Operating Systems

• What is one function of an operating system?

  Memory management
• What does an operating system provide for users?

  A user interface
• How does an operating system manage hardware?

  By managing hardware/peripherals
• What does an operating system manage regarding CPU usage?

  Handles interrupts
• Why is security provided by an operating system?

  To protect data and processes
• What platform does an operating system provide?

  To run other software
• What utilities does an operating system provide?

  Utilities for system maintenance
• What is the purpose of operating systems in resource management?

  To control hardware through software
• How does an operating system facilitate user communication with hardware?

  By providing a user interface
• What is the difference between paging and segmentation in memory management?

  Paging uses fixed sizes, segmentation uses variable sizes
• What is virtual memory?

  Use of backing store as additional memory
• How does virtual memory help with large programs?

  It frees up space in RAM
• What is the purpose of an interrupt?

  To alert the processor for attention
• How is an interrupt detected during the fetch-execute cycle?

  By checking the interrupt register
• What happens when an interrupt service routine (ISR) is serviced?

  Registers are saved and ISR is executed
• What steps are needed to resume a previous process after an interrupt?

  Restore registers and check for further interrupts
• What is the purpose of scheduling in an operating system?

  To ensure all jobs are processed efficiently
• What is Round Robin scheduling?

  Each process gets a fixed time slice
• What is the main characteristic of a multi-tasking OS?

  Allows multiple tasks to run simultaneously
• What is a real-time OS?

  Responds within a guaranteed time frame
• What does the BIOS do during booting?

  Loads settings and initializes hardware
• What is a virtual machine?

  A software that behaves like a computer
• How does intermediate code improve portability?

  It can run on various devices using an interpreter
• What are the advantages of using virtual machines for testing?

  They save time and maximize profits
• What is the old definition of a virtual machine?

  A theoretical computer for running translators