1.5 Systems Software

Question 1

OS full form

Answer 1

Operating System

Question 2

OS

Answer 2

manages hardware and runs software

• Communicates with internal + external hardware, using device drivers
• Provides a User Interface (UI) – allows for the user to interact with the computer
• Provides an environment for different applications to run
• Allows the computer to multi task by controlling memory resources + the CPU
• Deals with file management + disk management
• Manage system security + user accounts

Question 3

UI full form

Answer 3

User Interface

Question 4

UI

Answer 4

allows the user to interact with a computer system

Question 5

Types of UI

Answer 5

Graphical User Interface (GUI)
Command-Line-Interface

Question 6

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

Answer 6

• designed to be easy for everyday users, by being visual + interactive
• uses WIMP (windows, icons, menus, pointers)

Question 7

Command-Line-Interface

Answer 7

• Text based
• User enters specific commands to complete tasks
• Less resources
• Not efficient for everyday users, but better for advanced users -> more powerful

Question 8

Device driver software

Answer 8

used for computer system (operating system) to communicate with internal hardware or peripherals

Question 9

What does every hardware/peripheral connected to a system need?

Answer 9

A device driver

Question 10

What do device drivers do?

Answer 10

Act as a translator for the signals between the OS and the hardware

Question 11

What happens when a computer is booted up in relation to device drivers?

Answer 11

the OS picks the correct device drivers for the hardware detected.

(If new hardware is connected to the system, the OS will install a new, matching driver for it.)

Question 12

Why do device manufacturers release updates for device drivers?

Answer 12

To fix bugs
Add features
Improve performance

Question 13

How can updates from device manufacturers be installed?

Answer 13

Automatically by the OS
Manually by the user

Question 14

What is responsible for the file management?

Answer 14

The OS creates a file structure to make it easier for the user to organise and file data in a systematic way

Question 15

What does the OS manage?

Answer 15

Naming, saving, moving, editing,, deleting of data

Question 16

What is responsible for the disk management?

Answer 16

The OS splits the physical disk into storage sectors, and decides where to write data
Also keeps track of space

Question 17

How does the OS maintain the hard disk?

Answer 17

Utility Software e.g. defragmentation software

Question 18

Multitasking

Answer 18

When several programs are run at the same time

Question 19

What helps the CPU do multitasking?

Answer 19

The OS

Question 20

How does the OS help the CPU multitask?

Answer 20

Efficiently managing memory + CPU processing time

Question 21

What happens when an application is opened?

Answer 21

The OS moves necessary parts of the application to memory, and additional parts when required

Question 22

What does the OS do when multitasking

Answer 22

makes sure the applications don’t overwrite/interfere with each other -> memory manager allocates certain applications certain memory addresses, so that their data is placed in different locations

Question 23

How many applications does the CPU process at a time?

Answer 23

One. Other applications have to wait

Question 24

How does the OS prioritise CPU time?

Answer 24

Prioritises CPU time for open applications compared to other processes

Question 25

What else does the OS manage?

Answer 25

The flow of data The movement of data to and from virtual memory

Question 26

How does the OS manage the flow of data?

Answer 26

Using memory buffers

Question 27

What do memory buffers do?

Answer 27

store data until the component is ready to receive it, as different components have different processing speeds

Question 28

User accounts

Answer 28

The OS can either be: single user multi user

Question 29

Single User

Answer 29

Allows one user to use the computer at once

Question 30

Example of a Single User OS

Answer 30

macOS

Question 31

Multi user

Answer 31

Allows multiple users to use the computer at once

Question 32

Example of Multi User OS

Answer 32

UNIX server

Question 33

How is the OS stored?

Answer 33

In mainframes

Question 34

What are mainframes?

Answer 34

Huge supercomputers

Question 35

Example of a mainframe

Answer 35

ATMs give many people access to a bank’s mainframe

Question 36

What manages User Account Control?

Answer 36

The OS

Question 37

What do user accounts allow for?

Answer 37

Different users to have access to specific data User accounts are password protected to avoid theft of data

Question 38

Utility Software

Answer 38

Software designed to help maintain/configure the computer

Question 39

Types of Utility Software

Answer 39

Encryption Software Compression Software Defragmentation Software

Question 40

Encryption Software

Answer 40

scrambles (encrypts) data to stop third parties/unauthorised users from accessing + understanding it

Question 41

Process of encryption

Answer 41

* Converts plain test (unencrypted) -> cyphertext (encrypted) * An algorithm and key are used to encrypt the data, and the same algorithm and key are needed to decrypt the data * Encrypted data cannot be read through a brute-force attack

Question 42

Main advantage of Encryption Software

Answer 42

even if a hacker intercepts the data, it is still secure/cannot be read.

Question 43

Compression Software

Answer 43

reduces the size of a file by permanently or temporarily removing data from them.

Question 44

Types of Compression Software

Answer 44

Lossy Lossless

Question 45

Advantage of Compression Software

Answer 45

frees up disk space + quicker to download/transfer across a network

Question 46

How are compressed files opened?

Answer 46

Compressed files need to be extracted before opened

Question 47

Defragmentation Software

Answer 47

reorganises data on a hard drive to put fragmented files back together, to prevent further fragmentation

Question 48

How does fragmentation occur?

Answer 48

* Ideally, files on a hard drive should be stored together * Over time, as files are moved and deleted, lots of gaps are created on the disk = fragmentation - This causes slower read – write speed (the read-write head has to move back and forth across the disk) * Defragmentation software solves this problem.

Question 49

Defragmentation effect on SSDs

Answer 49

As SSDs have no moving parts, fragmentation doesn’t slow them down – they can access data from any part of it at the same speed. Defragmentation slows them down as they have a limited number of read/write cycles