Operating System

By
Mr. Parag R. Sali
Lecturer
Department of Computer Technology
SNJB’s Shri. Hiralal Hastimal ( Jain Brothers)
Polytechnic, Chandwad
Program Name: Computer Engineering Group
Program Code : CO/CM/IF/CW
Semester : Fifth
Course Title : Operating System
Course Code : 22516

2.1 Services of Operating System

The specific services provided, of course, differ from one operating system
to another, but we can identify common classes. These operating system
services are provided for the convenience of the programmer, to make the
programming task easier.

Figure shows one view of the various operating-system services and how
they interrelate.
A view of Operating System Services.
One set of operating system services provides functions that are helpful to
the user.
User interface
Almost all operating systems have a user interface (UI). This interface can
take several forms. One is a command-line interface (CLI), which uses text
commands and a method for entering them (say, a keyboard for typing in
commands in a specific format with specific options).
Another is a batch interface, in which commands and directives to control
those commands are entered into files, and those files are executed. Most
commonly, a graphical user interface (GUI) is used. Here, the interface is a
window system with a pointing device to direct I/O, choose from menus, and
make selections and a keyboard to enter text. Some systems provide two or all
three of these variations.
• Program execution. The system must be able to load a program into
memory and to run that program. The program must be able to end its
execution, either normally or abnormally (indicating error).
• I/O operations. A running program may require I/O, which may involve a
file or an I/O device. For specific devices, special functions may be desired
(such as recording to a CD or DVD drive or blanking a display screen). For
efficiency and protection, users usually cannot control I/O devices directly.
Therefore, the operating system must provide a means to do I/O.
• File-system manipulation. The file system is of particular interest.
Obviously, programs need to read and write files and directories. They also
need to create and delete them by name, search for a given file, and list file
information. Finally, some operating systems include permissions
management to allow or deny access to files or directories based on file
ownership. Many operating systems provide a variety of file systems,
sometimes to allow personal choice and sometimes to provide specific features
or performance characteristics.
• Communications. There are many circumstances in which one process
needs to exchange information with another process. Such communication
may occur between processes that are executing on the same computer or
between processes that are executing on different computer systems tied
together by a computer network. Communications may be implemented via
shared memory, in which two or more processes read and write to a shared
section of memory, or message passing, in which packets of information in
predefined formats are moved between processes by the operating system.
• Error detection. The operating system needs to be detecting and
correcting errors constantly. Errors may occur in the CPU and memory
hardware (such as a memory error or a power failure), in I/O devices (such
as a parity error on disk, a connection failure on a network, or lack of paper
in the printer),and in the user program (such as an arithmetic overflow, an
attempt to access an illegal memory location, or a too-great use of CPU
time).
For each type of error, the operating system should take the appropriate
action to ensure correct and consistent computing. Sometimes, it has no
choice but to halt the system. At other times, it might terminate an error-
causing process or return an error code to a process for the process to detect
and possibly correct.
Another set of operating system functions exists not for helping the user
but rather for ensuring the efficient operation of the system itself. Systems
with multiple users can gain efficiency by sharing the computer resources
among the users.
• Resource allocation. When there are multiple users or multiple jobs
running at the same time, resources must be allocated to each of them. The
operating system manages many different types of resources. Some (such as
CPU cycles, main memory, and file storage) may have special allocation
code, whereas others (such as I/O devices) may have much more general
request and release code. For instance, in determining how best to use the
CPU, operating systems have CPU-scheduling routines that take into
account the speed of the CPU, the jobs that must be executed, the number of
registers available, and other factors. There may also be routines to allocate
printers, USB storage drives, and other peripheral devices.
• Accounting. We want to keep track of which users use how much and what
kinds of computer resources. This record keeping may be used for accounting
(so that users can be billed) or simply for accumulating usage statistics. Usage
statistics may be a valuable tool for researchers who wish to reconfigure the
system to improve computing services.
• Protection and security. The owners of information stored in a
multiuser or networked computer system may want to control use of that
information.
When several separate processes execute concurrently, it should not be
possible for one process to interfere with the others or with the operating
system itself. Protection involves ensuring that all access to system
resources is controlled. Security of the system from outsiders is also
important. Such security starts with requiring each user to authenticate
himself or herself to the system, usually by means of a password, to gain
access to system resources. It extends to defending external I/O devices,
including network adapters, from invalid access attempts and to recording
all such connections for detection of break-ins. If a system is to be
protected and secure, precautions must be instituted throughout it. A
chain is only as strong as its weakest link.