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Operating Systems Question Paper

Operating Systems

Course:Bachelor Of Science In Information Technology

Institution: Kca University question papers

Exam Year:2009

1
UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2009/2010
FIRST YEAR EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF
SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
BIT 1302: OPERATING SYSTEMS
DATE: DECEMBER 2009 TIME: 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS: Answer question ONE and any other TWO questions
QUESTION ONE [30 Marks]
(a) Define briefly the following terms:
(i) Throughput (ii) Response time (iii) Semaphore and (iv) deadlock (8 Marks)
(b) Describe the three states a process can be in while in the system. (6 Marks)
(c) Outline the differences between physical address and virtual address? (4 Marks)
(d) Describe the paging memory allocation scheme bringing out it’s advantages and disadvantages
over segmentation. (4 Marks)
(e) Describe the paging memory allocation scheme bringing out it’s advantages and disadvantages
over segmentation. (4 Marks)
(f) Discuss the two components that make up any I/O device. (4 Marks)
QUESTION TWO [20 Marks]
a) Describe briefly the ways that can be used to terminate a process. (4 Marks)
b) What is a control structure that the operating system uses to keep the information of the process
context? Give the pieces of information that are likely to be in this structure. (4 Marks)
c) (i) What is a binary semaphore? (2 Marks)
(ii) Describe the signal and wait operation and how it is implemented in a semaphore. (4 Marks)
d) (i) Explain what a thread is? Give an example. (2 Marks)
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(ii) What is the difference between a global switch and a process switch? (4 Marks)
QUESTION THREE [20 Marks]
a) Clearly explain the compaction process in the main memory. (4 Marks)
b) Discuss how fragmentation manifest itself in each of the following type of virtual storage
system
(i) Segmentation (ii) Paging and (iii) Combined paging/segmentation. (6 Marks)
c) A system has two process and three identical resources. Each process needs a maximum of two
resources. Is deadlock possible? Explain your answer. (3Marks)
d) (i) Explain briefly the concept of deadlock prevention. (2 Marks)
(ii) Describe how the circular-wait condition can be prevented. (3 Marks)
(iii)Explain how deadlock involving consumable resources can occur. (2 Marks)
QUESTION FOUR [20 Marks]
(a) Briefly describe the following page replacement algorithms.
(i) First-in First out and (ii) Optimal (OPT) (4 Marks)
(b) (i) Discuss the disadvantages that a single level directory system has. (4Marks)
(ii) Give four directory operations in UNIX, explaining what they do. (4Marks)
(c) Discuss briefly and compare the working of Memory-Mapped I/O and the Direct Memory Access
(DMA) as ways of the processor communicating with the I/O devices. Why is the DMA preferred?
(6 Marks)
(d) Discuss four ways in which input and output devices may differ. (2 Marks)
QUESTION FIVE [20 Marks]
(a) (i) Explain briefly the objective of computer security. (2 Marks)
(ii) State three procedure and processes that specify security policies. (3 Marks)
(i) What does data integrity entail (3 Marks)
(b) Explain briefly the following terms with respect to inter-process synchronization
(i) Critical section and (ii) Mutual exclusion (4 Marks)
(c) Describe the three forms of explicit inter-process synchronization (6 Marks)
(d) Describe two ways in which a program can invoke services of the operating system.
(2 Marks)

Operating Systems Question Paper

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