Functions of Operating System

Functions of Operating System

• The main functions of an operating system are as follows:

(a) Process management;

(b) Memory management;

• Secondary storage management;
• I/o management;
• File management;
• Protection;

(g) Networking management; and

(h) Command interpretation.

Process Management

• The operating system is responsible for the following activities in connection with processes management:
• The creation and deletion of both user and system processes;
• The suspension and resumption of processes;

(c) The provision of mechanisms for process synchronisation; and

(d) The provision of mechanisms for deadlock handling.

Memory Management

• The operating system is responsible for the following activities in connection with memory management.

(a) Keep track of which parts of memory are currently being used and by whom;

(b) Decide which processes are to be loaded into memory when memory space becomes available; and

(c) Allocate and deallocate memory space as needed.

Secondary Storage Management

• The operating system is responsible for the following activities in connection with disk management:
• Free space management;
• Storage allocation; and (c) Disk scheduling.

I/O Management

• The operating system is responsible for the following activities in connection to I/O management:

• A buffer caching system;

• To activate a general device driver code; and

• To run the driver software for specific hardware devices as and when required.

File Management

• The operating system is responsible for the following activities in connection to the file management.

(a) The creation and deletion of files;

(b) The creation and deletion of directory;



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