PROCESS MANAGEMENT
A process is a program in execution. The OS is responsible for creating, scheduling, and
terminating processes.
a) Process States
A process moves through these states:
New – being created
Ready – waiting for CPU
Running – currently executing
Waiting/Blocked – waiting for I/O or event
Terminated – finished execution
b) Scheduling
The OS decides which process runs next using scheduling algorithms:
FCFS (First Come First Serve): processes run in the order they arrive.
SJF (Shortest Job First): process with smallest execution time first.
Round Robin: each process gets a small time slice (good for time-sharing).
Priority scheduling: highest priority process runs first.
2. Memory Management
The OS manages RAM and ensures each process gets enough memory without interfering with
others.
Virtual Memory: uses part of the hard disk as if it were RAM.
Paging: divides memory into fixed-size pages.
Segmentation: divides memory into variable segments.
3. File Management
Responsible for creating, deleting, reading, and writing files.
Access methods: Sequential, Direct, Indexed.
File attributes: name, size, type, permissions.
4. Device (I/O) Management
The OS controls and coordinates hardware devices:
Uses device drivers.
Techniques: spooling, buffering.
5. Security & Protection
Threats: viruses, worms, hackers.
Measures: passwords, encryption, backups, user permissions.
