Functions of an Operating System
Functions of an Operating System
An
operating system software performs the following functions:
Process management: An instance of a running program in execution
or a program in execution is called a process. Process management means
managing or allocation of the process(es) to a processor that is the CPU. It
helps OS to create and delete processes and provide mechanism for
synchronization and communication among processes. There can be many processes
running in the same program. This feature of multi-programming or multi-tasking
is managed by the operating system. It interprets user commands and directs the
system resources to process that commands or handle the requests.
File management: It manages all the filerelated activities such
as storage, retrieval, naming, sharing and protection of files. It is
responsible for storing the data at an apt location. It also governs the
storage and retrieval of data from/to an external storage device.
Device (I/0) Management: It keeps track of
all the devices and also allocates and de-allocates the devices. It manages
device communication via its drives.
User Interface: OS is the communication medium between the user
and the computer system by providing the user interface.
Memory management: It performs the task of allocation and
de-allocation of memory space to programs. It ensures that the instructions and
temporary data has enough space in primary storage or cache so that a running
program can access it.
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Operating system is also known as the resource manager
because it manages all the resources attached to the system. Resource include
memory, all the input output devices are attached to the
system. The program of the OS that performs the task of
keeping the track of processes and allocating and de-allocating the CPU to them
is known as traffic controller.
The part of the OS that keeps track of all the devices is
known as I/O controller.
Operating System - Kernel and Shell
The kernel is the central component of a
computer operating systems. The only job performed by the kernel is to the
manage the communication between the software and the hardware. It is the first
program that is loaded into protected memory area during the booting process.
It remains present in memory till the system power is on. It uses space to
manage all the working of a system like process management, memory management device management 10
management and the user using space for running a program.
A kernel
is at the nucleus of a computer and makes the communication between the
hardware and software possible. It can be considered as the function manager
for OS process. Its controls and manages all the primary tasks of OS.
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OS is system software and kernel is its part that manages all
processes and devices.
Functions of Kernel
Kernel
provides virtual and physical memory to processes for completing the execution.
If a process requires more memory than required on physical memory, then it
provides virtual space on hard disk for storing the operation. This concept is
known virtual mapping.
When a
program needs data, which is not currently present in RAM, the CPU asks the
kernel. The kernel responds to CPU by creating a space for required data and
writing the data requested by the program. This scheme is known as demand
paging.
Kernel
acts as a scheduler for processes during execution. A single process can
be executed by the processor at a time. It allocates the processor to one of
the programs from the list of the running application.
Kernel
controls the peripheral devices through device drivers.
Device
driver is the program that help the operating system to interact with hardware
devices. It provides an interface to communicate with peripheral devices like
printer, scanner, modems, keyboard, mouse etc. When you purchase an operating
system, device drivers are built into the product. Device drivers detect the
installed devices and search for the device drivers when the system gets
started. It translates the operating system 'function calls' into
'device-specific calls. Drivers as hardware dependent and operating system
specific.
The
kernel handles many operations using a different mechanism. While the Kernel is
the innermost part of an operating system, a shell is the outermost one.
Shell
interacts with the user and acts as an interpreter. It translates the
instructions into machine language and forwards the translated command to the
Kernel to get it done.
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More
Cortana
is similar to Google Now and Siri. Cortana can provide direct answers without
loading a search page for 10 different types of questions. Its feature called
Cortana Assist can scan a webpage. It then highlights relevant information,
such as a phone number or address of a restaurant.
Ubuntu is a free and open-source. Ubuntu is officially
released in three editions: Desktop, Server and Core. Ubuntu is a popular
operating system for cloud computing. It runs from the desktop, to the cloud,
to all your internet connected things.
Christopher Latham Sholes an American invented the QWERTY
keyboard (typewrite ), in 1869.
Douglas
C. Engelbart invented the computer mouse in 1964.
The
idea of a touch screen was first described and published by E.A. Johnson in
1965.
Light
pens were originally developed in the late 1950s; they became more commonly
used with graphics terminals.
Keyboard
Shortcut
· To open a new window
of File Explorer from anywhere in Windows, press Windows key + E
·
To
show or hide the Preview pane, press Alt + P.
·
To
show or hide the Details pane, press Alt + Shift + P
·
To
go back one folder in your history, press Alt + left arrow key.
·
To
go up one folder in the folder tree, press Alt + up arrow key.
·
To
open a new File Explorer window, press Ctrl + N.
·
To
activate the Search bar Ctrl + E.
·
To
create a new folder in the current folder Ctrl + Shift + N.
So, that’s it for today guys.
In next Blog we Will
Know types of Operating System.
Thank
You!!
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