Understanding Operating Systems

file

A ____ is a group of related records that contains information to be used by specific application programs to generate reports.

WAITING

A thread transitions from RUNNING o ____ when it has to wait for an event outside its control to occur.

implicit parallelism

Automatic detection by the compiler of instructions that can be performed in parallel is called ______.

application programmer

Data recorded on DASDs may or may not be blocked at the discretion of the ___.

data area

Each active thread in a process shares the _____ and the resources allocated to its process.

False

Examples of batch commands are CREATE, DELETE, RENAME, and COPY.

MFD

For every file request, the ___ is the point of entry.

320,000

If the transport speed for a magnetic tape is 200 inches per second and the denisty is 1600 bpi, a total of ____ bytes can be transferred in one second.

track

In a fixed-head magnetic disk, each circle is called a ___ .

USR3

In a networked environment using the OpenVMS Alpha operating system, a file might be named VAX2::USR3:[IMFST.FLYNN]INVENTORY_COST.DOC;7. ___ is the volme where the file is stored?

storage

In noncontiguous storage, linking can take place at the ___ level where each part of the file points to the next one in the sequence.

machine cycle

Lock and key synchronization must take place within a single _____.

One

Movable-head magnetic disks, such as the computer hard drive, have ___ read/write head(s)

True

Multiprocessing can refer to one job using several processors to execute sets of instructions in parallel.

seek time

Of the three components of access time in a movable-head DASDs, ___ is the longest.

of the same size throughout the disc

On an optical disc, all sectors are ____.

of the same size throughout the disc

On an optical disc, all sectors are ______.

sequential, direct, or indexed sequential

On magnetic disks, files can be organized in one of three ways; ____.

multiprocessing

Parallel processing is also called ______.

False

T/F: A file descriptor usually contains only a file name and the directory name in which the file is located.

False

T/F: A find strategy determines the order in which the processes get the I/O handler device, and the goal is to keep seek time to a minimum.

False

T/F: A fixed-head disk is lower in cost than a movable head disk.

True

T/F: A magneto-optical (MO) disk drive combines the technology of magnetic disks with that of optical discs.

False

T/F: A record is a group of related bytes that can be identified by the user with a name, type, and size.

False

T/F: A semaphore is a negative integer variable that is used as a binary signal

True

T/F: Among the many differences between an optical disc and a magnetic disk is the design of the disc track and sectors

True

T/F: Buffers are used extensively to better synchronize the movement of data between the relatively slow I/O devices and the very fast CPU.

True

T/F: DASDs are good for files with low activity (the percent of records accessed) or for users who access records in a random fashion.

True

T/F: Direct access storage devices (DASDs) are devices that can directly read or write to a specific place on a disk.

True

T/F: Directories are special files with listings of filenames and their attributes.

True

T/F: Each unit in the I/O subsystem can finish its operation independently from the others.

False

T/F: Each volume can only contain a single file.

True

T/F: First-come, first-served(FCFS) is the simplest device-scheduling algorithm.

False

T/F: Implied parallelism includes automatic detection by the compiler of instructions that can be performed in parallel.

False

T/F: It is easy to calculate the location of a variable-length record.

True

T/F: N-Step SCAN holds all new requests until the arm starts on its way back.

False

T/F: On a magnetic tape, the inter-record gap (IRG) is about two inches long regardless of the sizes of the records it separates.

True

T/F: Parallel processing is a situation in which two or more processors operate in unison.

True

T/F: Test-and-set is a single indivisible machine instruction known simply as TS and was introduced by IBM for its multiprocessing System 360/270 computers.

True

T/F: The File Manager is in charge of the system's physical components, its information resources, and the policies used to store and distribute the files.

False

T/F: The SCAN algorithm moves the arm methodically from the inner to the outer track, servicing every request in the path.

True

T/F: The classic problem of producers and consumers is one in which one process produces some data that another process consumes later.

False

T/F: The job of the I/O control unit is to keep up with the I/O requests from the CPU and pass them down the line to the appropriate control unit.

True

T/F: The loosely coupled configuration features several complete computer systems, each with its own memory, I/O devices, CPU, and operating system.

False

T/F: The master/slave configuration is an symmetric multiprocessing system.

False

T/F: The only reason for multiprocessing is to increase computer power.

False

T/F: The success of process synchronization hinges on the capability of the operating system to make a resource available to other processes while it is being used by one of them.

False

T/F: The traffic controller maintains a spreadsheet file containing the status and connections for each unit in the I/O subsystem, grouped into Channel Control Blocks, Control Unit COntrol Blocks, and Device Control Blocks.

True

T/F: The universal serial bus (USB) controller acts as an interace between the operating system, device drivers, and applications and the devices that are attached via the USB host.

False

T/F: Two of the most important measures of optical disc drive performance are sustained data-transfer rate and longest access time.

False

T/F: When using DMA, the CPU is involved in transferring data to and from memory for the entire transfer.

physical

The File Manager is in charge of the system's ____ components.

last byte read

The File Manager uses the address of the ____ to access the next sequential record.

scheduler

The I/O ___ allocates the devices, control units, and channels.

highest

The USB controller assigns bandwidth to each device depending on its priority, and the ____ priority is assigned to real-time exchanges where no interruption in the data flow is allowed, such as video or sound data.

symmetric

The _____ configuration is the most difficult to implement.

master/slave

The ______ configuration is an asymmetric multiprocessing system

access control list

The most commonly used access control scheme is the ___.

synchronization

The need for algorithms to resolve conflicts between processors is called process _____.

density

The number of characters that can be recorded per inch on a magnetic tape is determined by the ___ of the tape.

file can't be expanded unless there is empty space available immediately following it

The primary disadvantage of contiguous storage is that ___.

identify the type of file

The purpose of an extension is to ___.

True

The symmetric configuration is best implemented if the processors are all of the same type.

is truncated

When data is stored in fixed length fields, data that extends beyond the fixed size ____.

0

When using a semaphore, a value of ____ indicates that a critical region is in use.

hashing

When using random access files, the program used to store the data follows a set of instructions, called a ___ algorithm, that transforms each key into a number, the record's logical address.

language

With its sophisticated synchronization capabilities, Java supports multithreading at the ______ level.

CPU

Without DMA, the ___ is responsible for the physical movement of data between main memory and the device.

Three

___ bits make up the Channel Status Word (CSW) flag.

ADAMSb10

____ might be an encoded version of ADAMSbbbbbbbbbb

WAIT

____ sets the process's process control block (PCB) to the blocked state and links it to the queue of processes waiting to enter this particular critical region.

Three

_____ semaphores are used in the producer and consumer problem.

Two

______ semaphores are used in the solution to the readers and writers problem that does not involve starvation.