter

The interpreter identifies each instruction in sequence and executes it until a

statement is found which contains an error. Each instruction is executed before the
next instruction is identified.

Advantages of using an interpreter disadvantages of using an interpreter

1. The programmer can run the 1. Execution of a program is slow

program at any time before all compared to that of a compiles
the code has been written program due to line-by-line
2. Debugging is generally easier translation.
and faster using an interpreter 2. The interpreter software has to be
present in memory every time an
attempt is made to run the program

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