Computer resources: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 08:32, 2 March 2020

Resource Management^[1]

A system resource is any usable part of a computer that can be controlled and assigned by the operating system so all of the hardware and software on the computer can work together as designed. System resources can be used by users, like you, when you open programs and apps, as well as by services which are usually started automatically your operating system. Note: A system resource is sometimes called hardware resource, computer resource, or just resource.^[2]

Resources which needs to be managed[edit]

Resource	Description
primary memory	Please read this article about Primary memory.
persistent storage	Please read this article about Persistent storage
CPU	When the OS runs a piece of software it has to find the program files on the storage drive, load them into main memory, and instruct the CPU to start executing the program from the beginning. In each case, the OS performs the same sequence of steps: the program code is found on the storage drive a section of RAM is reserved for the program and space is allocated for the program's data the program code is copied from storage into the reserved space in the memory the CPU program counter is set to the memory location of the first instruction in the program, and execution begins ^[3]
bandwidth	Bandwidth, which is the amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time, is expressed in multiples of bits per second in digital devices. In analog devices, it is expressed in hertz. A "bus" with low bandwidth can hamper a fast hard drive. The operating system allocates bandwidth to each program, input or output method.
Display server	A display server or window server is a program whose primary task is to coordinate the input and output of its clients to and from the rest of the operating system, the hardware, and each other^[4]. The IB might call this screen resolution. The OS X operating system uses Quartz Compositor as a display server and of a window manager in the windowing system. The Windows operating system uses the Desktop Window Manager to render the graphical user interface The Linux operating system might use X11, wayland, mir or other display server and windows manager.
disk storage	Disk storage is a storage mechanism where data is recorded using various methods : Electronic, magnetic, optic or mechanical. Disk storage is stored by a computer processor and communicates within a computer with the use of input and output operations (I/O). Disk storage is managed by the operating system by determining when to read and write from a storage point.
sound processor	Sound card - provides input and output of audio signals to and from a computer. Most sound cards use a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), which converts recorded or generated digital data into an analog format. The output signal is connected to an amplifier, headphones, or external device
graphics processor	A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized electronic circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display device. ^[5]
cache	Cache memory is a small-sized type of volatile computer memory that provides high-speed data access to a processor and stores frequently used computer programs, applications and data. It is the fastest memory in a computer, and is typically integrated onto the motherboard and directly embedded in the processor or main random access memory (RAM).
network connectivity	Network connectivity relates to management of the hardware (network interface card) and the proper realization of the OSI model. Please see OSI model for a deeper understanding.

Tools you can use to understand what your operating system is doing[edit]

The OS manages	Linux tools you can use	OS X tools you can use
Memory	top, htop, free, vmstat	top, vm_stat, (gui) Activity monitor
Processes	top	top, (gui) activity monitor
Files	File system, df, du, mount, lsof	lsof, (gui) activity monitor
Security	fstab, last, who, /var/log/auth.log	last, who, (gui) console
CPU Scheduling	perf	(gui) Activity monitor
Devices, Device I/O	iotop, iostat	(gui) activity monitor
Interrupts	perf	??
Networks	netstat, top, tcpdump, iptraf, iftop, nmon	netstat,

Click here for a brilliant graphic showing the different types of tools you can use to view inside the Linux operating system

an excellent video to get you started[edit]

Visual to help you see this in context[edit]

This image is used with gratitude from wikipedia ^[6]

Standards[edit]

Identify the resources that need to be managed within a computer system.
Evaluate the resources available in a variety of computer systems.

References[edit]

[1] ttp://www.flaticon.com/

[2] ttps://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-system-resource-2626016

[3] ttps://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/ztcdtfr/revision/3

[4] ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Display_server

[5] ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_processing_unit

[6] ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 | bandwidth || Bandwidth, which is the amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time, is expressed in multiples of bits per second in digital devices. In analog devices, it is expressed in hertz. A "bus" with low bandwidth can hamper a fast hard drive. The operating system allocates bandwidth to each program, input or output method.
 |-
-| screen resolution || Number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It is usually quoted as width × height for example, "1024 × 768." The Screen resolution depends on the operating system (OS), as such one can change the screen resolution through the OS.
+| Display server || A display server or window server is a program whose primary task is to coordinate the input and output of its clients to and from the rest of the operating system, the hardware, and each other<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Display_server</ref>. The IB might call this screen resolution.
+* The OS X operating system uses Quartz Compositor as a display server and of a window manager in the windowing system.
+* The Windows operating system uses the Desktop Window Manager to render the graphical user interface
+* The Linux operating system might use X11, wayland, mir or other display server and windows manager.
 |-
 |  disk storage || Disk storage is a storage mechanism where data is recorded using various methods : Electronic, magnetic, optic or mechanical. Disk storage is stored by a computer processor and communicates within a computer with the use of input and output operations (I/O). Disk storage is managed by the operating system by determining when to read and write from a storage point.