Grade 1222 periods
Computer Operating System
Uses operating systems to manage the functionality of computers
Exam objectives
- Define an operating system and briefly describe its evolution
- List the main functions of an OS: providing interfaces, process management, resource management, security
- Classify OS types: single/multi user, single/multi task, multi-threading, real-time, time-sharing
Important areas to cover
- Classify-by-scenario MCQs ("a system controlling a nuclear plant is classified as...") are common
- Listing the four main OS functions is a reliable short-answer question
Lesson content not added yet.
Exam objectives
- Explain file types/extensions, file hierarchy and file systems (e.g. FAT)
- Describe file security (passwords, access privileges) and storage allocation methods: contiguous, linked, indexed
- Explain defragmentation and the need for disk formatting
Important areas to cover
- Comparing contiguous/linked/indexed allocation is a recurring structured question
- Explaining defragmentation with a diagram is common
Lesson content not added yet.
Exam objectives
- Distinguish a process from a program and list the process states
- Draw and explain the seven-state process transition diagram
- Compare long/short/medium-term schedulers and describe the process control block
Important areas to cover
- The seven-state process transition diagram is one of the most consistently examined diagrams in this unit
- Turnaround, response, throughput and waiting time definitions form a frequent short-answer set
Lesson content not added yet.
Exam objectives
- Explain the role of the Memory Management Unit and virtual memory (paging)
- Describe how the OS manages I/O devices through device drivers and spooling
Important areas to cover
- Explaining virtual memory/paging is a recurring structured question
- Spooling and device drivers form a common short-answer pair
Lesson content not added yet.