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Module 1
OS Services –OS Operations - Services System Calls
OS Structure - System Boot

Dr. Abdul Quadir Md, SCOPE

VIT Chennai
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Operating System Services

Operating system services 3

 OS provides an environment for the execution of

programs

 It provides set of services to programs and to users of

those programs
Operating system services 4

 One set of services to the user

– User interface
– Program execution
– I/O operations
– File system manipulations
– Communications
– Error detection
Operating system services 5

 Set of services ensuring the efficient operation of the

system

– Resource allocation
– Accounting
– Protection and security
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OS - User services

 User interface

– Nearly all OS have a user interface

– These can CLI, Batch and GUI

 Program execution
– The system must be able to load the
program in memory and execute
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OS - User services

 I/O operation

– a running program may require I/O

– users cannot control I/O devices directly
– OS must provides means to do I/O

 File system manipulations

–read and write files and directories
– create, delete, search and list files
– Permission management
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OS - User services

 Communication

- tied together by computer networks

– shared memory or through message passing

- packets of information moves between processes

by the OS
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OS - User services

 Error detection

In CPU - power failure

Memory hardware - memory error

In I/O devices - lack of paper in printer

In User programs - arithmetic over flow

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OS - System related services

 Resource allocation
–multiple users running at the same time
-resources must be allocated to all

–types of resources managed are

• Main memory
• File storage
• CPU cycles
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OS - System related services

 Accounting

Keeps track of
-users activity
-resource allocation
- utilization

– Usage statistics may be valuable tool for

researchers to improve computing services
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OS - System related services

 Protection and security

– When several processes runs concurrently, it not be possible

for one process to interfere

–It ensuring that all access to system resources is controlled

– Security of the system from the outsiders is also important

–Each user to authenticate by password to gain access

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Operating-System Operations
Operating-System Operations 14

 Interrupt driven (hardware and software)

 Hardware interrupt by one of the devices

 Software interrupt (exception or trap):

 Software error (e.g., division by zero)
 Request for operating system service
 Other process problems include infinite loop, processes modifying
each other or the operating system
 Operating-System Operations (cont.) 15

 Dual-mode operation allows OS to protect itself and other system

components
 User mode and kernel mode
 Mode bit provided by hardware
 Provides ability to distinguish when system is running user code or kernel
code
 Some instructions designated as privileged, only executable in kernel mode
 System call changes mode to kernel, return from call resets it to user
 Increasingly CPUs support multi-mode operations
 i.e. virtual machine manager (VMM) mode for guest VMs
Transition from User to Kernel Mode 16

 Timer to prevent infinite loop / process hogging resources

 Timer is set to interrupt the computer after some time period
 Keep a counter that is decremented by the physical clock.
 Operating system set the counter (privileged instruction)
 When counter zero generate an interrupt
 Set up before scheduling process to regain control or terminate program that
exceeds allotted time
 Kernal 17

 Source: WIkipedia
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Systems Calls
System calls
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 OS - mechanism to request services from the kernel

 Service request points are called “system calls”

 In Linux system - interface layer between the user space and

kernel space.

 This layer consists of library made up of functions that

communicate between normal user applications and the Kernel.
System calls
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 C library is called libc/glibc

 This provides wrapper functions for the system calls

 Implemented using software interrupt or trap

 Sets the
-System call number
-C arguments into the general registers
-Executes some machine instruction that generates a software
interrupt in the kernel
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Example on how system calls are used
 Simple program to read data from one file and copy them to another file

 Program inputs
-Name of two files
-opens the input file and creates output file and open it

 Each of these operations require another system calls

 Now that both files are setup, enter into the loop that
-read from input file (system call) and
-writes into the output file(another system call)
Example of System Calls 22

 System call sequence to copy the contents of one file to another

file
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Interfacing between user and kernel

space
C library interface
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 the ‘printf’ statement

The C library interprets this call and invokes the
necessary system call(s) in OS

 the write() system call

The C library takes the value returned by write()
and passes it back to the user program.
system call and library function
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 Examples of systems calls

• Read() / write ()
• Fork()/ exec ()

 Example of library functions

• Date/time
• Strcpy/atoi/printf
System call Categories /Types 26

 Five major Categories/ Types:

– Process management
– File management
– Device management
– Information/Maintenance
– Communication
Process management 27

– create process the process

– Terminate process
– Load the process
– Execute the process
– get/set process attributes
– wait for time, wait event, signal event
File management 28

–create file, delete file

– open, close
– read, write, reposition
– get/set file attributes
Device Management 29

– request device, release device

– read, write, reposition
– get/set device attributes
– logically attach or detach devices
Information Maintenance 30

– get/set time or date

– get/set system data
– get/set process, file, or device attributes
Communication 31

– create, delete communication connection

– send, receive messages
– transfer status information
– attach or detach remote devices
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Operating System Structure

Operating System Structure 33

 General-purpose OS is very large program

 Various ways to structure ones
 Simple structure – MS-DOS
 More complex -- UNIX
 Layered – an abstrcation
 Microkernel -Mach
Simple Structure -- MS-DOS 34

 MS-DOS – written to provide the

most functionality in the least
space
 Not divided into modules
 Although MS-DOS has some
structure, its interfaces and levels
of functionality are not well
separated
 Non Simple Structure -- UNIX 35

UNIX – limited by hardware functionality, the original UNIX

operating system had limited structuring. The UNIX OS
consists of two separable parts
 Systems programs
 The kernel
 Consists of everything below the system-call interface and above the
physical hardware
 Provides the file system, CPU scheduling, memory management, and
other operating-system functions; a large number of functions for one
level
Traditional UNIX System Structure 36

Beyond simple but not fully layered

Layered Approach 37

 The operating system is divided

into a number of layers (levels),
each built on top of lower layers.

 The bottom layer (layer 0), is the

hardware; the highest (layer N) is
the user interface.

 With modularity, layers are

selected such that each uses
functions (operations) and services
of only lower-level layers
Microkernel System Structure 38

 Moves as much from the kernel into user space

 Mach example of microkernel
 Mac OS X kernel (Darwin) partly based on Mach
 Communication takes place between user modules using message
passing
 Benefits:
 Easier to extend a microkernel
 Easier to port the operating system to new architectures
 More reliable (less code is running in kernel mode)
 More secure
 Detriments:
 Performance overhead of user space to kernel space communication
Microkernel System Structure 39
Modules
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 Many modern operating systems implement loadable kernel

modules
 Uses object-oriented approach
 Each core component is separate
 Each talks to the others over known interfaces
 Each is loadable as needed within the kernel
 Overall, similar to layers but with more flexible
 Linux, Solaris, etc
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Solaris Modular Approach

Hybrid Systems 42

 Most modern operating systems are actually not one pure model
 Hybrid combines multiple approaches to address performance, security,
usability needs
 Linux and Solaris kernels in kernel address space, so monolithic, plus
modular for dynamic loading of functionality
 Windows mostly monolithic, plus microkernel for different subsystem
personalities
 Apple Mac OS X hybrid, layered, Aqua UI plus Cocoa programming
environment
 Below is kernel consisting of Mach microkernel and BSD Unix parts, plus
I/O kit and dynamically loadable modules (called kernel extensions)
Mac OS X Structure
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iOS 44

 Apple mobile OS for iPhone, iPad

 Structured on Mac OS X, added functionality
 Does not run OS X applications natively
 Also runs on different CPU architecture (ARM vs. Intel)
 Cocoa Touch Objective-C API for developing apps
 Media services layer for graphics, audio, video
 Core services provides cloud computing, databases
 Core operating system, based on Mac OS X kernel
Android 45

 Developed by Open Handset Alliance (mostly Google)

 Open Source
 Similar stack to IOS
 Based on Linux kernel but modified
 Provides process, memory, device-driver management
 Adds power management
 Runtime environment includes core set of libraries and Dalvik virtual machine
 Apps developed in Java plus Android API
 Java class files compiled to Java bytecode then translated to executable than runs in Dalvik VM
 Libraries include frameworks for web browser (webkit), database (SQLite),
multimedia, smaller libc
Android Architecture 46
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System Boot
System Boot 48

 When power initialized on system, execution starts at a fixed memory

location
 Firmware ROM used to hold initial boot code
 Operating system must be made available to hardware so hardware can
start it
 Small piece of code – bootstrap loader, stored in ROM or EEPROM locates the
kernel, loads it into memory, and starts it
 Sometimes two-step process where boot block at fixed location loaded by
ROM code, which loads bootstrap loader from disk
 Common bootstrap loader, GRUB, allows selection of kernel from multiple
disks, versions, kernel options
 Kernel loads and system is then running
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References

 http://www.digilife.be/quickreferences/qrc/linux%20system%20call%
20quick%

 Silberschatz, Gagne, Galvin: Operating System Concepts, 6th Edition

 http://docs.cs.up.ac.za/programming/asm/derick_tut/syscalls.html
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You!
hank
T