Chapter_1_Introduction

Operating System

Operating System

A program that acts as an intermediary between a user of a computer and the computer hardware.

Process Management

Activities in the operating system encompassing creating, deleting, suspending, resuming processes, synchronization, communication, and deadlock handling.

Memory Management

Activities that determine what is in memory when, optimizing CPU utilization, tracking memory use, and allocating and deallocating memory.

Storage Management

Uniform, logical view of information storage that abstracts physical properties into logical storage units like files.

Mass-Storage Management

Management of data stored on disks and the OS activities related to free-space management, storage allocation, and disk scheduling.

I/O Subsystem

Part of the OS responsible for managing input and output operations, including buffering, caching, and spooling.

Thread vs. Process

A process is a program in execution; a thread is the smallest unit of processing that can be managed independently by a scheduler.

Virtual Memory

An abstraction that allows execution of processes not completely in memory, using disk space as an extension of RAM.

Kernel Mode vs. User Mode

Kernel mode has full access to the hardware, while user mode limits the access of a program for safety and stability.

Interrupts

Signals generated by hardware or software that cause the CPU to stop its current activity and execute a specific routine.