Assignment #1

Q1.What is the difference between BIOS and OS?

BIOS: is a type of firmware used to perform hardware initialization during
the booting process (power-on startup) on IBM PC compatible computers, and to
provide runtime services for operating systems and programs. The BIOS firmware is
built into personal computers (PCs), and it is the first software they run when powered
on. Bios reside on EPROM (erasable programmable read only memory)
OS: An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer
hardware and software resources

and

provides

common services for computer

programs. The operating system is a component of the system software in a computer

system. Application programs usually require an operating system to function.
Examples of popular modern operating systems include Android, BlackBerry, BSD,
Chrome OS, is, Linux, OS X,QNX, Steam OS, Microsoft Windows and z/OS. OS
resides on Hardisk.
Q2. What is the difference between a Standalone Operating System and a
Network Operating System?
Network operating System:
Network Operating System runs on a server and provides server the capability to
manage data, users, groups, security, applications, and other networking functions.
The primary purpose of the network operating system is to allow shared file and printer
access among multiple computers in a network, typically a local area network (LAN), a
private network or to other networks.
The advantages of network operating systems are following.
Centralized servers are highly stable.
Security is server managed.

 Upgrades to new technologies and hard wares can be easily integrated into the
system.
Remote access to servers is possible from different locations and types of
systems.
The disadvantages of network operating systems are following.
High cost of buying and running a server.
Dependency on a central location for most operations.
Regular maintenance and updates are required.
Examples of network operating systems are Microsoft Windows Server 2003,
Microsoft Windows Server 2008, UNIX, Linux, Mac OS X, Novell NetWare, and
BSD
Stand Alone OS:
A standalone operating system is complete and works on a notebook or desktop
computer.
The following can all be considered basic criteria for a stand-alone system:

Never exits

Loading into memory

Begins its own execution

Never fully hands over execution

Here are some different stand-alone operating systems:

Linux
Unix
Mac Os X
Windows Vista
Windows 3.1

Windows 95

Q3. What are the major types of Linux distributions? Enlist 5 examples each.
ANS:
Well-known Linux distributions include :
Debian : A non-commercial distribution and one of the earliest, maintained by a
volunteer developer community with a strong commitment to free software principles
and democratic project management
1. gNewSense, a Debian-based distribution composed entirely of free software.
2. Knoppix, the first Live CD distribution to run completely from removable
media without installation to a hard disk, derived from Debian
3. Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE), based directly on Debian's testing suite
4. Kali Linux, a distribution designed for digital forensics and penetration
testing; succeeds BackTrack
5. Ubuntu, a popular desktop and server distribution derived from Debian,
maintained by British company Canonical Ltd.
Fedora: a community distribution sponsored by American company Red Hat.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux, a derivative of Fedora, maintained and

commercially supported by Red Hat
1. CentOS, a distribution derived from the same sources used by Red
Hat, maintained by a dedicated volunteer community of developers
with both 100% Red Hat-compatible versions and an upgraded
version that is not always 100% upstream compatible
2. Oracle Linux, which is a derivative of Red Hat Enterprise Linux,
maintained and commercially supported by Oracle
3. Scientific Linux, a distribution derived from the same sources used
by Red Hat, maintained by Fermilab

Q4:Define each of the following concepts/systems, with examples?

Cluster Computing
Grid Computing
Cloud Computing

ANS: Cluster Computing:

Characteristics of Cluster computing :

1: Tightly coupled systems
2: Single system image
3: Centralized Job management & scheduling system
In cluster computing, a bunch of similar (or identical) computers are
hooked up locally (in the same physical location, directly connected with

very high speed connections) to operate as a single computer

The cluster computers all have the same hardware and OS.
The computers in the cluster are normally contained in a single location or
complex. More than 2 computers are connected to solve a problem
Areas of cluster computing
1. Educational resources
2. Commercial sectors for industrial promotion
3. Medical research
Commodity computers
Size or scalability is 100s
One of the standard OSs (Linux, Windows)

Grid Computing:

Characteristics of Grid Computing

1: Loosely coupled (Decentralization)
2: Diversity and Dynamism
3: Distributed Job Management & scheduling

In grid computing, the computers do not have to be in the same physical

location and can be operated independently. As far as other computers

are concerned each computer on the grid is a distinct computer.

The computers that are part of a grid can run different operating systems
and have different hardware

Grid are inherently distributed by its nature over a LAN, metropolitan or

WAN
A large project is divided among multiple computers to make use of their

resources.
Areas of Grid Computing:
1.Predictive Modeling and Simulations
2.Engineering Design and Automation
3.Energy Resources Exploration
4.Medical, Military and Basic Research
5.Visualization
High-end computers (servers, clusters)
Size or scalability is 1000s
Any standard OS (dominated by Unix)

Cloud Computing:

Characteristic of cloud computing

1: Dynamic computing infrastructure
2: IT service-centric approach
3: Self-service based usage model
4: Minimally or self-managed platform
5: Consumption-based billing

In cloud computing, the computers need not to be in the same physical

location
The memory, storage device and network communication are managed
by the operating system of the basic physical cloud units. Open source
software such as LINUX can support the basic physical unit management

and virtualization computing

Clouds are mainly distributed over MAN
It does just the opposite. It allows multiple smaller applications to run at
the same time
Areas of cloud Computing
1. Banking
2. Insurance
3. Weather Forecasting
4. Space Exploration

5. Software as a service
6. PaaS
7. Infrastructure- as -a-Service
Commodity computers and high-end servers and network attached

storage
Size or scalability is 100s to 1000s
A hypervisor (VM) on which multiple OSs run

Q5:What is virtualization in terms of Operating systems and why we need it?

What are the basic features of virtualization?
ANS: In computing, virtualization refers to the act of creating a virtual (rather than
actual) version of something, including virtual computer hardware platforms, operating
systems, storage devices, and computer network resources.
While most computers only have one operating system installed . virtualization software
allows a computer to run several operating systems at the same time
When another operating system is running on top pf the main system it is called a virtual
machine this is because it acts like a typical computer but is actually running on top of
another operating system virtualization software acts as a layer between a computers
primary os and the virtual os .
we use virtualization because it provides the following advantages:

Run old apps : if we need to run an application that works better in earlier

version than we need virtualization to run it better way.

Access virus infected data : Sometimes we need to open a file that might
contains virus. Therefore most virtualization software includes snapshot
functionality, which means you can create a saved state of the virtual OS and
its entire hard disk . you could create a snapshot in the virtual machine , open
the infected file within the VVM to access the data and , if the virus causes

disorder , simple click to restore the VM snapshot

Virtualization provided safe browsing

Test software upgrades,or new configurations: You could use your virtual
computer to test new software ,updates or even new configurations of software
before you roll them out of real on your main OS.
Backup an Entire Operating system: Because the virtual OS is entirely
contained with in series of files , backing it up is as simple as backing up

any other files.

Create a personal cloud computer: We can access out laptop
environment in mobiles , tablets when out of office and homes with the help
of virtualization.

Features of virtualization:
Flexible: Your virtual servers must be flexible. you should be able to configure
and reconfigure to meet your growing and changing needs.
Scalable: Scalability is an important characteristic of virtualization. You should be
able to scale up or down as necessary to facilitate your companys growth and
expansion.
Efficient: If virtualization isnt saving your company money then it isnt succeeding

for you,
Secure: Your virtual servers should be as secure as the physical servers they

replaced
Accessible: Finally your virtual servers should be accessible to everyone who

has a need to use them.

Partitioning: In virtualization, many applications and operating systems are
supported in a single physical system by partitioning, separating the available

resources.
Isolation: Each virtual machine is isolated from its host physical system and other
virtualized machines because of this isolation, if one virtual instance crashes. It

doesnt affect the other virtual machines.

Encapsulation: A virtual machine can be represented as a single file so you can
identify it easily based on the service it provides.
REFERENCES:

[1].http://www.ijarcce.com/upload/2014/march/IJARCCE9B%20%20a%20%20anjan
%20A%20Comparative%20Analysis%20Grid%20Cluster%20and%20Cloud
%20Computing.pdf
[2].https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system
[3].http://www.vm.ibm.com/education/basics/j0vbasic.html
[4].http://www.techiwarehouse.com/engine/b00fab42/Understanding-VirtualizationConcepts