CIS 2051 - Operating Systems

1. Define the basic role of an operating system
2. Identify the major operating system software subsystem managers and their functions
3. Know the types of machine hardware on which operating systems run.
4. Understand the differences between batch, interactive, real-time, hybrid, and embedded
5. Define multiprocessing and its impact on the evolution of operating system software
6. Explain system architecture trends in current operating systems
7. Explain the basic functionality of the three memory allocation schemes: fixed partitions, dynamic partitions, relocate dynamic partitions
8. Identify the best-fit memory allocation as well as first-fit memory allocation schemes
9. Understand how a memory list keeps track of available memory
10. Understand the importance of de-allocation of memory in a dynamic partition system
11. Know the importance of the bounds register in memory allocation schemes
12. Define the role of compaction and how it improves memory allocation efficiency
13. Know the influence that page allocation methods have had on virtual memory.
14. Understand the concept of the working set and how it is used in memory allocation schemes.
15. Understand the impact that virtual memory had on multiprogramming
16. Explain cache memory and its role in improving system response time.
17. Explain the critical difference between processes and processors, and their connection
18. Explain the differences among common configurations of multiprocessing systems
19. Know the significance of critical region in process synchronization
20. Define the need for process cooperation when several processes work together
21. Understand the similarities and differences between processes and threads
22. Understand the significance of concurrent programming languages and their applications.
23. Know the features of dedicated, shared, and virtual devices
24. Understand the differences between sequential and direct access media
25. Define the concepts of blocking and buffering and how the improve I/O performance.
26. Define the roles of seek time, search times, and transfer time in calculating access time
27. Understand the differences in access times in several types of devices
28. Explain the critical components of the input/output subsystem, and how they interact
29. Understand the strengths and weaknesses of common seek strategies, including FCFS, SSTF, SCAN/LOOK, C-SCAN/C-LOOK, and how the compare
30. Define the levels and characteristics of RAID.
31. Define the fundamentals of file management and the structure of the file management system
32. Understand file-naming conventions, including the role of extensions
33. Know the difference between fixed-length and variable-length record format
34. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of contiguous, noncontiguous, and indexed file storage techniques.
35. Understand comparisons of sequential and direct file access.
36. Know and compare the security risks of access control
37. Understand the role of data compression in file storage.