Operating System Architecture

Oversee

operation of computer Store and retrieve files Schedule programs for execution Coordinate the execution of programs

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 To

understand the composition of a typical operating system we need to first consider the complete spectrum of software found within a typical computer system. Then we will concentrate on the operating system itself.

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 Microsoft

Windows operating systems

Group of programs called Accessories and Administrative Tools. These are called application and utility classes.

Machine

software categories:

Application Software System Software

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System Software categories:

Operating System Utility Software

Consists of software units collectively. Extends the capabilities of the operating system. Example:

Copying a files from a magnetic disk to a CD is not often implemented on the operating system itself instead is provided by means of a utility program.

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Software

Application

System

Utility

Operating System

User Interface
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Kernel

 User

interface:

The portion of operating system that handles the communication with the user. Older user interfaces, called shells. They communicated through textual messages using keyboard and monitor screens. Modern systems perform this task by means of graphical user interface(GUI)- objects to be manipulated are represented through icons. E.g touch screens, mouse clicks etc

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Although user interface plays an important role in establishing a machines functionality, it is just a framework which acts as an intermediary between the computers user and the real heart of the operating system.

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User

User

Kernel
User interface

User

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An important component within todays GUI shells is the window manager It allocates blocks of space on the screen, called window and keeps track of which application is associated with each window. When an application wants to display something on the screen it notifies the window manager and the window manager places the image in the window assigned to the application. Responsible for the style of the GUI and most of them offer a range of configurable choices.
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 Internal

part of the operating system is called the kernel.

It contains those software components that perform the very basic functions required by the computer installation. One such unit is the file manager, whose job is to coordinate the use of machines mass storage facilities. It maintains records of all files stored in the mass storage including:

Location of files. Which users can access various files Portion available for new or extension of old files
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 For

convenience of the machine users, most file managers allow files to be grouped into a bundle called a directory or folder. A chain of directories within directories is called directory path.

E.g. animals/prehistoric/dinosaurs

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 Another

component of kernel consists of a collection of device drivers,

Which are the software units that communicate with the controller to carry out operations on the peripheral devices attached to the computer. Each device driver is uniquely designed for its particular devices e.g. printer, disk driver etc. It translates generic requests into the more technical steps required by the device assigned to the driver.

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 Another

component of the operating systems kernel is the memory manager

It is charged with the task of coordinating the machines use of main memory. Paging

Rotating programs back and forth in the main memory to create the illusion of additional space. Used when total main memory space required exceeds the space actually available in the computer. Fictional memory space created by paging is called virtual memory.

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 Two

additional components within the kernel of the operating system are:

Scheduler: determines which activities are to be considered for execution Dispatcher: controls the allocation of the time of these activities.

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