An operating system or OS, is a software program that enables the computer hardware to communicate and operate with the

computer software. Without a computer operating system, a computer and software programs would be useless. An operating system is a program designed to run other programs on a computer. A computers operating system is its most important program. It is considered the backbone of a computer, managing both software and hardware resources. Operating systems Amultiprocessing operating system allows a program to run on more than one central processing unit (CPU) at a time. This can come in very handy in some work environments, at schools, and even for some home-computing situations. Multitasking operating systems work a little differently; they make it possible to run more than one program at a time. Multithreading operating systems are even more different, allowing varied parts of one program to be used simultaneously. Real-time operating systems are designed to allow computers to process and respond to input instantly. Usually, general-purpose operating systems, such as disk operating system(DOS), are not considered real time, as they may require seconds or minutes to respond to input. Real-time operating systems are typically used when computers must react to the consistent input of information without delay. For example, realtime operating systems may be used in navigation. Todays operating systems tend to have graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that employ pointing devices for input. A mouse is an example of such a pointing device, as is a stylus. Commonly used operating systems for IBMcompatible personal computers include Microsoft Windows,Linux, and Unix variations. For Macintosh computers, Mac OS X, Linux, BSD, and some Windows variants are commonly used. An operating system is a software component that acts as the core of a computer system. It performs various functions and is essentially the interface that connects your computer and its supported components. In this article, we will discuss the basic functions of the operating system, along with security concerns for the most popular types. Also learn more about driver updates. Basic Operation Drivers play a major role in the operating system. A driver is a program designed to comprehend the functions of a particular device installed on the system. A driver enables the operation of numerous devices, including your mouse, keyboard printer, video card and CD-ROM drive by translating commands from the operating system or the user into commands understood by the associated component.

are responsible for everything from the control and allocation of memory to recognizing input from external devices and transmitting output to computer displays. They also manage files on computer hard drives and control peripherals, like printers and scanners. The operating system of a large computer system has even more work to do. Such operatingsystems monitor different programs and users, making sure everything runs smoothly, without interference, despite the fact that numerous devices and programs are used simultaneously. An operating system also has a vital It also translates responses from the component back to the operating system, software application or user. The operating system performs other functions with system utilities that monitor performance, debug errors and maintain the system. It also includes a set of libraries often used by applications to perform tasks to enable direct interaction with system components. These common functions run seamlessly and are transparent to most users. Security Concerns The fact that an operating system is computer software makes it prone to error just as any human creation. Programmers make mistakes, and inefficient code is often implemented into programs even after testing. Some developers perform more thorough testing and generally produce more efficient software. Therefore, some operating systems and more error prone while others are more secure. Here are some common security issues that pose a threat to all operating systems: Instabilities and Crashes - Both of these instances may be the result of software bugs in the operating system. Bugs in software applications on the computer may also cause problems, such as preventing the system from communicating with hardware devices. They can even cause the system to become unstable or crash. A system crash consists of freezing and becoming unresponsive to point where the machine needs to be rebooted. These issues vary depending on the type of operating system. Flaws - Software bugs will not only make a system unstable, but also leave it wide open to unauthorized users. Once these vulnerabilities are discovered, attackers can exploit them and gain access to your system. From there, they can install malware, launch attacks on other machines or even take complete control of your system. Software developers usually distribute security patches rather quickly to update the operating system and fix the vulnerabilities. Types of Operating Systems There are several types of operating systems, with Windows, Linux and Macintosh suites being the most widely

role to play in security. Its job includes preventing unauthorized users from accessing the computer system. There are multiuser, multiprocessing, multitasking, multithreading, and realtime operatingsystems. A multiuser operating system enables multiple users to run programs simultaneously. This type of operating system may be used for just a few people or hundreds of them. In fact, there are some operating systems that are used to allow thousands of people to run programs at the same time. used. Here is an overview on each system: Windows: Windows is the popular Microsoft brand preferred by most personal users. This system has come a long way from version 1.0 all the way up to the new Vista and soon to be released Windows 7. Although Windows has made strides in regard to security, it has a reputation for being one of the most vulnerable systems. Unix/Linux: The Unix operating system has been around for years, and it is well known for its stability. Unix is often used more as a server than a workstation. Linux was based on the Unix system, with the source code being a part of GNU open-source project. Both systems are very secure yet far more complex than Windows. Macintosh: Recent versions of the Macintosh operating system, including the Mac OS X, follow the secure architecture of Unix. Systems developed by Apple are efficient and easy to use, but can only function on Apple branded hardware. The major functions of an OS are: -resource management, -data management, -job (task) management, and -standard means of communication between user and computer. The resource management function of an OS allocates computer resources such as CPU time, main memory, secondary storage, and input and output devices for use. The data management functions of an OS govern the input and output of the data and their location, storage, and retrieval. The job management function of an OS prepares, schedules, controls, and monitors jobs submitted for execution to ensure the most efficient processing. A job is a collection of one or more related programs and their data. A job is a collection of one or more related programs and their data. The OS establishes a standard means of communication between users and their computer systems. It does this by providing a user interface and a standard set of commands that control the

hardware. Typical Day-to-Day Uses of an Operating System -Executing application programs. -Formatting floppy diskettes. -Setting up directories to organize your files. -Displaying a list of files stored on a particular disk. -Verifying that there is enough room on a disk to save a file. -Protecting and backing up your files by copying them to other disks for safekeeping. How Do Operating Systems Differ? Operating systems for large computers are more complex and sophisticated than those for microcomputers because the operating systems for large computers must address the needs of a very large number of users, application programs, and hardware devices, as well as supply a host of administrative and security features. Operating system capabilities can be described in terms of -the number of users they can accommodate at one time, -how many tasks can be run at one time, and -how they process those tasks. Number of Users: A single-user operating system allows only one user at a time to access a computer. Most operating systems on microcomputers, such as DOS and Window 95, are single-user access systems. A multiuser operating system allows two or more users to access a computer at the same time (UNIX). The actual number of users depends on the hardware and the OS design. Time sharing allows many users to access a single computer. This capability is typically found on large computer operating systems where many users need access at the same time. Number of Tasks An operating system can be designed for single tasking or multitasking. A single tasking operating system allows only one program to execute at a time, and the program must finish executing completely before the next program can begin. A multitasking operating system allows a

single CPU to execute what appears to be more than one program at a time. Context switching allows several programs to reside in memory but only one to be active at a time. The active program is said to be in the foreground. The other programs in memory are not active and are said to be in the background. Instead of having to quit a program and load another, you can simply switch the active program in the foreground to the background and bring a program from the background into the foreground with a few keystrokes. Cooperative multitasking in which a background program uses the CPU during idle time of the foreground program. For example, the background program might sort data while the foreground program waits for a keystroke. Time-slice multitasking enables a CPU to switch its attention between the requested tasks of two or more programs. Each task receives the attention of the CPU for a fraction of a second before the CPU moves on to the next. Depending on the application, the order in which tasks receive CPU attention may be determined sequentially (first come first served) or by previously defined priority levels. Multithreading supports several simultaneous tasks within the same application. For example, with only one copy of a database management system in memory, one database file can be sorted while data is simultaneously entered into another database file. Examples of Operating Systems There are many different operating systems. Each do the same thing: they control all input, processing and output. Click on the links to see examples of the desktop for the operating systems listed. These examples open in their own window. Click the X in the upper-right corner of the window to return to this page. y DOS - Disk Operating System one of the first operating systems for the personal computer. When you turned the computer on all you saw was the command prompt which looked like c:\ >. You had to type all commands at the command prompt which might look like c:\>wp\wp.exe. This is called acommand-line interface. It was not very "user friendly" y Windows - The Windows operating system, a product of Microsoft, is a GUI(graphical user interface) operating system. This type of "user friendly" operating system is said to have WIMP features: y Windows y Icons

Menus Pointing device (mouse) y MacOS - Macintosh, a product of Apple, has its own operating system with a GUI and WIMP features. y Unix - Linux (the PC version of Unix) - Unix and Linux were originally created with a command-line interface, but recently have added GUI enhancements. *user-friendly is a relative term. The current GUI interfaces provided by Windows and Mac operating systems are more friendly than the previous DOS systems, but still require us to conform to their specifications (use of a keyboard or mouse instead of voice and/or handwriting recognition). Operating system commands in the last module, you were introduced to two operating system commands passwd and exit. The passwd command was used to change your login password, and the exit command was used to logout from the system. Running these commands was relatively basic because you did not need to include any command options or arguments with them. Operating System Functions What is an Operating System The operating system is the core software component of your computer. It performs many functions and is, in very basic terms, an interface between your computer and the outside world. In the section about hardware, a computer is described as consisting of several component parts including your monitor, keyboard, mouse, and other parts. The operating system provides an interface to these parts using what is referred to as "drivers". This is why sometimes when you install a new printer or other piece of hardware, your system will ask you to install more software called a driver. What does a driver do? A driver is a specially written program which understands the operation of the device it interfaces to, such as a printer, video card, sound card or CD ROM drive. It translates commands from the operating system or user into commands understood by the the component computer part it interfaces with. It also translates responses from the component computer part back to responses that can be understood by the operating system, application program, or user. The below diagram gives a graphical depiction of the interfaces between the operating system and the computer component. Other Operating System Functions The operating system provides for several other functions including: y System tools (programs) used to monitor computer performance, debug problems, or maintain parts of the system. y y

A set of libraries or functions which programs may use to perform specific tasks especially relating to interfacing with computer system components. The operating system makes these interfacing functions along with its other functions operate smoothly and these functions are mostly transparent to the user. Operating System Concerns As mentioned previously, an operating system is a computer program. Operating systems are written by human programmers who make mistakes. Therefore there can be errors in the code even though there may be some testing before the product is released. Some companies have better software quality control and testing than others so you may notice varying levels of quality from operating system to operating system. Errors in operating systems cause three main types of problems: y System crashes and instabilities - These can happen due to a software bug typically in the operating system, although computer programs being run on the operating system can make the system more unstable or may even crash the system by themselves. This varies depending on the type of operating system. A system crash is the act of a system freezing and becoming unresponsive which would cause the user to need to reboot. y Security flaws - Some software errors leave a door open for the system to be broken into by unauthorized intruders. As these flaws are discovered, unauthorized intruders may try to use these to gain illegal access to your system. Patching these flaws often will help keep your computer system secure. How this is done will be explained later. y Sometimes errors in the operating system will cause the computer not to work correctly with some peripheral devices such as printers. Operating System Types There are many types of operating systems. The most common is the Microsoft suite of operating systems. They include from most recent to the oldest: y Windows XP Professional Edition - A version used by many businesses on workstations. It has the ability to become a member of a corporate domain. y Windows XP Home Edition - A lower cost version of Windows XP which is for home use only

and should not be used at a business. y Windows 2000 - A better version of the Windows NT operating system which works well both at home and as a workstation at a business. It includes technologies which allow hardware to be automatically detected and other enhancements over Windows NT. y Windows ME - A upgraded version from windows 98 but it has been historically plagued with programming errors which may be frustrating for home users. y Windows 98 - This was produced in two main versions. The first Windows 98 version was plagued with programming errors but the Windows 98 Second Edition which came out later was much better with many errors resolved. y Windows NT - A version of Windows made specifically for businesses offering better control over workstation capabilities to help network administrators. y Windows 95 - The first version of Windows after the older Windows 3.x versions offering a better interface and better library functions for programs. There are other worthwhile types of operating systems not made by Microsoft. The greatest problem with these operating systems lies in the fact that not as many application programs are written for them. However if you can get the type of application programs you are looking for, one of the systems listed below may be a good choice. y Unix - A system that has been around for many years and it is very stable. It is primary used to be a server rather than a workstation and should not be used by anyone who does not understand the system. It can be difficult to learn. Unix must normally run an a computer made by the same company that produces the software. y Linux - Linux is similar to Unix in operation but it is free. It also should not be used by anyone who does not understand the system and can be difficult to learn. y Apple MacIntosh - Most recent versions are based on Unix but it has a good graphical interface so it is both stable (does not crash often or have as many software problems as other systems may have) and easy to learn. One drawback to this

system is that it can only be run on Apple produced hardware. OPERATING SYSTEM The most important program that runs on a computer. Every general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other programs. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers. For large systems, the operating system has even greater responsibilities and powers. It is like a traffic cop -- it makes sure that different programs andusers running at the same time do not interfere with each other. The operating system is also responsible for security, ensuring that unauthorized users do not access the system. Operating systems can be classified as follows: multi-user : Allows two or more users to run programs at the same time. Some operating systems permit hundreds or even thousands of concurrent users. multiprocessing : Supports ru nning a program on more than oneCPU. multitasking : Allows more than one program to run concurrently. multithreading : Allows different parts of a single program to run concurrently. real time: Responds to input instantly. General-purpose operating systems, such as DOS and UNIX, are not realtime. Operating systems provide a software platform on top of which other programs, called application programs, can run. The application programs must be written to run on top of a particular operating system. Your choice of operating system, therefore, determines to a great extent the applications you can run. For PCs, the most popular operating systems are DOS, OS/2, andWindows, but others are available, such as Linux. As a user, you normally interact with the operating system through a set ofcommands. For example, the DOS operating system contains commands such as COPY and RENAME for copying files and changing the names of files, respectively. The commands are accepted and executed by a part of the operating system called the command processor or command line interpreter. Graphical user interfaces allow you to enter commands by pointing and clicking at objects that appear on the screen.