(2019 make up)

1.define process?
A process in an operating system is an instance of a program that is being executed, which includes the
program code and its current activity.
2. why worst fit is better than best fit ?
Best-fit tends to produce more external fragmentation, while worst-fit tends to produce more internal
fragmentation. Additionally, best-fit can be faster if the requests are small and the free blocks are large,
while worst-fit can be faster if the requests are large and the free blocks are small.
3. what might be the contents of PCB?
The Process Control Block (PCB) contains process-related information including the process ID, state,
CPU registers, memory management information, scheduling information, and I/O status.
4. define the process scheduling mechanism of an OS?
The process scheduling mechanism manages the execution order of processes by assigning CPU time
based on scheduling algorithms to optimize performance and resource utilization.
5. What is Semaphore?
A semaphore is a synchronization tool used to manage access to shared resources by multiple
processes, preventing race conditions.
6. What is paging?
Paging is a memory management scheme that eliminates the need for contiguous allocation of
physical memory by dividing memory into fixed-sized pages and mapping them to physical frames.
7. What is bit vector?
A bit vector is a compact array of bits where each bit represents the status (e.g., free or allocated) of a
resource, such as memory blocks or disk sectors.
9. What do you mean by I/O optimization?
I/O optimization refers to enhancing the efficiency of input/output operations to minimize delays and
maximize throughput of data between the computer and external devices.
10. What are the advantage of IPC?
Interprocess communication (IPC) facilitates data sharing and communication between processes,
enabling collaboration and resource sharing in operating systems.
(2018 make up)
1. What are the use of FORK and JOIN system call?
The FORK system call creates a new process by duplicating the existing process, while the JOIN system
call waits for a child process to terminate and collects its exit status.
2. List any two criteria for CPU scheduling?
 CPU Utilization: Maximizing CPU usage to ensure efficient processing of tasks.
 Throughput: Maximizing the number of processes completed per unit of time.

3. What do you mean by mutual exclusion?

Mutual exclusion ensures that only one process at a time can access a shared resource to prevent
conflicts and maintain data integrity.

4. Define page Fault?

A page fault occurs when a requested memory page isn't currently in physical memory and must be
retrieved from secondary storage.

5. between segmentation and paging.

Segmentation divides memory into variable-sized segments for logical organization, while paging
divides memory into fixed-sized blocks to manage physical memory efficiently.
6. List various file system allocation methods.
1. **Contiguous Allocation**: Files are allocated contiguous blocks on disk.
2. **Linked Allocation**: Each file is a linked list of disk blocks.
3. **Indexed Allocation**: Each file has an index block containing pointers to its blocks on disk.
4. **Multi-level Index Allocation**: Extension of indexed allocation using multi-level indexing for large
files.

7.Differentiate between authentication and an authorization.

Authentication verifies a user's identity, while authorization determines what actions or resources that
authenticated user is allowed to access.

8.Differentiate between serial notes and parallel communication.

Serial notes involve sequential execution of tasks where each task waits for the previous one to
complete, while parallel communication allows tasks to execute concurrently, often enabling faster
processing in operating systems.

9.Define Direct Memory Access (DMA).

Direct Memory Access (DMA) is a feature of computer systems that allows hardware components to
transfer data to and from memory without involving the CPU, thereby improving efficiency and
performance.
(2018)
1.What do you mean by a resource in terms of operating system?
In operating systems, a resource refers to any entity that can be allocated or managed, such as CPU
time, memory, files, or network connections, critical for executing processes or tasks.

2. Differentiate between process and thread.

A process is an instance of a program with its own memory space, while a thread is a lightweight
process that shares memory and resources of its parent process.

3. Differentiate between voluntary and involuntary CPU sharing.

Voluntary CPU sharing occurs when processes give up the CPU voluntarily, while involuntary sharing
happens when the operating system preempts a process to allocate CPU time to another process.

4. What is the role of Process scheduler?

The process scheduler determines which processes are executed and when, managing the allocation of
CPU time efficiently.

5. What do you mean by context switching?

Context switching refers to the process of saving and restoring the state of a CPU so that multiple
processes can share a single CPU resource efficiently.

6. Define mutual exclusion.

Mutual exclusion ensures that only one process at a time can access a shared resource to prevent
conflicts and ensure consistency.

7. What are the basic requirements of primary memory?

Primary memory requires fast access times, volatility (ability to be quickly read and written), and direct
interaction with the CPU for efficient processing.
8. Differentiate between sequential file access and random file access.
Sequential file access involves reading or writing data in a linear manner from the beginning to the end
of a file, while random file access allows data to be read or written in any order within the file using
direct access methods.

9. Differentiate between security policy and security mechanism.

A security policy defines rules and guidelines for protecting resources, while a security mechanism
implements specific methods or technologies to enforce those rules and guidelines in an operating
system.

10. Differentiate between interrupt driven I/O and polling.

Interrupt-driven I/O relies on hardware interrupts to notify the CPU of I/O events, allowing it to handle
other tasks until interrupted, whereas polling involves the CPU continually checking the status of devices
to determine if data is ready, which can waste CPU cycles.

(2023)

1. What might be the behavior of Round Robin algorithm, if its quantum is too large?
If the quantum is too large, the Round Robin algorithm behaves like a First-Come, First-Served (FCFS)
algorithm, leading to poor response time for shorter tasks.

2. What are the two ways to terminate a process?

A process can be terminated either voluntarily by the process itself (e.g., by calling exit) or involuntarily
by the operating system (e.g., via a kill command).

3. Define time sharing.

Time sharing is a method that allows multiple users or processes to share system resources
simultaneously by rapidly switching between them.

4. Why do we need virtual memory?

Virtual memory allows to use disk space as additional RAM, enabling efficient management of memory
resources and the execution of larger programs than physically possible with available RAM alone.

5. When a system is said to be deadlocked?

A system is said to be deadlocked when two or more processes are unable to proceed because each is
waiting for one of the others to release a resource.

6. What is the problem of preemptive scheduling?

A system is said to be deadlocked when a set of processes are stuck in a state where each process is
waiting for a resource that another process in the set is holding, causing all of them to wait indefinitely.
7. Differentiate between page and frame.
In operating systems, a page is a fixed-length contiguous block of virtual memory, while a frame is a
fixed-length block of physical memory that holds a page.

8. List the different attributes of file protection.

File protection attributes typically include read, write, execute permissions, ownership, access control
lists (ACLs), and encryption.
10. Define device driver.
A device driver is software that allows the operating system to communicate with hardware devices.
2017
i. List the operating system services.
Operating system services include process management, memory management, file system
management, and device management.
ii. Define threads.
Threads in operating systems are lightweight processes that share resources and execute
independently within a larger process context.
iii. How segmentation results in external fragmentation?
Segmentation results in external fragmentation because it allocates memory in variable-sized blocks,
leaving unused space between allocated segments.

iv. What is a process control block?

A process control block (PCB) is a data structure containing information about a running process in an
operating system, essential for process management.
V. What is priority scheduling?
Priority scheduling assigns priority levels to tasks, where higher priority tasks are executed before lower
priority ones.

vi. Define critical section.

A critical section is a part of a program where shared resources are accessed, requiring synchronization
to prevent concurrent access issues.
vii. List fix-partition strategies of memory allocation.
Here are some fixed-partition strategies for memory allocation:
1. Equal-size partitions: Divides memory into fixed-size blocks for allocation.
2. Variable-size partitions: Allows partitions of different sizes to accommodate varying memory
requirements.

viii. Define disk transfer time.

Disk transfer time refers to the time required to read or write data between a computer's disk storage
and its memory or processing unit.

ix. What do you mean by direct memory access?

Direct memory access (DMA) allows hardware components to transfer data to and from memory
without involving the CPU, speeding up data transfer operations.

Χ. Why disk formatting is necessary?

Disk formatting prepares a storage device for data storage by creating a file system and initializing
necessary data structures.