1.5 Systems Software

Question 1

What does the OS do?
What do Utility Programs do?

Answer 1

The OS provides the interface between the User and Hardware. The user does this using application.
The OS is a platform for the application. all applications involve a user interface so the user can interact in a familiar and friendly way.

Utility programs are built into the OS which help maintain the computer. e.g. Encryption, compression or defragmentation software.

Question 2

What are the two types of system software?

Answer 2

1. Operating system which provides a platform for users to run programs
2. Utility software which maintains the computer system

Question 3

What is user interface?

Answer 3

• A computer design that allows the user to interact with the computer.
• Human-computer interaction.
• A visual/auditory/set of devices for human to interact with the computer.

Graphical or textual or auditory information that a program presents to the computer user.

Question 4

What is the GUI

Answer 4

WIMP - Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointers

It is visual, interactive, intuitive and optimised for touch and mouse gesture input

Question 5

What is the command line?

Answer 5

• User provides a text input/command/string using the computer keyboard and the computer displays/prints/outputs text on the monitor.

Question 6

What is multi-tasking?

Answer 6

When you have more than one program open and running at the same time. The processor allocates a small amount of time to each process and cycles between them. As this happens so quickly it feels like they are executing simultaneously.

Question 7

Memory Management

Answer 7

Memory fragmentation is when the data is split

Question 8

What are device drivers

Answer 8

Device Drivers translate the OS instructions to print a document into a series of instructions which a specific piece of hardware will understand.
Each peripheral needs a device driver

Question 9

What is user management?

Answer 9

• Providing for different users to log into a computer
• The operating system will retain settings fro each user, such as icons, desktop backgrounds.
• Each user may have difference access rights to files and programs
• A client server network may impose a fixed or roaming profile for a user, and manage login requests.

Question 10

What is file management?

Answer 10

• Data is stored in files
• An extension to the filename tells the OS which application to load the file into. e.g. Essat.docx
• The operating system may present a logical structure of files into folders, and allow the user to rename, delete, copy and move files.

Question 11

What is Encryption?

Answer 11

Question 12

What is defragmentation?

How does it affect Storage?

Answer 12

• Defragmentation utilities reorganise files on a hard disk, putting fragments of files back together, and it collects together free space.
• This reduces the movement of read/write head across the surface of the disk, which speeds up file access.
• Solid state drives should not be defragmented. It is unnecessary as they have no moving parts and it also reduces their lifespan

Question 13

What is Data Compression?

Answer 13

• Compression utilites reduces the size of a file so that it takes up less space, and is quicker to download over the internet.
• Compressed files must be extracted before they can be read
• Depending on the algorithm used, data is either lost, reducing the quality of an image or sound e.g. JPEG, or repersented in a different way using binary, retaining the original data in a new, compressed format e.g. ZIP

Question 14

What are the main functions of the OS?

Answer 14

Provide a user interface

Provide a platform for a user to run applications

Question 15

What do device drivers allow the OS and hardware to do?

Answer 15

Question 16

How does the OS allow multitasking?

Answer 16

Question 17

How does the OS deal with user accounts?

Answer 17

Question 18

What do defragmentation utilities do?

Answer 18

Question 19

What does compression and Encryption software do?

Answer 19

Question 20

Features of user and file management?

Answer 20

User management functions, e.g.:

• Allocation of an account
• Access rights
• Security, etc.
• Auditing (keeping a log) of files a user creates, accesses, edits and deletes

File management, and the key features, e.g.:

• Naming
• Allocating to folders
• Moving files
• Saving, etc.
• create, modify and delete files and folders
• copy and duplicate files and folders

Question 21

What are back-ups and their two types?

Answer 21

To prevent data loss, regular copies of the data should be made. A copy of data is known as a backup. Backups can contain a copy of all files on a computer, or just ones specified by a user.

Network managers make regular backups of all files on a network using backup software. The software automatically makes a backup at a scheduled time of day, usually during the evening when the network is quiet. Backups are usually made to a high capacity secondary storage device, or to the cloud. If data loss occurs, data can be retrieved from the backup. The software allows all backed-up files to be retrieved or just specified files.

Two types of backup are possible:

• A full backup involves making a copy of every file on the computer or network. They can require a lot of storage space and can be time consuming to make.
• Incremental backups take a copy of any new files created since the last backup, or of any files that have been edited, such as user documents.

Most network managers make an initial full backup and then switch to daily incremental backups. This way all data is backed up and daily backups are small and less time-consuming.