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TM129: Operating systems > Topic 1 - What is an operating > Flashcards

Topic 1 - What is an operating Flashcards

1
Q

no

in this situation the application program will handle any data received from the core operating system functions and will be able to issue commands directly to the core operating system functions

note

remember application programs have the same access to the core operating system functions as the shell does

A

when a user is interacting with an application program is the shell still handling data

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2
Q

These programs sit alongside the shell and application programs and are installed at the same time as the operating system but are not technically part of the operating system itself.

they can facilitate in actions such as providing simple text editors or providing a means to configure and monitor the operating system.

A

describe what a

utility program

is

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3
Q

these comprise of:

  1. shell
  2. core operating system functions
  3. hardware
A

what are the 3

layers of an operating system

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4
Q

what is the role of a

shell

within an operating system

A

this performs the role of interpreting user input and passing the relevant command to the core operating system

note

this itself does not carry out any execution on hardware

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5
Q

what is another way to describe what the

shell

is

A

this could be described as an application program

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6
Q

for this stakeholder hardware independence / device independence means that:

they can create one version of there application for the targeted operating system instead of creating variants that take into account different types of hardware and having to implement low level code to interact with that hardware

A

for a

software developer

what benefit does hardware independence / device independence have

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7
Q

taking into account the

layers of the operating sytem

and the

user and kernel mode of the processor

describe how the

layered hierarchy of an operating

sytem will look

A

with these factors in place this now looks as follows

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8
Q

this:

  • detects user input and passes it to the core operating system functions
  • receives commands from the core operating system
A

describe in 2 points

hardware and the data it receives and sends

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9
Q

just like the shell application programs have the same access to this

A

except for the shell and the hardware what else can intercat directly with the

core operating system functions

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10
Q

this is ensured by allowing only the operating sytem to run in kernel mode

A

how is it ensured that only the operating system communicates with the hardware

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11
Q

this mode is used strictly by the operating system. Accessing key data structures and the hardware is only possible when running in this mode

A

describe the

kernel mode

of a processor

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12
Q

for this stakeholder hardware independence / device independence means that:

they can write one version of their software that interfaces with the operating system instead of writing variants that can interact with different types of software

A

for a

hardware developer

what benefit does hardware independence / device independence have

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13
Q

a user can interact with this either through a

  • Graphical User Interface (GUI)
  • Command Line Interface (CLI)

either interface may be chosen to carry out the same tasks although they both come with advantages and disadvantages

A

how does a user interact with a

shell

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14
Q

to be called this it would be able to:

  1. provide a user interface to load and run program

for example digital bathroom scales do not have an operating system installed and run only a single program, there is no interface that allows the loading or running of additional programs

  1. manage the storage of data and programs

the operating system can save your data to a drive whilst also providing various interfaces to do so such as the gui or command prompt

  1. support multitasking

operating systems can manage how hardware is used and in doing so can share the hardware resources between multiple running apps or services

  1. achieve device independence

the operating system allows for device independence meaning a variety of different hardware such as different keyboards can be used with a variety of application software with no compatibility problems

A

name 4 functions that could be used to

define what an operating system is

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15
Q

regarding the display and memory give an example for each of how the operating sytem shares these between multiple applications

A

Examples of resources being shared by the operating system are:

  1. Applications being provided their own window on the display so that the display can be shared by multiple applications
  2. Providing each application with their own exclusive space in memory that it can access and use via the operating system
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16
Q

for an

end user

what benefit does hardware independence / device independence have

A

for this stakeholder hardware independence / device independence means that

they do not need to worry about whether a new piece of hardware will work with there current software or vice versa

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17
Q

this is determined by stakeholders such as:

  • end users
  • software developers
  • hardware / periphial developers
A

who essentially

determines the success of an operating system

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18
Q

this could be described as an application program

A

what is another way to describe what the

shell

is

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19
Q

where within the layers of the operating system do

application programs

reside

A

these sit on the top layer of the operating system with the shell

they have direct access to the core operating system functions just as the shell does

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20
Q

this

  • passes data between the (shell and application programs) and the hardware
  • executes commands on the hardware
  • is made up of many subsystems, each able to carry out its specific task
A

in 3 points describe the

core operating system functions

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21
Q

for a

hardware developer

what benefit does hardware independence / device independence have

A

for this stakeholder hardware independence / device independence means that:

they can write one version of their software that interfaces with the operating system instead of writing variants that can interact with different types of software

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22
Q

in this situation this type of stakeholder would have interest in ease of use

A

in regards to the operating system what would an

end users

interest be

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23
Q

this mode is used by the shell, applications and any parts of the operating system that do not need direct access to the hardware

A

describe the

user mode

of a processor

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24
Q

this can run in:

  • user mode
  • kernel mode
A

what are the two modes that a processor can run in

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25
yes In principle it is possible to replace a shell with an alternative (either another graphical user interface or a command-line interface) that is still supported by the core functions of the operating system. (open university)
in principle could you replace the shell with your own alternative
26
when a user is interacting with an application program is the shell still handling data
no in this situation the application program will handle any data received from the core operating system functions and will be able to issue commands directly to the core operating system functions _note_ remember application programs have the same access to the core operating system functions as the shell does
27
name 3 tasks the **shell** offers to the end user
this has the specific tasks of: * providing the user with an interface to the operating system * allowing the user to handle file management * allowing the user to install and execute additional applicatio programs
28
in regards to the operating system what would a **software developer** interest be
in this situation this type of stakeholder would be interested in how the operating system handles hardware (such as multitasking) or what fuctionality from hardware it offers to the stakeholder
29
without the operating sytem handling this there is a risk that an application could: * Use too many resources * Overwrite another applications data * Cause damage to the hardware
what are 3 dangers of not having the operating sytem handle ## Footnote **multitasking**
30
name 4 functions that could be used to ## Footnote **define what an operating system is**
to be called this it would be able to: ## Footnote 1. **provide a user interface to load and run program** for example digital bathroom scales do not have an operating system installed and run only a single program, there is no interface that allows the loading or running of additional programs 2. **manage the storage of data and programs** the operating system can save your data to a drive whilst also providing various interfaces to do so such as the gui or command prompt 3. **support multitasking** operating systems can manage how hardware is used and in doing so can share the hardware resources between multiple running apps or services 4. **achieve device independence** the operating system allows for device independence meaning a variety of different hardware such as different keyboards can be used with a variety of application software with no compatibility problems
31
in regards to the operating system what would a **hardware developer** interest be
in this situation this type of stakeholder would have interest in how the operating system will interact with newly designed hardware
32
describe what an **application program** is
these are usually thought of as software that is not part of the operating system and has been installed by the user at a later date
33
except for the shell and the hardware what else can intercat directly with the ## Footnote **core operating system functions**
just like the shell application programs have the same access to this
34
in 3 points describe the ## Footnote **core operating system functions**
this * passes data between the (shell and application programs) and the hardware * executes commands on the hardware * is made up of many subsystems, each able to carry out its specific task
35
describe the **kernel mode** of a processor
this mode is used strictly by the operating system. Accessing key data structures and the hardware is only possible when running in this mode
36
in regards to the operating system what would an **end users** interest be
in this situation this type of stakeholder would have interest in ease of use
37
what is the **shell** within an operating system
this is essentially an application or part of the operating system that runs on top of the core operating system.
38
for a **software developer** what benefit does hardware independence / device independence have
for this stakeholder hardware independence / device independence means that: they can create one version of there application for the targeted operating system instead of creating variants that take into account different types of hardware and having to implement low level code to interact with that hardware
39
this is essentially an application or part of the operating system that runs on top of the core operating system.
what is the **shell** within an operating system
40
these are usually thought of as software that is not part of the operating system and has been installed by the user at a later date
describe what an **application program** is
41
what are 3 dangers of not having the operating sytem handle ## Footnote **multitasking**
without the operating sytem handling this there is a risk that an application could: * Use too many resources * Overwrite another applications data * Cause damage to the hardware
42
this performs the role of interpreting user input and passing the relevant command to the core operating system _note_ this itself does not carry out any execution on hardware
what is the role of a **shell** within an operating system
43
Examples of resources being shared by the operating system are: 1. Applications being provided their own window on the display so that the display can be shared by multiple applications 2. Providing each application with their own exclusive space in memory that it can access and use via the operating system
regarding the display and memory give an example for each of how the operating sytem shares these between multiple applications
44
what does the **shell** provide
this provides an interface for the user to interact with the operating system
45
in this situation this type of stakeholder would have interest in how the operating system will interact with newly designed hardware
in regards to the operating system what would a **hardware developer** interest be
46
how does an operating system allow for ## Footnote **hardware independence / device independence**
an operating system enables this by being the only means that hardware and softawre can communicate this in turn means that * hardware can be made specific to the operating system and does not have to worry about a variety of different software * software can be made specific to the operating system and does not need to worry about a variety of different hardware
47
in this situation this type of stakeholder would be interested in how the operating system handles hardware (such as multitasking) or what fuctionality from hardware it offers to the stakeholder
in regards to the operating system what would a **software developer** interest be
48
an operating system enables this by being the only means that hardware and softawre can communicate this in turn means that * hardware can be made specific to the operating system and does not have to worry about a variety of different software * software can be made specific to the operating system and does not need to worry about a variety of different hardware
how does an operating system allow for ## Footnote **hardware independence / device independence**
49
how is it ensured that only the operating system communicates with the hardware
this is ensured by allowing only the operating sytem to run in kernel mode
50
how does a user interact with a ## Footnote **shell**
a user can interact with this either through a * Graphical User Interface (GUI) * Command Line Interface (CLI) either interface may be chosen to carry out the same tasks although they both come with advantages and disadvantages
51
with these factors in place this now looks as follows
taking into account the **layers of the operating sytem** and the **user and kernel mode of the processor** describe how the **layered hierarchy of an operating** sytem will look
52
this provides an interface for the user to interact with the operating system
what does the **shell** provide
53
this has the specific tasks of: * providing the user with an interface to the operating system * allowing the user to handle file management * allowing the user to install and execute additional applicatio programs
name 3 tasks the **shell** offers to the end user
54
describe the **user mode** of a processor
this mode is used by the shell, applications and any parts of the operating system that do not need direct access to the hardware
55
in principle could you replace the shell with your own alternative
yes In principle it is possible to replace a shell with an alternative (either another graphical user interface or a command-line interface) that is still supported by the core functions of the operating system. (open university)
56
what are the two modes that a processor can run in
this can run in: * user mode * kernel mode
57
this allows multiple applications to run at the same time while sharing hardware resources
what does **multitasking** by the operating sytem allow
58
for this stakeholder hardware independence / device independence means that they do not need to worry about whether a new piece of hardware will work with there current software or vice versa
for an **end user** what benefit does hardware independence / device independence have
59
what does **multitasking** by the operating sytem allow
this allows multiple applications to run at the same time while sharing hardware resources
60
who essentially ## Footnote **determines the success of an operating system**
this is determined by stakeholders such as: * end users * software developers * hardware / periphial developers
61
these sit on the top layer of the operating system with the shell they have direct access to the core operating system functions just as the shell does
where within the layers of the operating system do **application programs** reside
62
describe what a **utility program** is
These programs sit alongside the shell and application programs and are installed at the same time as the operating system but are not technically part of the operating system itself. they can facilitate in actions such as providing simple text editors or providing a means to configure and monitor the operating system.
63
how is ## Footnote **data passed between the layers of an operating system**
data is passed up and down the layers layers that are not next to each other must communicate through the layers that seperate them
64
describe ## Footnote **hardware independence / device independence**
these terms mean that any software will run regardless of what hardware is being used and any hardware will function correctly regardless of the software
65
describe in 2 points ## Footnote **hardware and the data it receives and sends**
this: * detects user input and passes it to the core operating system functions * receives commands from the core operating system
66
data is passed up and down the layers layers that are not next to each other must communicate through the layers that seperate them
how is ## Footnote **data passed between the layers of an operating system**
67
what are the 3 ## Footnote **layers of an operating system**
these comprise of: 1. shell 2. core operating system functions 3. hardware
68
these terms mean that any software will run regardless of what hardware is being used and any hardware will function correctly regardless of the software
describe ## Footnote **hardware independence / device independence**

TM129: Operating systems (19 decks)

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