Lecture 2

Operating system Variations

•Single-user systems
• Multi-user- System
• Batch Systems
• Multi Programmed Systems
• Time Sharing Systems
• Real Time Systems
Single User Operating
System
 Single User System

DOS
A single-user OS is a type of operating system (OS)
that is developed and intended for use on a
computer or similar machine that will only have a
single user at any given time.
This is the most common type of OS used on a home
computer, as well as on computers in offices and
other work environments.
2 Types
• Single user, single application operating systems
• Single user, multi tasking operating systems
 Single User Systems
Though this OS can be connected to other systems through a
network, it is still truly only used by a single person and is
different than a multi-user OS.

A single-user operating system that is a single task system is

developed for use with a computer or electronic device that will
only run one application at a time. This type of OS is typically
used on devices like wireless phones and two-way messaging
devices. A single task operating system can only run one
program or application at a time, and so it is not as useful for a
computer or other device intended to run multiple programs at
once.
Single User Multi Tasking Systems

• You will find this kind of operating system on a personal

computer.

• The operating system is designed mainly with a single

user in mind, but it can deal with many applications
running at the same time.

• For example, you might be writing an essay, while

searching the internet, downloading a video file and also
listening to a piece of music.
Single User Multi Tasking Systems
Example operating systems are
• Windows
• Linux
• Mac OS X

The memory available is also very different, for example

it is quite normal to have Gigabytes of RAM available on a
personal computer which is what allows so many
applications to run.
Multi User Operating
System
 Multi User Systems
A multi-user operating system allows many different users
to take advantage of the computer’s resources
simultaneously.

The operating system must make sure that the

requirements of the various users are balanced, and that
each of the programs they are using has sufficient and
separate resources so that a problem with one user
doesn’t affect the entire community of users. Unix,
VMS(Virtual memory based) and mainframe operating
systems are examples of multi-user operating systems. 
 Multi User Systems
A multi-user operating system lets more than one user
access the computer system at one time.
Access to the computer system is normally provided
via a network, so that users access the computer
remotely using a terminal or other computer. 
These terminals nowadays are generally personal
computers and use a network to send and receive
information to the multi-user computer system.
Examples of multi-user operating systems are UNIX
and mainframes such as the IBM AS400. 
IBM AS 400
 Multi User Systems

The multi user operating systems must manage and run all user
requests, ensuring they do not interfere with each other. Devices which
can only be used by one user at a time, like printers and disks must be
shared amongst all those requesting them so that all the output
documents are not jumbled up.
It is similar to a situation where in you are waiting for your turn in a
ticket counter to get a ticket. The ticket issuer issues the ticket when
your turn comes. Here also all the printing jobs wait in a queue and
jobs are printed one after the other. Some priority can also be set to
some jobs so that they can be taken up early according to some
priority. 
Multi Programming
Operating System
 Multi Programming

Figure: Illustration of Multi Programming Concepts

 Multi Programming

Figure illustrates the concept of multiprogramming by using an

example system with two processes, P1 and P2. The CPU is switched
from P1 to P2 when P1 finishes its CPU burst and needs to wait for an
event, and vice versa when P2 finishes it CPU burst and has to wait for
an event.
This means that when one process is using the CPU, the other is
waiting for an event (such as I/O to complete). This increases the
utilization of the CPU and I/O devices as well as throughput of the
system.
Batch Operating System
 Batch Processing System
In these kinds of systems the user feeds his job into the computer and
waits for the completion of his job. New job can not be started until the
old job is not completed. Thus the jobs required to be process are kept
in ready state and whenever one job is completed the next job is
automatically taken and executed.
Early computers were large machines run from a console with card
readers and tape drives as input devices and line printers, tape drives,
and card punches as output devices. The user did not interact directly
with the system; instead the user prepared a job, (which consisted of
the program, data, and some control information about the nature of
the job in the form of control cards) and submitted this to the computer
operator.
 Batch Processing

At some later time the output was generated by the system.

User didn’t get to interact with his/her job.
To speed up processing, operators batched together jobs with similar
needs, and ran them through the computer as a group. For example,
all FORTRAN programs were complied one after the other. The major
task of such an operating system was to transfer control automatically
from one job to the next. In this execution environment, the CPU is
often idle because the speeds of the mechanical I/O devices such as a
tape drive are slower than that of electronic devices. Such systems in
which the user does not get to interact with his/her jobs and jobs with
similar needs are executed in a “batch”, one after the other, are known
as batch systems.
 Batch Processing

• A stock control program may store

records of every item sold in a shop
that day. Then, at the end of each
day it calculates what needs to be
ordered.
• An online competition stores all
the entries until it’s time to find the winner.
Time Sharing Operating
System
 Time Sharing Systems
•A time-sharing system is multi-user, multi-process, and
interactive system. This means that it allows multiple users to
use the computer simultaneously. A user can run one or more
processes at the same time and interact with his/her processes.
• A time-shared system uses multiprogramming and CPU
scheduling to provide each user with a small portion of a time-
shared computer. Each user has at least one separate program
in memory. To obtain a reasonable response time, jobs may
have to be swapped in and out of main memory. UNIX, Linux,
and Windows 2000 server are timesharing systems.
Real Time Operating
System
 Real Time Systems
Real time processing is usually found in systems which use
computer control.
This processing method is used when it is essential that the
input request is dealt with quickly enough so as to be able to
control an output properly.
For example, the computer inside the Engine Control Unit in a
car has to manage the engine at every moment based on what
the driver wants to do.
Real time processing has to be programmed very carefully to
ensure that no input events are missed
Types of RTOS

 Hard real time O/S

Missile control system

 Soft real time O/S

Banking system
 Real Time Systems
Examples:
• Traffic lights
• Heart rate monitoring
• Aircraft control
• Computer games
• Controlling robots