Chapter 8Chapter 8Operating Systems and Operating Systems and

Utility ProgramsUtility Programs

By: James Granahan

Objectives• Identify the types of system software• Summarize the startup process• Describe the function of an operating system• Discuss ways that some operating systems help• Explain the purpose of the utilities included

with most operating systems• Summarize the features of several stand-alone

operating systems• Identify devices that use operating systems• Explain the purpose of several stand-alone

utility programs

System Software• System softwareSystem software consists of the programs that

control or maintain the operations of the computer and its devices.

• System software serves as the interface between the user, the application software, and the computer’s hardware.

Operating Systems• An operating operating

system (OS)system (OS) is a set of programs containing instructions that coordinate all the activities among computer hardware resources.

• In most cases, the operating system is installed and resides on the computer’s hard disk.

Some Functions of an Operating System

• Starting a Computer– Booting is the process of starting or

restarting a computer.• Cold Boot• Warm Boot

Recovery Disk

• A boot drive is the drive from which your personal computer boots (starts).– In most cases, the C drive is the boot

drive.

• A recovery disk, also called a boot disk, is a floppy, Zip disk, CD, or DVD that contains a few system files that will start that computer.

Providing a User Interface

• Command-Line Interface– A user types commands or presses

special keys on the keyboard to enter data and instructions.

• Menu-Driven Interface– Provides menus as a means of

entering commands.

• Graphical User Interface (GUI)

Managing Programs

• Single user/single tasking operating system

• Single user/ multitasking operating system– Foreground– Background

Managing Memory• The purpose of a

memory manager is to optimize the use of random access memory.

• Virtual memory is a portion of a storage medium that the operating system allocates to function as additional RAM.

               

Scheduling Jobs

• Job• Buffer• Spooling• Queue

Configuring Devices

• A driver, short for device driver, is a small program that tells the operating system how to communicate with a specific device.

• Plug and Play is when the operating system automatically configures new devices as you install them.

Monitoring Performance

• A performance monitor is a program that assesses and reports information about various computer resources and devices.

• A network operating system, or network OS, is an operating system that organizes and coordinates how multiple users access and share resources on a network.

Security• Log on

– Accessing a computer or a network• User name or User ID

– A unique combination of characters that identifies one specific user.

• Password– A private combination of characters

associated with the user name that allows access to certain computer resources.

Operating Systems

• File Manager– A utility that

performs functions related to file management.

• Image Viewer– A utility that

allows users to display and copy the contents of a graphics file.

Types of Operating Systems

• Stand-alone– Examples- DOS, UNIX, and Linux

• Network– Examples- NetWare, Windows Server

2003, and Solaris

• Embedded– Examples- Windows CE.NET, and Palm

OS

Examples of Stand-Alone Operating Systems

• DOS– Refers to several single user operating

systems developed in the early 1980s for personal computers.

• Windows XP– It is Microsoft's fastest, most reliable

Windows operating system.– It also has three editions- Windows XP Home

Edition, Windows XP Professional, and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.

Stand-Alone Operating Systems

• A stand-alone operating system is a complete operating system that works on a desktop computer, notebook computer, or mobile computing device.

• Some stand-alone operating systems are called client operating systems.

Examples continued

• Mac OS X– It is a multitasking operating system

available only for computers manufactured by Apple.

• OS/2 Warp Client• Unix• Linux

– It is a popular multitasking UNIX—type operating system.

Network Operating Systems

• Netware• Windows Server

2003– It is an upgrade of

Windows 2000 Server.

• OS/2 Warp Server for e-business

• UNIX

• Linux• Solaris

– It is a version of UNIX developed by Sun Microsystems.

Embedded Operating Systems

• Windows CE.NET• Pocket PC 2002• Palm OS• Symbian OS

Stand-Alone Utility Programs• Antivirus Programs

– Protects a computer against viruses by identifying and removing any computer viruses found in memory, on storage media, or on incoming files.

• Personal Firewalls– A personal firewall

is a utility program that detects and protects a personal computer from unauthorized intrusions.

Summary

• This chapter defined an operating system and then discussed the functions common to most operating systems. It also introduced several utility programs that are commonly found in operating systems. Finally, it talked about stand-alone utility programs and their applications.