Operating Systems Networking for Home and Small Businesses Chapter 2 Copyleft 2012 Vincenzo Bruno (www.vincenzobruno.it) Released under Crative Commons License 3.0 By-Sa Cisco name, logo and materials are Copyright Cisco Systems Inc.
Objectives Describe the purpose of an OS and identify common operating systems available. Describe an installation of an operating system and prepare the computer to participate on the network. Maintain the operating system. 2
Purpose of an Operating System Operating system allows communication between applications and hardware Operating system loaded into RAM at startup Parts of an OS kernel communicates with hardware shell works with the application 3
Purpose of an Operating System Types of user interfaces CLI (Command Line Interface) user enters commands at the prompt DOS GUI (Graphical Unit Interface) uses pictures more user-friendly 4
Purpose of an Operating System They enable the user to multitask In order to work with resources that are not directly connected to the computer system, a special piece of software must be added that allows a device to send and receive data from the network. This software, known as a redirector, may either be an integral part of the OS or may need to be installed separately as a network client. When installed, the operating system becomes a network operating system (NOS) 5
Purpose of an Operating System Licensing requirements 6
Free Software definition The first formal definition of free software was published by FSF in February 1986. That definition, written by Richard Stallman, states that software is free software if people who receive a copy of the software have the following four freedoms Freedom 0: The freedom to run the program for any purpose. Freedom 1: The freedom to study how the program works, and change it to make it do what you wish. Freedom 2: The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor. Freedom 3: The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements (and modified versions in general) to the public, so that the whole community benefits. Freedoms 1 and 3 require source code to be available because studying and modifying software without its source code is highly impractical. 7
Purpose of an Operating System Operating System Requirements Amount of RAM needed Hard drive space required Processor type and speed Video resolutions 8
How to select an Operating System Does it support user requirements? Does the hardware support the operating system you have chosen? What is the level of human resources needed to support the operating system? 9
Installation of an Operating System Installation Methods Clean install new system or no upgrade or damaged OS Upgrade replace old OS with new Multiboot more than one OS on a PC set up different partitions Virtualization used for servers allows multiple copies to be run 1
Installation of an Operating System Complete a pre-installation checklist for installing an operating system Verify hardware will work Make sure installation medium is available (CD or DVD) Complete file backup Determine file system method OS uses to keep track of files FAT 32, NTFS 1
Installation of an Operating System Prepare your computer to participate in the network Must have a NIC Must have correct configurations IP (Internet Protocol) identifies the computer on the network Subnet Mask identifies network on which the computer is connected Default gateway identifies the device the computer uses to access the network or Internet 1
Installation of an Operating System Types of configurations Manual entered into the computer by the administrator static addressing Dynamic requests information from a DHCP server 1
Installation of an Operating System Describe the purpose of a naming scheme 1
Installation of an Operating System Describe how to plan for multiple devices on a network. 1
Operating System Maintenance Describe the purpose of a patch a piece of code that can correct a problem or enhance the functionality Identify when a patch should be applied Automatic Installation updates scheduled to occur during times when PC is not in use Prompt for Permission notifies end user when patch is available user decides whether or not to download it Manual primarily used for service packs 1
Operating System Maintenance Identify sources of Applications patches 1
Summary An operating system is the most important software in a PC. It is responsible for making all of the components and software applications work together. An OS is installed in a disk partition. To participate in a network, a computer requires an IP address, subnet mask and default gateway. An OS must be kept up-to-date with the latest revisions, or patches. Before installing a wireless network an installation plan should be created. 1