Operating System Concepts and Scheduling Algorithms: Learning Outcomes and Tasks

Learning Outcomes to be assessed

1. Differentiate between the structure, management and maintenance of operating systems.

2. Analyse operating systems as effective solutions for different problems.

1)Operating System Concepts and Discussion
 
a)For the first part of your report, you are required to provide a general discussion on operating systems. The discussion must include the evolution (how operating systems have progressed to become more efficient and reliable by exploiting hardware advancements), definitions, abstractions/concepts and structure. The discussion should highlight the primary objective of operating systems and explore the concept of abstraction. 

b)  Provide a detailed discussion for each of the following:

•Processes – this must include the difference between programs and processes, process elements and process states.
•CPU scheduling – this must include a discussion on the short, medium and long-term scheduler. Suspended states and process priority should also be discussed.
•Synchronisation – and how it helps to maintain shared data consistency and cooperating process execution.
•Deadlocks – what they are and related mitigations should be discussed.
•Memory management – including requirements, physical organisation, partitioning and paging.
•File System – you should discuss directory structure and organisation. 
•Information Protection and Security – operating system security concepts including threat mitigation and security principles.
•I/O – concepts including how it is used and managed by the operating system. You can use examples (including tables, figures) to make the discussion easy to understand.

2)Scheduling Algorithms and process management

a)Resource management and allocation is a fundamental role of any operating system. In order to achieve this the operating system uses scheduling algorithms to determine process priority. You are required to provide a discussion on scheduling algorithms, which includes both Pre-emptive and Non Pre-emptive scheduling algorithms. You are required to discuss the differences between them and describe how both the Shortest Job First Scheduling Algorithm (SJF) and the Shortest Remaining Time First Scheduling Algorithm (SRTF) function. You should discuss how the SJF and SRTF algorithms use process states to determine resource allocation.

b)Using the SJF algorithm calculate the completion time, turnaround time, waiting time, schedule length and throughput for the following (assume no process is in I/O state and make sure that you show your workings):