CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO UNIX

OBJECTIVES

 Definition of operating system
 Evolution of UNIX
 UNIX System Structure.
 Features of UNIX
 Operating System Services.
 Architecture of UNIX system, architecture of kernel,
features of Kernel.
Definition of operating system


 Operating System is the system software that
manages computer hardware, software resources,
and provides common services for computer
programs.
Features of operating system


1) Memory management:
Memory management module performs allocation and de-
allocation of memory space.

2) Processor management
It helps OS to create and delete processes.

3) Device management
It keeps tracks of all devices.

4) File management :
It manages all file related activities such as organization, storage,
retrieval, naming, sharing and protection of files.

5) Security
Security modules protects the data and information of a
computer system against authorized access.

6) Job accounting
Keep track of time and resource used by various jobs and
users.

7) Control over system performance

Recording delays between request for a service and response
from the system.
How operating system works?


 Operating system is loaded into memory when a computer is
booted and remains active as long as machine is up. After any
program has completed execution, the operating system cleans
up the memory and registers and makes them available for the
next program.

 Examples of operating system Microsoft Windows, UNIX,

Linux, MacOS etc.

What is Unix?


 The Unix operating system is a set of programs that act as a link
between the computer and the user.
 The computer programs that allocate the system resources and
coordinate all the details of the computer's internals is called
the operating system or the kernel.
 Users communicate with the kernel through a program known
as the shell.
 The shell is a command line interpreter; it translates commands
entered by the user and converts them into a language that is
understood by the kernel

 Unix was originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T
employees Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Douglas McIlroy, and
Joe Ossanna at Bell Labs.

 There are various Unix variants available in the market. Solaris

Unix, AIX, HP Unix and BSD are a few examples. Linux is also a
flavor of Unix which is freely available.

 Several people can use a Unix computer at the same time; hence
Unix is called a multiuser system.

 A user can also run multiple programs at the same time; hence
Unix is a multitasking environment.
Difference between UNIX and LINUX
(linux is a unix clone)

UNIX LINUX

It is a multi tasking, multiuser It is a free and open source software

operating system.
Developed by ken Thompson, Developed by Linus Benedict
Dennis Ritchie and Brain Torvalds.
Kerninghan
Source code is not available to Source code is available to general
general public. public
Solaris, HP UNIX are some versions Ubuntu, Fedora are some versions
Need of UNIX


 Network capability: With other OS, additional
software must be purchased for networking but with
UNIX, network capability is the part of the operating
system
Features of UNIX


1) Simple design, organization and functioning The architecture of
the UNIX is simple, organized and functional.

2) Portability The code can be changed and compiled on a new

machine.

3) UNIX Shell The user interface UNIX Shell provides the services
that the user wants.

4) Hierarchical file system UNIX uses a hierarchical file structure to

store information.

5) Multi user UNIX allows more than one user to share the same
computer system at the same time

6) Multi-tasking More than one program can be run at a time.

7) Security UNIX provides high security level( System level security

and File level security).

8) Pipes and Filters In UNIX, we can create complex programs from

simple programs.

9) Utilities UNIX has over 200 utility programs for various functions.

10) Machine Independence The system hides the machine architecture

from the user, making it easier to write applications that can run any
computer system.
Unix Architecture


 Here is a basic block diagram of a Unix system –

 Kernel:
The kernel is the heart of the operating system. It interacts with the
hardware and most of the tasks like memory management, task
scheduling and file management.

 Shell:
The shell is the utility that processes your requests. When you type
in a command at your terminal, the shell interprets the command
and calls the program that you want. The shell uses standard
syntax for all commands. C Shell, Bourne Shell and Korn Shell are
the most famous shells which are available with most of the Unix
variants.

 Commands and Utilities:
There are various commands and utilities which you can make use
of in your day to day activities. cp, mv, cat and grep, etc. are few
examples of commands and utilities. There are over 250 standard
commands plus numerous others provided through 3rd party
software. All the commands come along with various options.

 Files and Directories:

All the data of Unix is organized into files. All files are then
organized into directories. These directories are further organized
into a tree-like structure called the filesystem.
Architecture of Kernel



 The system call and library interface represent the border between user
programs and the kernel.
 The File subsystem manages files, allocating file space, administrating
free space, controlling access to files and retrieving data for users.
 Kernel Interface to Hardware is responsible for handling interrupts and
for communicating with the machine.
 Device drivers are the kernel modules that control the operation of
peripheral devices.
 Block I/O devices are random access storage devices to reset the system.
 Scheduler module allocates CPU to processes.
 Memory management module controls allocation of memory.
 Inter-process communication (IPC) ranges from asynchronous signaling
of events to synchronous transmission of messages between processes.
Features of Kernel

1) Concurrency Many processes run concurrently to improve the
performance of the system.
2) Virtual Memory(VM) Memory management subsystem
implements the virtual memory and users need not worry about
the executable program size and RAM size.
3) Paging It is a technique to minimize the internal and external
fragmentation in the physical memory.
4) Virtual File System(VFS) A VFS is a file system used to help the
user to hide the different file systems complexities.
5) Inter process communication Itranges from asynchronous
signaling of events to synchronous transmission of messages
between processes.