Operating system
An
operating system is software which supports the basic functions for a computer,
such as any scheduling tasks or the peripherals being controlled. The majority
of times, people will use the OS that is already with the computer. In some
cases, it is possible to upgrade or change the operating system in the
computer. Microsoft
Windows, Apple Mac OS X, and Linux are the most common operating systems for
personal computers. Then there is android and IOS for smart phonesMachine Management
When on a mobile phone, or
computing device and the user clicks on one of the program icons, the OS will
run the program either by selecting and opening the program chosen or by typing
an instruction into the command line. The OS will have to find the files of the
program on the storage drive, where it then loads it to the main memory and
instructs the device to
start executing the program from the beginning. Every time a new program is
opened, the OS performs a series of steps, which is always the same. The steps
are: The program code will be found in the storage drive, where a part of the
RAM will be saved free so the program can run and there is space within the RAM
for the programs data to be stored. The code of the program will be copied from
where it is stored to the space which is saved for it in the memory and the
device will have the first instructions as a key point for the programme to be
working fully. This helps the user as it means that software is able to be used
on the computing devices easily as the computer is using it’s hardware to use
the programs to the full potential.
Peripheral Management
The
peripherals of a computer is any device which can be input or output, where
information is put into or comes out of the computer. Each of these peripherals
have their own machine coded to it as well as rules which determines the way
the data values is transferred between the computer and device. A protocol is
made up from the rules, so the device
can be controlled and be communicated with, where if the protocol of different
peripherals are the same, the different peripherals can be controlled by the
same driver. Then if the identical item, like multiple game controllers are
plugged in, each controller will have its data stored separately, so there
isn’t any interference. This will help the user as it means that multiple
people can use a computer at the same time, where their controller is able to
control a different part of the computer. Also, this means that information can
be transferred from computer to peripheral or peripheral to computer.
Device drivers
There are programs called device drivers,
which the operatingg system
uses to manage the connections between the computer and the peripherals. The
device driver will handle the understanding of requests between a device and
the computers, a process determines where outgoing data is put before it is sent and the incoming
messages that are received are stored. The device drive also ensures that the
device is ‘a wake’ when it is needed and the device is ‘a sleep’ of the device
is not needed. In most cases, the Operating System will have common device
drivers, where the more common peripheral s will be recognised and connectable.
However, in some cases, the peripherals have their own device drivers, which
are required to be installed before the peripheral is used. This helps the user
as it means that the peripherals that are used can be recognised easily and the
drivers are used to gather or store information on the device.
File management
Files will be organised on storage files
by the Operating System. The data is retrieved from a file by the computer
knowing what storage file the file is on, the organisation of the files on the
device, the amount of data in the file and how to communicate with the
file. The Operating System has a job of
maintaining the information for other programs, where a file system is
provided. This means that programs with a specific way of storing and
retrieving data is provided. The
Operating System also manages how the
data is organised, as well as how files are stored, deleted, read, found and
repaired which makes it easier for the users when using programs the Windows
File Explorer or Mac OS X Finder. The
Operating System finally detects and makes repairs on errors like missing disks
or incorrect file names, and if or when their is an error, the user is
informed.
Security
On computers, there is multiple ways in
which security is kept, which is controlled by the operating system. The
security methods are User accounts, encryption, anti-virus software and
firewalls. The user accounts mean that if a public computer is used, or a
computer where there is more than one user, then specific files, which will be
personal accounts, can be allocated, and it means that the system is able to
authorise or unauthorised certain activities. The encryption is the way that
information is written when files are stored or transmitted over a network.
Anti-virus software will protect the computer by detecting and blocking viruses
and firewalls will prevent untrusted programs through ports, or that are
downloaded and the trusted programs will run smoothly. This will hep the users
as it means that their documents will be protected as well as the computer,
meaning the computer should be able to be used without being damaged.
Multitasking
The
Operating System allows the computer to have several programs running at the
same time. The programs will be stored on the RAM whilst they are open, at the
same time, where the CPU processes the programs. A program can either be in a
running state, a waiting state or a runnable state. There can only be one
process running at one time and CPU’s are very quick, meaning it can process a
program in a short time where the OS will decide the best way to switch between
the three processes. It will control
which process is going to be executed by the CPU at what point in time. The
term for the working out of when to swap processes is known as scheduling. The
swapping of processes happens very fast so it seems that all of the processes
are running simultaneously. If there are too many processes running at similar
times, or the CPU is working harder than normal, it can seem as if some or all
of them have stopped. This will help the user as it means that the priorities
of the running programs is running well, where the programs the user wants to
use more than others are prioritised higher.
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