Learning Objectives
5 objectives- Understand the fundamental concepts, functions, and types of operating systems.
- Analyze various operating system structures and their design implementations.
- Explain key operating system components such as process, memory, file, and I/O management.
- Evaluate security mechanisms and virtualization techniques used in modern operating systems.
- Apply performance tuning strategies and critically assess real-world operating system case studies.
Content Outline
PreviewUnit 523: Operating Systems Fundamentals and Advanced Concepts
1. Introduction to Operating Systems
- Definition and purpose of operating systems
- Core functions of an operating system
- Types of operating systems
- Batch systems
- Time-sharing systems
- Distributed systems
- Real-time systems
- Role in managing hardware and software resources
2. Operating System Structures
- Overview of OS architecture
- Monolithic systems
- Characteristics
- Advantages and disadvantages
- Layered systems
- Concept of layering
- Typical layers and their responsibilities
- Microkernel systems
- Design principles
- Benefits and challenges
- Hybrid systems
- Combination of monolithic and microkernel
- Examples
3. Process Management
- Definition of processes and threads
- Process lifecycle and states
- CPU scheduling algorithms
- First-Come, First-Served (FCFS)
- Shortest Job Next (SJN)
- Priority Scheduling
- Round Robin
- Process synchronization
- Critical section problem
- Semaphores and mutexes
- Interprocess communication (IPC)
- Shared memory
- Message passing
- Deadlock
- Conditions for deadlock
- Deadlock prevention, avoidance, and detection
4. Memory Management
- Memory hierarchy overview
- Memory allocation techniques
- Contiguous allocation
- Non-contiguous allocation
- Virtual memory concepts
- Paging
- Segmentation
- Page replacement algorithms
- FIFO
- LRU
- Optimal
- Memory fragmentation
- Internal vs external fragmentation
- Compaction techniques
5. File Systems
- File concept and attributes
- File operations
- Creation, deletion, reading, writing
- File organization and access methods
- Directory structure
- Single-level
- Two-level
- Tree-structured
- Acyclic graph
- General graph
- File system mounting and sharing
- File system implementation
- Allocation methods: contiguous, linked, indexed
6. Input/Output Management
- I/O devices overview
- I/O hardware and software layers
- Interrupt-driven I/O
- Device drivers
- Role and types
- Direct Memory Access (DMA)
- Buffering techniques
- Single, double, and circular buffers
7. Security and Protection
- Importance of security in OS
- Access control mechanisms
- Access control lists (ACLs)
- Capabilities
- Authentication methods
- Passwords
- Biometrics
- Multi-factor authentication
- Encryption basics
- Security policies and models
- Bell-LaPadula
- Biba
- Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
8. Operating System Virtualization
- Definition and benefits of virtualization
- Virtual machines
- Full virtualization
- Para-virtualization
- Containers
- Concepts and differences from VMs
- Hypervisors
- Type 1 (bare-metal)
- Type 2 (hosted)
- Use cases and examples
9. Operating System Performance Tuning
- Monitoring system resources
- CPU, memory, disk, network
- Identifying bottlenecks
- Performance metrics and tools
- Tuning strategies
- Scheduling adjustments
- Memory management tuning
- Disk and I/O optimization
10. Case Studies in Operating Systems
- UNIX/Linux
- Design principles
- Strengths and challenges
- Windows OS
- Architecture overview
- Security features
- Mobile OS (Android/iOS)
- Adaptations for mobile environments
- Emerging OS concepts
- Cloud OS
- Real-time OS examples
Unlock the full outline
Get the complete content outline, learning outcomes and assessment methods for Unit Code:it/Os/Ict/Cr/6/6.
KSh 20 one-off, or included with a plan
Learning Outcomes
Unlock the outline above to see learning outcomes.
Assessment Methods
Unlock the outline above to see assessment methods.