Question

Developing a comprehensive operating system strategy report for the assignments in this course. Your first task in this process will be to select an enterprise to use as the basis of your projects. Appropriate research should be conducted to support the analysis in your report. Assumptions may be made when necessary.

1. Project outline
   • OS Processor and Core
   • Scheduling Algorithms
   • OS Concurrency Mechanism
   • OS Security Risks and Mitigation Strategy
   • Future Considerations Using Emerging Technology

Answer 1

In order to develop a comprehensive operating system strategy report ,our first step is to select the enterprise ,which can be used as the basis of our project.

Thus , we need to conduct a support analysis in our report ,which consists of various constraints as given below:

• Project outline
• OS Processor and Core
• Scheduling Algorithms
• OS Concurrency Mechanism
• OS Security Risks and Mitigation Strategy
• Future Considerations Using Emerging Technology

Project outline :The success of our project depends on how we outline everything from the start. An outline is simply a group of elements that we would like to go into the project.

Project outline should consist of:  

1. Business requirement : Requirements of the business is specified.
2. What is being proposed : Aim/Goal of the project is specified.
3. Technology to be used : Technology that are to be used are specified in an organised manner.
4. . Timeline : Starting and ending dates of the project and the time period {months()/year(s)} is spcified.

This should give an idea if what you are going to talk about in subsequent slides.

OS Processor and Core : A processor is an integrated electronic circuit that performs the calculations that run a computer. A processor performs arithmetical, logical, input/output (I/O) and other basic instructions that are passed from an operating system (OS). Most other processes are dependent on the operations of a processor.

A processor, or "microprocessor," is a small chip that resides in computers and other electronic devices. Its basic job is to receive input and provide the appropriate output. While this may seem like a simple task, modern processors can handle trillions of calculations per second.

A core, or CPU core, is the "brain" of a CPU. It receives instructions, and performs calculations, or operations, to satisfy those instructions. A CPU can have multiple cores.

A processor with two cores is called a dual-core processor; with four cores, a quad-core; six cores, hexa-core; eight cores, octa-core. As of 2019, the majority of consumer CPUs feature between two and twelve cores. Workstation and server CPUs may feature as many as 48.

Each core of a CPU can perform operations separately from the others. Or, multiple cores may work together to perform parallel operations on a shared set of data in the CPU's memory cache.

Scheduling Algorithms :

A Process Scheduler schedules different processes to be assigned to the CPU based on particular scheduling algorithms. There are six popular process scheduling algorithms which we are going to discuss in this chapter −

• First-Come, First-Served (FCFS) Scheduling
• Shortest-Job-Next (SJN) Scheduling
• Priority Scheduling
• Shortest Remaining Time
• Round Robin(RR) Scheduling
• Multiple-Level Queues Scheduling

These algorithms are either non-preemptive or preemptive. Non-preemptive algorithms are designed so that once a process enters the running state, it cannot be preempted until it completes its allotted time, whereas the preemptive scheduling is based on priority where a scheduler may preempt a low priority running process anytime when a high priority process enters into a ready state.

OS Concurrency Mechanism : Concurrency is the tendency for things to happen at the same time in a system. Concurrency is a natural phenomenon, of course. In the real world, at any given time, many things are happening simultaneously. When we design software to monitor and control real-world systems, we must deal with this natural concurrency.

In operating system,a concurrent program is executed by :

• Multiprogramming: In this ,the processes share one or more processors.
• Multitasking: In this, each process runs on it's own processor,but with the shared memory.
• Distributed processing: In this, each processes run on it's own processor connected by a network to others.

OS Security Risks and Mitigation Strategy : Operating systems are the core of the computing environment--providing users a common and easy-to-use interface to the hardware and software installed on a computer. Exploits in operating system code wreak havoc on computers, giving hackers the ability to steal data and to damage both hardware and software. Operating system security is crucial because it protects the central control system of a computer.

Software Vulnerabilities :

Operating systems are composed of hundreds of thousands of lines of code. Because humans program and debug each operating system, hundreds of vulnerabilities are introduced into the code at development time. These weaknesses, ranging from simple unwanted behavior or error messages to full-scale system crashes and data corruption, can have catastrophic consequences on data management and productivity. Operating system manufacturers, such as Microsoft and Apple, frequently publish updates to the code, called patches, to fix these vulnerabilities and to ensure system stability.

Authentication :

Most operating systems have a login feature, or a method of separating users' files and access to a computer. Passwords and user names, which are used in every major operating system, provide controlled access to separate domains on a system (both on the hard disk and in the operating system memory itself). Security experts do not consider passwords to be a secure method of authentication because most users' passwords are easily guessed or written down and stored in an insecure place. Authentication spoofing (impersonating another authorized user) is a major security threat for operating systems as it allows the attacker to assume a different digital identity to steal data or launch further attacks.

Malware :

Malware, short for malicious software, hijacks an operating system to perform some sort of task for an attacker. Viruses, trojans and spyware are the most common form of malware, and each work to undermine operating system security controls. Hackers frequently turn compromised computers into "bots" or "zombies," forcing them to join networks of thousands of other systems to perform larger-scale attacks on businesses or governments. Malware usually requires some sort of user action--downloading and running an infected file, or plugging in a compromised USB key--to break into an operating system.

Physical Security :

Physical security is the most important method of ensuring operating system security. Since operating system code and configuration files are installed on a system's hard drive, an attacker with physical access to the system can easily modify, delete or steal critical files on a system. For this reason, most commercial servers are stored in locked rooms and monitored by armed security guards.

The Mitigation Strategy: Goals, Actions, Action Plan

The mitigation strategy is made up of three main required components: mitigation goals, mitigation actions, and an action plan for implementation. These provide the framework to identify, prioritize and implement actions to reduce risk to hazards.

Future Considerations Using Emerging Technology :Here, the future scope of the projects are made on taking into the considerations of the latest emerging technologies. Also,based on these emerging technologies, various updates are made in the current existing system in the particular project.

These emerging technologies are also enable an organisation to make their services more and more flexible,and thus the project report must contain the future scope of the project,depending on these emerging technologies that are well suited for the project.