Operating System

Brief Description of an Operating System

An Operating System (OS) is the main software that manages a computer’s hardware and software resources. It acts as a bridge between the user and the computer, allowing applications to run smoothly. The OS controls tasks such as memory management, file handling, security, and communication between devices, ensuring the computer operates efficiently and reliably.

Course Outline

Table of Contents

1. Background

• Overview of computer system and operating system
• History of operating systems
• Operating system structure
• Processes, files, system call, the shell
• The Kernel
• Monolithic Kernels
• Micro-kernels

2. Process Management

•  Process description and control
•  Process Interrupts
•  Context Swapping
•  Process scheduling:
•  First Come First Served
•  Round Robin Scheduling
•  Shortest Process Next
•  Shortest Remaining Time
•  Threads, Symmetric Multiprocessing

3. Inter-process Communication & Clock Synchronization

•  Mutual exclusion and critical section
•  Race Conditions
•  Semaphores
•  IPC Problems