OPERATING

SYSTEM
PART 1: INTRODUCTION TO OPERATING

SYSTEMS

BY ROZAIDA BINTI HJ HALIL

 Published By:
POLITEKNIK MUKAH
KM 7.5 JALAN OYA,
96400 MUKAH, SARAWAK.

No Tel: +6084-874001
Fax :+6084-874005
Website:https://www.pmu.edu.my/v5/

Operating System
Part 1: Introduction to Operating System
Author : Rozaida Binti HJ Halil

All the rights reserved. No part of this publication

may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, Photographs,
recordings, etc. Without the prior permission of
Politeknik Mukah
This e-book was produced for the Operating
system course for Polytechnic. This e-book
contains about introduction in operating system
only. It is hoped that the production of this e-book
will be a reference material for students and
lecturer. In this e-book there are 10 things
discussed about the introduction to operating
system. These 10 things, from the introduction, to
the function of the operating system, then the
type of operating structure to the architecture of
operating systems, the operating system product,
then the concept of relation operating system,
and last the Call and API system.
 ROZAIDA BINTI HJ HALIL
Lecturer Politeknik Mukah
Sarawak
rozaidahalil@pmu.edu.my
OPERATING SYSTEMS ENVIRONMENT.

BASIC FUNCTIONS OF OPERATING SYSTEM

OPERATING SYSTEM STRUCTURE

VARIOUS ARCHITECTURE OF OPERATING SYSTEMS

VARIOUS PRODUCT OF OPERATING SYSTEM

CONCEPTS IN RELATION TO OPERATING SYSTEM

COMPONENTS OF OPERATING SYSTEM:

USER INTERFACES

SYSTEM CALL AND API

APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE (API).

An Operating System (OS) is an interface between a
computer user and computer hardware. An operating
system is a software which manage all the basic tasks
like file management, memory management, process
management, handling input and output, and
controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and
printers. OS provides platform for other programs,
called application programs to run. OS acts as an
intermediary between the user of a computer and
the computer hardware.

Some popular Operating Systems include Linux

Operating System, Windows Operating System, VMS,
OS/400, AIX, z/OS, etc.
User 1 User 2 User n

System Application
software software
SOFTWARE

Operating System

HARDWARE CPU RAM I/O

Figure 1: An OS acts as an intermediary between

the user of a computer and the hardware.
Some of important functions of an operating System.
❑ Memory Management
❑ Processor Management
❑ Device Management
❑ File Management
❑ Security
❑ Control over system performance
❑ Job accounting
❑ Error detecting aids
❑ Coordination between other software and users
❑ Manages the computer's resources such as the cpu, memory,
disk drives, and printers.
❑ Provides file management - saves, manipulates, retrieves and
deletes data.
There are many operating systems that have a structure. These
started as small systems and rapidly expanded much further
than their scope.

There are 4 types of OS structure:

1) Monolithic
Known as “The Big Mess” - there is no structure.
All kernel routines are located in the same space
Any routines can call other routines.
Examples: Traditional Unix, MS-DOS

Pros:
• Shared kernel space
• Good performance for small OS

Cons:
• No information hiding
• Difficult to maintain (debug)

Note: The kernel is the central module of an operating system

(OS). The kernel is responsible for memory management,
process and task management, and disk management.

Routine A Routine B

Routine E Routine C
Routine
D

Monolithic OS Structure: Routines are in the same kernel space

2) Layered
The OS structure is divided into layers or levels. Each layer only
processes its own operations. Each layer does not need to know
how other layers operate; it needs to know only what their
operations do. Hence, each layer hides its operations.

Example: Level 1=Processor scheduling, Level 2 I/O

communication, Level 3 File system, etc.

Examples of OS: THE System (6 layers), MULTICS

pros:
• Hidden operation by each layer
• Simplicity of construction and debugging

Cons:
• Must appropriately define the various layers
• Each layer adds overhead to the system, takes longer time
compare to a non-layered system
3) Microkernel
Microkernel structure removes all non-important components
from the kernel. Non-important kernels are implemented as
user-level programs. Components outside microkernel
communicate indirectly with one another through the
microkernel.

Example: Mac OS X, Mach, Windows NT

Pros:
• Smaller kernel
• More security and reliability

Cons:
• Performance decreases due to system function overhead
• Process management is complex

Microkernel OS structure removes Client Application, PEACE Threads, File Server and Display
Server from the original kernel and implements them as user-level programs
4) Networked / distributed

A distributed OS runs over a collection of independent,

networked computing system (clustered system).

To users, it is a single entity but technically many computers

collaborate to perform processes’ operations.

Example: AIX OS for IBM RS/6000 computers, Solaris OS for SUN

workstations

The diagram shows the connections that are combined through the network

Client/server networked operating system model.

Monolithic vs. Microkernel

Layered vs. Microkernel

An operating system is a program that acts as an interface
between a user of a computer and the computer resources. The
purpose of an operating system is to provide an environment in
which a user may execute programs.

There are 3 types of architecture or platform used by various

OSes:

1) Single processor system

Single processor system has only one actual processor and all
processing tasks share a single CPU.

In a single processor system, ONLY one process may run at a

time.

Modern systems using multiple-core CPUs are not single

processor system because each core can do processes
simultaneously.

2) Multiprocessor system

A multiprocessor system is a system containing more than one

actual processor.

A system having multiple CPUs or multiple-core CPUs are

multiprocessor system.

Multiprocessor systems able to run processes simultaneously.

3) Clustered system

A clustered system is a set of computers that work together to

perform tasks.

It gives the users a perception of a single (super) computer.

Clustered systems use shared storage and are closely linked via
LAN networking.
OPERATING SYSTEM CATEGORY
1. Closed source system
Closed source System refers to the computer system which
source code is closes means public is not given access to the
source code. In short it is referred as CSS. In closed source
system the source code is protected. The only individual or
organization who has created the system can only change it.
The price of closed source system is high and users need to have
valid and authenticated license to use the system. As is issues
an authenticated license so it also put a lot restrictions on users
based on usability and modification of system. The source code
of this OS is a secret by its manufacturer. Users pay to use it.
Support is available. User-friendly.
e.g.: Microsoft Windows, Mac OS
OPERATING SYSTEM CATEGORY
2. Open source system

Open source software refers to the computer software which

source is open means the general public can access and use. In
short it is referred as OSS. The source code of open source
software is public. It uses the code freely available on the
Internet. This code can be modified by other users and
organizations means that the source code is available for
anyone to look at. The price of open source software is very less
and there is no so much restrictions on users based on usability
and modification of software. The source code of this OS can be
freely modified. Mostly free (no cost). No support. Not user-
friendly.
e.g; Linux, Android, Open Solaris
Concepts Related to OS
1. MULTIPROGRAMMING
Allows more than one programs to run concurrently.
The programs share processing resources, such as a CPU and
main memory.

Example of Multiprogramming

2. MULTITASKING
Small differences between multitasking and multiprogramming.
Multitasking has a more general scope. It refers to having
multiple items (programs, processes, tasks, threads) running at
the same time. Multitasking uses time-sharing concept.
Concepts Related to OS

3. TIME SHARING
It is the technique of scheduling a CPU's time so that the CPU is
shared among multiple tasks.
User may find that all processes are going on simultaneously,
but in fact they are actually being given a time slice in turns.

From user’s perspective, Program A, Program B, and Program C are running simultaneously, while in fact they
are taking turns to utilize the CPU’s time. This applies for each core of the CPU.

4. BUFFERING
Buffer is part of the main memory used to temporarily store data
while it is being moved from one place to another.
Example: Voice data from a microphone is stored in a buffer just
before it is sent to an output device (such as speakers). Data is
stored in a buffer as it is retrieved from an input device (such as
a keyboard) or just before it is sent to an output device (such as
a printer).
Use of this buffer is known as ‘buffering'.
Concepts Related to OS

Saha, Sneha (2016) Try These 5 TRICKS to Fix Video Buffering Problem. Retrieved from
https://www.gizbot.com/how-to/tips-tricks/try-these-5-ways-to-fix-video-buffering-problem-035292.html

5. SPOOLING
Spooling (Simultaneous Peripheral Operations On Line) refers to
putting jobs in a buffer, where a device can access them when it
is ready. Spooling is useful because devices access data at
different rates. The buffer provides a waiting station while the
slower device catches up. The most common spooling
application is print spooling. In print spooling, documents are
loaded into a buffer, and then the printer pulls them off
(spooling) the buffer when the printer is ready.

The biggest example of Spooling is printing.

The documents which are to be printed are
stored in the SPOOL and then added to the
queue for printing. During this time, many
processes can perform their operations and
use the CPU without waiting while the printer
executes the printing process on the
documents one-by-one.
Concepts Related to OS
6. CACHING
A cache also acts as a buffer, and vice versa. However, caches
operate on the device itself. Cache is used to store program
instructions that must be reached quickly and frequently.
Example: CPU cache, disk cache.

The above Intel CPU has a big Level 3 cache (15MB) to store frequently accessed instructions, hence making the
processor perform faster than a smaller-cache CPU
The components of an operating system play a key role to make
a variety of computer system parts work together. There are the
following components of an operating system, such as:
1) Kernel
The kernel is the core component of an OS. The kernel bridges
the hardware to the application software. The kernel is
responsible for memory, process, task, and disk management.
The kernel does not interact directly with the user, but rather
interacts with the shell.
E.g. Linux kernel, Windows kernel

The diagram shows the position of the Kernel in

the operating system

2) Shell
The outermost part of an OS, hence the name ‘shell’.
A program that interacts with user commands such as in CLI
(command-line interface). In CLI, the user types commands to
perform functions such as run programs, browse directories, etc.
Shell may be GUI as well. The user interacts with the kernel via
shell.
Example: Command Prompt (CLI shell for Windows)
 Examples Of Shell Usage

3) File system
File system (or filesystem) is the method and data structures
that an operating system uses to keep track of files on a disk or
partition In simple, it is the way the files are organized on the
disk. It is used to store, retrieve and update a set of files as well
as arrange storage space.
E.g. FAT32, NTFS, HFS, ext3.

This image is to identify the type of file

system on a file on a computer or laptop.
3) File system
Applications cannot function by themselves without the OS.
Example: while using Office Word application you might need to
save the Word documents on the hard disk. However, Office
Word does not have the capacity to run hardware. An operating
system, on the other hand, is the software that controls the
hardware, and acts as an intermediary between applications
and hardware.

This diagram shows the

interaction between the
application and the OS

User

Shell
Applications

Kernel
CPU Memory Devices

A kernel connects the application

software to the hardware of a
computer

This diagram shows the interaction between the application and the OS
A user interface is the system by which people (users) interact
with a machine.
User interfaces exist for various systems.
4 type user interface:
1) Command-line Interface (CLI)
Using CLI, the user enters commands to the program in the form
of text.
CLI is often used by programmers and system administrators,
and by technically advanced users.
Examples of CLI: Windows Command Prompt

Examples CLI is command prompt

2) Voice User Interface

A Voice User Interface or Voice Actuated Interface makes
human interaction with computers possible through a
voice/speech platform to start a service.
VUI provides hands-free and eyes-free interfaces in many
situations.
 Examples of VUI applications are Google’s Now,
Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana.
3) Graphical User Interface (GUI)
A graphical user interface or GUI (pronounced gooey) is a type of
user interface that allows people to interact with programs
without the need of typing commands.
GUI offers graphical icons, visual indicators, labels and text
navigation.
Example: Windows 95 & above. Linux KDE, Linux GNOME.

Xerox's Star workstation was the

first commercial implementation
of the GUI. Introduced in 1981, it
became the inspiration for the
Mac and all the other GUIs that
followed.
4) Web Form
Web Form allows a user to enter data that is sent to a server for
processing. Web Forms resemble paper forms because users fill
out forms using checkboxes, radio buttons, or text fields.

An Example Of A Filled Form.

 “API is more programmer friendly
than system calls.”

Applications are not allowed to access hardware directly. They

must ask the OS to do that for them.
OS provides a set of functions that can be called by applications
to request for services. These functions are called “SYSTEM
CALLS”
System calls run in kernel mode.

Application uses System Calls to access hardware.

Kernel is the intermediate.
An API is a set of functions (programming functions) which
enables an application to interact with other application or
system.
In simple words, API acts as intermediate between two software
programs, which allows them to communicate with each other
E.g. Google Maps API: allows developers to embed Google Maps
onto their own web pages, using simple JavaScript.
E.g. Youtube’s API: lets software developers integrate YouTube
videos and functionality into their applications.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/api-application-
programming-interface-chitra-r
 Example: Google
Maps API is
integrated inside
iPhone’s
application

Example of API: Google’s Maps API

APIs are here

APIs, System Calls, Kernel, and hardware

1. Silberschatz, A., Galvin P. B. & Gagne, G. (2016). Operating
System Concepts (8th Edition), John Wiley & Sons. Inc USA.

2. Cisco Certified Network Associate Study Guide (7th Edition),

Wiley Publishing, USA.

3. Ghate S.V (2017), Operating System Concepts and Basic Linux

Commands, Author : Shital Vivek Ghate, Educreation
Publishing, New Delhi, ISBN: 978-1-5457-0850-7