文档介绍：2/13/08 1:48 PM Page 6
PART ONE
Background
art One provides a background and context for the remainder of this book.
This part presents the fundamental concepts puter architecture and
Poperating system internals.
ROAD MAP FOR PART ONE
Chapter puter System Overview
An operating system mediates among application programs, utilities, and users, on
the one hand, and puter system hardware on the other. To appreciate the
functionality of the operating system and the design issues involved, one must have
some appreciation anization and architecture. Chapter 1 provides
a brief survey of the processor, memory, and Input/Output (I/O) elements of -
puter system.
Chapter 2 Operating System Overview
The topic of operating system (OS) design covers a huge territory, and it is easy to
get lost in the details and lose the context of a discussion of a particular issue.
Chapter 2 provides an overview to which the reader can return at any point in the
book for context. We begin with a statement of the objectives and functions of an
operating system. Then some historically important systems and OS functions are
described. This discussion allows us to present some fundamental OS design princi-
ples in a simple environment so that the relationship among various OS functions is
chapter next highlights important characteristics of modern operating sys-
tems. Throughout the book, as various topics are discussed, it is necessary to talk
about both fundamental, well-established principles as well as more recent innova-
tions in OS design. The discussion in this chapter alerts the reader to this blend of
established and recent design approaches that must be addressed. Finally, we pre-
sent an overview of Windows, UNIX, and Linux; this discussion establishes the gen-
eral architecture of these systems, providing context for the detailed discussions to
follow.
6
2/13/08 1: