OS Theory Concept Map

 Week 1 Concept Map

 

 

Week 2 Concept Map

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 3 Concept Map

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 4 Concept Map

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 5 Concept Map

What are the fundamental concepts that underlie operating systems?

Our personal and professional lives are surrounded by a wide range of computer gadgets in this ever-changing society. Operating systems continue to play an essential role throughout this rapid transformation. An operating system is always necessary, whether it be for servers, laptops, or smartphones. Operating systems evolve and are continuously upgraded as technology progresses. The principles of Process Management, Memory Management, Disk Storage, I/O Management, File Directory Structure, Access Matrix, and Protection and Security have all been introduced and clarified in this course. We have created a concept map that shows how these elements are connected, thanks to the guidance provided by the course.

 

Describe features of contemporary operating systems and their structures.

 

Numerous features found in modern operating systems are intended to maximize computer system efficiency. Multithreading is one of the most notable of these since it allows for the simultaneous operation of numerous applications for increased speed and efficiency. Because virtual memory allocates RAM and hard drive space dynamically, it is essential to effective memory management. The file directory structure offers customizable degrees of data management and is available in multiple formats. Device drivers easily control I/O devices, which include hardware parts like keyboards, displays, and printers.

Many operating systems come with strong security and protection built in, providing defense against a variety of threats from antivirus software to security features. These dangers include those that are human, physical, and network-based highlighting the importance of all-encompassing security measures. The kernel, which manages memory, hardware, and processes, is at the center of the operating system.

Discuss how operating systems enable processes to share and exchange information.

An operating system makes use of several related ideas to enable information sharing and interchange across processes. The process control block is the heart of this mechanism. It starts in a predetermined condition and usually moves through the stages of new, running, waiting, ready, and terminated. Monitoring in the process block includes a register, a record of open files, a counter that determines the next process, and a count of the number of active processes. Main memory, resolving key section problems, virtual memory, the memory management unit, physical address space, and the CPU are further essential components. Processes cannot share and exchange information efficiently unless these components smoothly communicate with each other.

Explain how main memory and virtual memory can solve memory management issues.

Coordinating a computer system's primary and virtual memory can efficiently address its memory management difficulties. When there isn't enough room to carry out a procedure, main memory, and virtual memory work together and share resources to make sure the process runs well. Main memory contains commonly used data and is renowned for its quick data access. In contrast, virtual memory allows a process to use more memory than the system can instantly access, freeing up main memory for other processes. These two memory types work together seamlessly to create a more efficient operating system.

Explain how files, mass storage, and I/O are handled in a modern computer system.

Files, mass storage, and I/O work together in a computer system using a variety of software and hardware commands to gather data for users. These files can be in Word documents, music, photos, or any other type of user-generated file. They are kept on mass storage devices, usually in the form of hard disks stacked like CDs with platter-style architectures. These rotating disks are read and written quickly by an arm assembly attached to a head. Another type of storage is the solid-state drive (SSD), which is like a speedier hard disk but has nonvolatile memory and no moving parts.

 

Outline the mechanisms necessary to control the access of programs or users to the resources defined by a computer system.

Several mechanisms are used to control access for users or programs, with a particular emphasis on security and protection. This section controls access to certain resources inside a computer system, which is also known as authentication. Authentication verifies the identity of a user or program using key codes, passwords, or biometric data before granting access. After authorization, several control mechanisms are activated, such as capability lists and access control lists. Both lists provide specific access rights, such as read-only, read-write, delete, execute, or deny, but they manage entire domains that contain multiple objects.

Recommend how you will use these concepts about operating systems theory in future courses and/or future jobs.

The practical expertise gained from establishing virtual servers and debugging processing problems is very important when aspiring to become an IT consultant. One of the most important parts of this experience has been debugging processing problems, which has helped me find and fix possible mistakes, or performance problems that can arise in actual situations. I've gained practical problem-solving skills from this hands-on troubleshooting experience, which will help me assess complicated problems, identify their underlying causes, and put workable solutions in place. This knowledge puts me in a good position as an IT consultant, where the capacity to quickly diagnose and fix technical issues is essential to provide clients with effectiveness.

 

 

 

References

 

Barnes, R. (2020, January 31). Critical Section Problem. Tutorialspoint.com https://www.tutorialspoint.com/critical-section-problem

 

BYJU’s. (n.d.). Process in Operating System https://byjus.com/gate/process-in-operating-system-notes/

Meador, D. (2020, January 31). Single-threaded and Multi-threaded Processes. Tutorialspoint.com https://www.tutorialspoint.com/single-threaded-and-multi-threaded-processes

 

Silberschatz, A., Galvin, P. B., & Gagne, G. (2014). Operating system concepts essentials (2nd ed.). Retrieved from https://redshelf.com/

 

Varshachoudhary. (2023, January 09). Memory Management in Operating System.

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/memory-management-in-operating-system/

 

Algorithmic Design and Data Structures

 How to apply algorithmic design and data structure techniques and develop structured programs?

 When applying algorithmic designs in developing structures, there are some key things to consider. First, you need to choose how you would represent the algorithm whether it be using flow charts or pseudocode. Flowcharts act as a visual reference of the algorithm to show the statements to be executed, logic flow and show the start and end points. As for the pseudocode, This is an alternative to flowcharts. It is a textual representation of algorithms to give an estimation of the final source code. Another way to apply algorithmic design is through choosing the right algorithm. By doing so, you consider factors such as memory usage and CPU time. Therefore, you select the algorithm based on the problem's characteristics.

Data structure is a way to store and organize data. You have different structures Dynamic and Static structures. However, depending on the program you need to implement certain techniques which include using the right data structure. For instance, the static structure deals with having a fixed size during program execution; whereas the dynamic data structure has a variable size during execution. Next, memory management should also be considered when it relates to memory overhead without the need for frequency reallocations.  Lastly, optimization is a technique to be used that determines how fast data can be accessed to reduce cache misses and increase program efficiency.

Are some designs better than others?

 Indeed. However, this is why it is important to review the specifications needed to run a specific program. It is important to have the right memory capacity, which increases performance and leads to the simplicity of the program. For example, when doing a binary search, one design that will be preferred is sorted data whether it be in ascending or descending order. This is crucial for the overall functionality of the program. However, for linear search where data isn't sorted and randomly placed, this leads to less efficiency especially when multiple searches are needed to be done.

For the application of algorithmic design and data structures, you have to identify the algorithm by choosing it based on the problem whether it be sorting, searching, or graph transversal. Using pseudocode can assist in outlining the algorithm steps. Once you have chosen the algorithm that you're using, you can move on to use the right data structure whether it be a static or dynamic structure to implement for the coding.  Once the code is written, you can test it and then run it.

References

Friesen, J. (2017, August 10). Data structures and algorithms in Java, Part 1: Overview. InfoWorld. Retrieved September 2, 2023, from https://www.infoworld.com/article/3215112/java-101-datastructures-and-algorithms-in-java-part-1.html

Jain, S. (2023, February 15). Algorithms Design Techniques. GeeksforGeeks. Retrieved September 2, 2023, from https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/algorithms-design-techniques/

Jain, S. (2023, February 22). Static Data Structure vs Dynamic Data Structure. GeeksforGeeks. Retrieved September 2, 2023, from https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/static-data-structure-vs-dynamic-data-structure/

Java For Beginners

 For Java Newbies 

For my first-time users of Java, there are a lot of things that you may be thinking about. The first question would be saying is “Where to go to install Java" followed by, “How do I even use this application?” Well, here is how I  did it. First, type java JDK in Google and go to the Oracle website to access Java. Here, you will download the latest version of Java - 64-bit (X64 installer) based on your operating system. After which, you will then download an IDE system. This system creates an environment to help you code efficiently and accurately. The IDE system I chose was the Eclipse IDE. It was easy to use and provided responses to help with errors in my coding if there were any. For my project using the IDE, it was, “Hello My name is…”. For the first line, I used system.out.print(“Hello My name is …”); For the system.out.print it is needed so that the line that you need to print is shown on the screen. Likewise, you can use this method for “Hello World”. Overall, the resources that helped me included YouTube videos which I will link below. Good luck with your coding.

For Object Oriented Programming (OOP)

This programming model focuses on organizing software and data objects with particular attributes and behavior. It allows for reusability and efficiency. Its structure includes:

Classes- defines attributes and methods

Objects- represent real-world entities and abstract concepts

Methods- define object behaviors used for reusability and encapsulation.

Attributes- information about objects

For the principles includes:

Encapsulation - objects are self-contained to ensure data security and prevent unintended changes.

Abstraction- It exposes relevant mechanisms to allow easier changes and additions

Inheritance- reuse code from another class to maintain accuracy.

Polymorphs- objects take different forms enabling different objects to use the interface for different executions.

Links

Object Oriented Programming - https://www.techtarget.com/searchapparchitecture/definition/object-oriented-programming-OOP?Offer=abt_pubpro_AI-Insider

How to download Java - https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/downloads/

How to install Java JDK 20 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUL--F5Wdh8

How to install Eclipse IDE - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j9KFFsORSg

Tech Topic Connection

The demand for IT jobs has increased due to COVID-19. People have been working remotely and been focused on improving their online services.  My interest in this topic has been driven by the reason that IT careers do not earn the respect they deserve compared to occupations like doctors or lawyers. In fact, IT careers have supported both these professions and more either by coding programs in healthcare facilities or safe-guarding classified documents of law through cyber systems.  

Technology and especially computers have evolved over the years. Before, the travel of information was slow and a long process especially when using fax, mail and radio. Now, it has modernized to transfer larger amounts of information faster. No longer do we have to wait on sending mail that will take two to four weeks. Instead, we can send emails that takes a seconds and can send large amount of information. Instead we are sending emails instead of physical mails and fax that will take seconds and send larger documents in a one time transfer.

According to the Insider, modern computers can be dated back to 1930s. In previous times computers have created jobs for Mathematicians, scientists and programmers. Modern computer systems has eliminated the need for human labor. It has also affected the skill level need for employees. Even more so, has caused the redundance of IT careers where particular jobs no longer exist or roles are combined creating newer jobs. Modern systems has made work a little easier for computer engineers. 

There are four primary elements of Information Technology, information security database and network management, computer technical support and business software development. According to these concepts, each of these are related to IT careers. In IT, it is important to note the importance of computer security and computers on a whole as well as learning programming languages. Programming language is a skill needed as a prerequisite for most technology careers. It is also imperative for certain IT careers to learn and understand specific programming languages. Python language is claimed to be the programming language of the 21st century, and as IT careers and computers modernizes, it is important for IT careers to stay current so as to stay relevant to the industry.  Professionals are needed to protect computers by using cybersecurity, and in order to use computer to its fullest capacity, IT specialist need to and understand the different programming languages. For this reason IT analysts are needed.

Apart from programming languages being prerequisites for jobs, there are different application software that are also required for these careers. The most widely known include web browsers, spreadsheets, word processor and presentation software. These primarily used in almost all organizations, by careers outside of IT careers. This is also why most careers including IT careers want their employees to be highly skilled in using these application software.  Excel more importantly organizes and stores data for further analysis. This why these application software are important for storing and organizing as well as analyzing data. This is what we will call database management and in order to secure these documents we need passwords and VPNs. 

Database management deals with the process of analyzing and maintaining data. Information Technology highlights how its careers have different roles which include managing stored data. A computer acts as the house of managing stored data and this is what IT careers aim to achieve. Therefore, most IT jobs is about database management. 

When pursing  an Information Technology degree, as students,  we learn the basics of hardware, software and networks. Before we start our journey of IT degrees, we need to understand these basic information. We understand how information travels from network to network. Therefore, the entire basics of client/server network or peer-peer network. It is important for IT students who later become IT specialist to understand network architecture and security, both of these work hand-in-hand. This is because it affect the performance of the overall computer as well how to secure the data being transferred. 

References

Basic Concepts in Information Technology. (2017, February 24). Network Depot. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from

                    https://www.networkdepot.com/information-technology-concepts/#

Goel, A., ELEGBEDE, A., & Teymouri, F. (2022, June 7). Which programming language is best

                for getting a jo b Hackr.io. Retrieved August 30, 2022,

                 from https://hackr.io/blog/which-programming-language-is-best-for-getting-a-job

Greene, R. (2017, September 26). The Impact of Information Technology on Jobs. Career Trend. Retrieved August 30, 2022,

                   from https://careertrend.com/the-impact-of-information-technology-on-jobs-13636098.html

Handel, M. J. (n.d.). Implications of Information Technology for Employment, Skills, and Wages:

                    A Review of Recent Research Final Report . ERIC. Retrieved

                       August 30, 2022, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED574891.pdf

Olito, F. (2019, September 13). The Evolution of Computers Since the 1930s. Insider. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://www.insider.com/

                how-computers-evolved-history-2019-9#in-the-early-2000s-laptops-became-increasingly-popular-

especially-after-apple-launched-its-macbook-air-8

Sande, F. (2020, September 18). Understanding Database Management Concepts. Raima. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://raima.com/understanding-database-management-

                    concepts/

Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2019). Computing technology for all. zyBooks.

Network Security

 Network Security provides a secure network connection to prevent computer system attacks and unauthorized accesses. A type of attack that can happen if network security was not followed is one that can happen during a ping command. This is called a Denial of Service, where the attacker can crash, destabilize or freeze the computer that executed the command. It does this by sending oversized ping packets. This is can cause very drastic damage especially when the only thing the attacker needs is an IP address. 

Apart from Ping command attacks, other computer system attacks include computer viruses and email spam. Computer viruses are malicious software that can cause damage to computer software (Fortinet, n.d. para 1).  This damages and corrupt files which can spread from onw file to another. Computer viruses can happen over networks, using corrupted flash drives, click a corrupted ad that downloads data and so on. The virus affects the computer by making it slower and cause unexpected crashes. As for Email spam, most email will use a familiar name in hopes to get the user attention so that you can click on and probably find a way get your personal information and use it to their benefit. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to emails you receive and do not open malicious emails. 

Since computer systems are vulnerable to threats it is important to protect your computer and its information by using VPNs and antivirus to prevent threats from occurring or being overlooked. This is because when systems are compromised data loss, theft and damage can occur. This make computers slower, or crash or even unusable. 

References 

Nic

 

Nicol, M. (1997). Managing Information System Security. Macmillan Education UK.

6 Ways to Prevent Cybersecurity Breaches. (n.d.). Tech Support of Minnesota. Retrieved August 22, 2022, from https://techsupportofmn.com/6-ways-to-prevent-cybersecurity-breaches

Stine, K., & Scholl, M. (n.d.). E-mail Security: An Overview of Threats and Safeguards. AHIMA Body of Knowledge. Retrieved August 22, 2022, from https://library.ahima.org/doc?oid=99319#.YwQ0cHbMJD8

What are Computer Viruses? | Definition & Types of Computer Viruses. (n.d.). Fortinet. Retrieved August 22, 2022, from https://www.fortinet.com/resources/cyberglossary/computer-virus

What is Ping of Death (PoD) | DDoS Attack Glossary. (n.d.). Imperva. Retrieved August 22, 2022, from https://www.imperva.com/learn/ddos/ping-of-death/

Computers in the Workplace

The CIO article states that IT jobs pay an average of $144,666. Nowadays on social media hearing six figures is the way to go, therefore, people are looking towards applying to a lot more IT careers. The technology world has evolved where internet browsers, antiviruses and some software are becoming obsolete. With the removal of such software and innovations of other IT careers have the same change and even more so the industry and the world have develop even ore need for these IT specialists.

One of the main interest in these careers is mainly due to COVID-19, having to  work from home and companies improving their online services and doing virtual meetings. Therefore, when software do not work and there are network glitches, the ideal person to call is an IT expert. I believe that IT careers need to receive the same respect as other professions like doctors and lawyers. I agree that these professions deal with a lot of technicalities that make them stay in school longer. However, whose software is going to help patients and protect information, whose software is going protect data and ensure classified information is safeguarded? Therefore, it all comes down to IT. IT acts as a support to each of these professions to name a few and we do not see their value until a software is not working properly. 

We need IT professional to help safeguard our information and help with network connections. IT has become a primary aspect of our lives therefore, we must adapt to its changes for the betterment of our lives. 

References

Here's Why IT Jobs Are in High Demand. (n.d.). Cambridge College of Healthcare & Technology. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://www.cambridgehealth.edu/blog/heres-why-it-jobs-are-in-high-demand/

Manyika, J. (2017, May 24). Technology, jobs, and the future of work. McKinsey. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/employment-and-growth/technology-jobs-and-the-future-of-work 

New Jobs and Technology: 12 Occupations Created by the Internet | Stewart, Cooper & Coon | Fred Coon | SC&C. (n.d.). The US at Work. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://theusatwork.com/new-jobs-and-technology-12-occupations-created-by-the-internet/

White, S. K. (2022, January 20). The 10 most in-demand tech jobs for 2022 — and how to hire for them. CIO.com. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://www.cio.com/article/230935/hiring-the-most-in-demand-tech-jobs-for-2021.html

 

 

Travelling through a Network

 Below is an example of doing a ping test. A traceroute command is the same except it goes into much more detail. 

Data travels from one network to another in chunks  called packets in a series of hops. This is exactly what the traceroute and ping commands follow and shows the time it takes to go through each network. When I performed my ping and traceroute commands using google.com, google.com.jm and google.ca, I found that google.ca was the fastest at 21ms and google.com.jm was the slowest at 24ms. Host communicate and share information based on Ping. For that reason, we can conclude that various factors can affect the timeframe. These factors can include location which can affect the roundtrip time for each of those servers. Therefore, distance the signal travels affects response time from host to another. 

This is why using Ping commands can assist with troubleshooting internet connections. You can perform this by pinging the URL of a website. If replies are received this proves that the connection is working. However, if error messages occur, this can prove that the server is down or there may be a firewall that is preventing the connection. Therefore, firewall settings need to be adjusted. 

References

Gamio, L. (2015, May 31). How data travels across the Internet - Washington Post. The                         Washington Post. Retrieved August 14, 2022, from                                                     https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/security-of-the-internet/bgp/

Garn, D. M. (2022, April 4). The Ping Command | Computer Networking. CompTIA.                          Retrieved August 14, 2022, from https://www.comptia.org/blog/understanding-ping-command-results

Harmoush, E. (2019, February 26). Packet Traveling – Practical Networking .net. Practical                   Networking. Retrieved August 14, 2022, from https://www.practicalnetworking.net/series/packet-traveling/packet-traveling/

What is Round Trip Time (RTT) | Behind the Ping | CDN Guide. (n.d.). Imperva. Retrieved             August 14, 2022, from https://www.imperva.com/learn/performance/round-trip-time-rtt/