Todd LeAssignment 1

An operating system is the chief piece of software. It is the portion of the computing system that

manages all of the hardware and all of the other software. It controls ever file, every device,

every section of main memory, and every moment of processing time. It controls who can use the

system and how.

The five current operating system is batch, interactive, real-time, hybrid, and embedded operating

system.

An interactive operating system is one that allows the user to directly interact with the operating

system while one or more programs are running.

A batch is given the task to do the job over and over again.

A real time is a computing environment that reacts to input within a specific time period.

An embedded operating system is a type of operating system that is embedded and specifically

configured for a certain hardware configuration.

Three situation that might demand real time operating system is live video image processing.

You have to read a frame of video image data, process it, and be done before the next frame of data

comes in. The second is motor/servo control. Adjusting voltages that control a physical motor and

reacting to any disturbances. The third is HDTV receiver and display. It needs to read a digital signal,

decode it and display it as the data comes in. Any delay would be noticeable as jerky or pixelated video

and/or garbled audio.

Servers are much cheaper and much more adaptable than supercomputers. They can run a variety of

operating systems and software at competitive mainstream prices. Servers can used redundantly, with

servers supporting each other should one fail.