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Explain the devices under control of an operating system.

Explain the devices under control of an operating system.

Answers

Kavungya
i). The processor
The CPU can only execute one program at any one time and several tasks may require processing hence creating competition. The OS decide which program will be performed and for how long. It has also the ability to stop a particular task to allow the processor to service another one.

ii). Main memory
The OS must keep track of what parts of memory are in use and by who and what parts are free. The OS determines which task will remain in memory awaiting for execution and which one will be sent back to secondary storage to wait.

iii). Secondary storage devices
The OS keeps track of the information on the storage devices and controls how the information is written to and read from the storage device. It also utilizes the free space on hard disk by temporarily holding tasks on it that were in RAM ready for processing but have to wait for some time.

iv). Input / output devices
Since the input/output devices are slower than the processor, the OS will control allocation of I/O devices and attempt to resolve any conflicts which arise. It will too monitor the state of each I/O device and signal any faults detected.

v). Communication devices and ports
The OS controls the overall communication process between various tasks and computers. These devices include modems, network interface cards, etc, which connect via ports.
Kavungya answered the question on July 23, 2021 at 06:11

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