Written Assignment Unit 3

University of the People

CS 3307 - Operating Systems 2

December 6th, 2023

 Table of Contents

Topic Sub-topic Page Number

Introduction ● Purpose of the Document 3

● Understanding File Systems
● Definition and Role
● Types and Examples
● Layers of a File System
● Storage Management
● Disk Fragmentation

● Prompts 4
Exploring Command Line ● Definition and Function
● Usage and Examples
● Common Commands

Remote Procedure Calls ● Overview and Operation 5

● Configurations and Advantages
● Limitations

Security in Unix/Linux ● Core Concepts 6

● User Management
● Security Practices
● Advanced Security Mechanisms

References 7
 Understanding File Systems

Definition: A file system is a set of data structures, interfaces, abstractions, and APIs that

manage files on storage devices (Lavarian, 2022).

● Types and Examples:

○ NTFS (Windows): Supports large files, data encryption, access management, and

journaling​​(Lavarian, 2022).

○ exFAT (Cross-Platform): Suitable for high-capacity removable devices; supports

read and write on non-Windows environments​​.

○ APFS (Apple): A journaling file system used since OS X High Sierra​​.

○ ext4 (Linux): The default file system in many Linux distributions like Debian and

Ubuntu; offers journaling capability (Lavarian, 2022)​​.

● Layers of a File System:

○ Physical Layer: Manages data storage and retrieval on the storage device.

○ Virtual File System (VFS): Provides a unified view of multiple file systems.

○ Logical File System: Offers an API for file operations like OPEN, READ, and

WRITE (Lavarian, 2022)​​.

Image taken from GeeksforGeeks (2023)

 ● File Metadata: Includes file size, timestamps, owner, access modes, and block

allocation. In Unix-like systems, this is managed via inodes​​.

● Storage Management: Uses blocks as the storage unit, consisting of multiple sectors.

Manages space allocation and retrieval​​(Lavarian, 2022).

● Disk Fragmentation: Occurs when a file is stored in non-contiguous blocks, leading to

inefficiencies​​.

Exploring Command Line Prompts

Definition: An input field in a text-based user interface for an OS or program, designed to

receive commands (GeeksforGeeks, 2023)​​.

● Usage and Examples:

○ Basic Functions: Changing directories, examining system disks​​.

○ Windows Command Prompt: Executes commands and batch files (cmd.exe)​​.

○ Command Execution: Example with chkdsk for checking disk status in a

specific directory​​.

● Common Commands: Includes cls, copy, del, format, ipconfig, ping, sfc, and shutdown

(GeeksforGeeks, 2023)​​.
 Remote Procedure Calls (RPC)

Overview: This is a protocol used in computer networks that allows a program to request a

service from another program located on a different computer without needing to understand the

network's specifics (Matturro, 2021).

● Operation:

○ Client-Server Model: The requesting program is a client, and the service

provider is a server. RPC is synchronous and can be executed concurrently using

threads (Matturro, 2021)​​.

○ Execution Process: Involves stubs, marshalling parameters, communication

between client and server OS, and unmarshalling of return parameters​​.

Image taken from Javatpoint (2023)

● Configurations and Advantages:

○ Configurations: Include normal, nonblocking, batched, and broadcast client calls​​.

○ Advantages: Simplifies client-server communication, supports distributed

environments, and abstracts network communication details (Matturro, 2021)​​.

● Limitations: Vulnerable to failures, no uniform standard, and not suited for transferring

large data amounts (Matturro, 2021)​​.

Security in Unix/Linux Operating Systems

● Core Concepts:

○ File System Permissions: Essential for controlling access to files (Zivanov,

2023)​​.

○ Access Control Lists (ACLs): Allows permissions for multiple users or groups​​.

● User Management:

○ User Groups: Managed groups with specific access permissions​​.

○ Root Account: Provides complete control over the system but is used sparingly

for security reasons (Zivanov, 2023)​​.

● Security Practices:

○ Passwords: Essential for user security, stored in /etc/passwd​​.

○ Account Management: Prompt deletion of old accounts, restricted use of su,

sudo, and ssh​​(Zivanov, 2023).

○ Software Patching: Ensuring integrity of patches through digital signatures and

cryptographic hashes​​.

○ Minimalist Approach: Avoiding unnecessary software installation and

configuration​​.

● Advanced Security Mechanisms:

○ SELinux: Kernel extensions for precise access control, mostly used to restrict

processes and root activities​(Zivanov, 2023).

 References

GeeksforGeeks. (2023, April 26). Linux File System.

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/linux-file-system/

Rosencrance, L., & Matturro, B. (2021, October 21). Remote Procedure Call (RPC).

https://www.techtarget.com/searchapparchitecture/definition/Remote-Procedure-Call-RPC

Lavarian, R. (2022, January 12). What Is a File System? Types of Computer File Systems.

https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/file-systems-architecture-explained/

Zivanov, S. (2023, October 23). Linux security stats and practices.

https://phoenixnap.com/kb/linux-security#:~:text=SELinux%20(Security%2DEnhanced%20Linu

x),allowing%20authorized%20users%20and%20processes.