System Programming

Prof. Uma Bhatt, Assistant Professor

Information Technology Engineering
 CHAPTER-1
Overview of System Software
 Topics to be covered
Introduction
Software
Software Hierarchy
Systems Programming
Machine Structure
Interfaces
Address Space
Computer Languages
Life Cycle of a Source Program
System Software Development
Recent Trends in Software Development
Levels of System Software
 Introduction
• A Set of instructions to perform specific tasks is called a program.

• The Collection of one or many programs for a specific purpose is termed as

Computer Software or Simply Software.

• In general , Software is a set of computer programs which are designed and

developed to perform specific task desired by the user or by the computer itself.
 Software Characteristics
Operational Characteristics
Includes characteristics such as correctness, usability/learnability, integrity ,
reliability, efficiency , security and safety.
Transitional Characteristics
Includes interoperability, reusability and portability.
Revision Characteristics
These are the characteristics related to ‘ interior quality ’ of software such as
efficiency , documentation , and structure. Various revision characteristics of
software are maintainability, flexibility , extensibility, scalability, Testability and
modularity.
 Types of Software

Software

System Programming Application

Software Software Software

System System System General Special

Support Control Development Purpose Purpose
Programs Programs Programs
Figure 1.1 : Types of Software[1]
 System Software
• The system software is collection of programs designed to operate, control and
extend the processing capabilities of the computer itself.

• These are generally prepared by computer manufacturers.

• These software perform a variety of functions like file editing, storage

management, resource accounting, I/O management, etc.
 Types of System Software

• System Control Programs : They control the execution of programs, manage

the storage and processing resources of the computer and perform other
management and monitoring functions. e.g., OS

• System Support Programs : They provide routine service functions to other

computer programs and computer users. e.g., Utility Programs

• System Development Programs : They assist in the creation of publication

programs. e.g., Language translators like interpreters, compilers and
assemblers
 System Control Programs - OS
• An operating system is an integrated set of specialized programs that are used
to manage overall resources of and operations of the computer.

Figure 1.2 : Operating System Services[2]

 System Support Programs – Utility Programs
• Utility programs/Service programs are provided by the computer manufacturers
to perform tasks that are common to all data processing installations. The tasks
performed are :

• Sorting data
• Editing the output
• Dumping of data to disc/tape
• Tracing the operation of program
• Copying data from one recording medium to another
 System Development Programs – Language Translator
• Language translators are also called language processors.

• Main functions are :

Translate high level language to low level language.
Check for and identity syntax errors that may be present in the program being
installed.

• There are 3 types of translator programs-

1. Assembler
2. Interpreter
3. Compiler
 Assembler
• Translates a source program into a corresponding object program.

• Convert symbolic op codes to binary

• Convert symbolic addresses to binary

• Perform assembler services requested by the pseudo-ops

• Put translated instructions into a file for future use

 Interpreter
• A language translator that translates one program statement at a time into
machine code.

• Interpreters usually take less amount of time to analyse the source code.
However, the overall execution time is comparatively slower than compilers.

• Programming languages like JavaScript, Python, Ruby use interpreters.

 Compiler

• A language translator that converts a complete program into machine

language to produce a program that the computer can process in its
entirely.

• Scans the entire program and translates it as a whole into machine

code.

• Compilers usually take a large amount of time to analyse the source

code. However, the overall execution time is comparatively faster than
interpreters.

• Programming languages like C, C++, Java use compilers.

 Programming and Application Software
Programming Software :
Tools provided to the programmer.
E.g compilers, Debuggers, Interpreters, Linkers, Text editors
Application Software :
End user oriented
Provide specific function
E.g microsoft office
Computer games
Media players
 System Software VS Application Software
Table 1.1 : System Software Vs Application Software

System Software Application Software

It is the type of software which is the interface It is the type of software which runs as per user
between application software and system. request. It runs on the platform which is provide
by system software.
It is used for operating computer hardware. It is used by user to perform specific task.

System software are installed on the computer Application software are installed according to
when operating system is installed. user’s requirements.
It can run independently. It provides platform for It can’t run independently. They can’t run without
running application software. the presence of system software..
Each computer must have a system software to Without an application software the computer is
function. still able to function.
Examples of system software’s are compiler, Examples of application software’s are word
assembler, debugger, driver, etc. processor, web browser, media player, etc.
Software Hierarchy

Figure 1.3 :Software Hierarchy[1]

 Systems Programming
• Systems programming involves the development of the individual pieces of
software that allow the entire system to function as a single unit.

• System programming involves designing and writing computer programs that

allow the computer hardware to interface with the programmer and the user,
leading to the effective execution of application software on the computer
system.

• Typical system programs include the operating system and firmware,

programming tools such as compilers, assemblers, I/O routines, interpreters,
scheduler, loaders and linkers as well as the runtime libraries of the computer
programming languages.

• Systems programming deals with “low-level” programming.

 Essential Characteristics of Systems Programming
• Programmers are expected to know the hardware and internal behavior of the
computer system on which the program will run.

• Uses a Low Level Programming Language.

• Requires little run time overhead and can execute in a resource constrained
environment.

• These are very efficient programs with a small or no runtime library

requirements.

• Has access to system resource including Memory.

• Can be written in Assembly Language.

 Limiting Factors of Systems Programming
• Limited Programming facility is available , which requires high skills for the
system Programmer.

• Less Powerful runtime Library ( if available at all), with less error checking
capability.
General Machine Structure

[2]
Figure 1.4 : General Machine Structure
 Contd..
The components of a general machine are as follows:
1.Instruction interpreter: The Instruction Interpreter Hardware is basically a
group of circuits that perform the operation specified by the instructions
fetched from the memory.

2.Location counter: LC or instruction counter IC, is a hardware memory device

which denotes the location of the current instruction being executed.

3.Instruction register: A copy of the content of the LC is stored in IR.

4.Working register: The working registers are often called as the "scratch
pads" because they are used to store temporary values while calculation is in
progress.
 Contd..
5. General register: are used by programmers as storage locations and for special
functions.

6. Memory address registers (MAR): contains the address of the memory location that
is to read from or stored into.

7. Memory buffer register (MBR): contains copy of address specified by MAR

8. Memory controller: It is used to transfer data between MBR & the memory location
specified by MAR.

9. I/O channels: The role of I/O Channels is to input or output information from
memory.
 Interfaces
• The connection and interaction between hardware, software and the user.

• Thin layer between two components of computer which exchange information.

• Interface has been defined as a border or an entry point across which different
components of a digital computing system interchange data and information.

• Users "talk to" the software. The software "talks to" the hardware and other
software. Hardware "talks to" other hardware. All this is interfacing.

• It has to be designed, developed, tested and redesigned.

 Contd..
Hardware Interfaces : When referring to hardware, an interface is a physical
device, port, or connection that interacts with the computer or other hardware
device.

Hardware interfaces are the plugs, sockets, cables and electrical signals traveling
through them. Examples are USB, FireWire, Ethernet, ATA/IDE, SCSI and PCI.

Software/Programming Interfaces : Software interfaces (programming interfaces)

are the languages, codes and messages that programs use to communicate with
each other and to the hardware.

Examples are the Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems, SMTP email, IP
network protocols and the software drivers that activate the peripheral devices.
 Contd..
User Interfaces :

•User interfaces are the keyboards, mice, commands and menus used for
communication between you and the computer.

• Examples are the command lines in DOS and Unix, and the graphical interfaces in
Windows, Mac and Linux.
 Contd..
User Interfaces :

•User interfaces are the keyboards, mice, commands and menus used for
communication between you and the computer.

• Examples are the command lines in DOS and Unix, and the graphical interfaces in
Windows, Mac and Linux.
 Address Space
• Address space is the amount of memory allocated for all possible addresses .

• Address space may refer to a range of either physical or

virtual addresses accessible to a processor or reserved for a process.

• The computational entities such as a device, file , server or networked

computer all are addressed within Space.
 Address Space
Table : 1.2 Physical Vs Logical Address Space

Physical Address Space Logical Address Space

Physical address space is the Logical Address Space is generated

collection of all physical addresses by the CPU. It is also sometimes
produced by a computer program called Virtual Address Space.
and provided by the hardware.

Every machine has its own physical In the virtual address Space, there is
address space with its valid address one address space per process ,
range between 0 and some which may or may not start at 0 and
maximum limits supported by the extend to the highest address.
machine.
 Computer Languages
• A Computer language includes various languages that are used to
communicate with a Computer machine.

• Computer languages are used to write computer programs.

• Every computer language contains:

Syntax: possible combination of symbols.
Semantics: gives meaning to language.

•Basically there are two types of programming language: –

Low-level language
High-level language
Computer Language types

Figure 1.5 :Computer Languages[2]

 Low Level Languages
Low Level Languages :

•Low level languages are the basic computer instructions or better known as
machine codes.

•The main function of low level languages is to interact with the hardware of the
computer.

•The languages that come under this category are the Machine level language and
Assembly language.
 Machine Level Languages
Machine Level Languages :

•Machine Language is truly a Computer Dependent Programming Language , which

is written using binary codes.
•Machine code encompasses a function(opcode) and Operand(Address) Part.
•Programs written by using machine Language can be executed immediately
without the requirement of any Language Translator.
 Contd..
Disadvantage of Machine Level Languages :
•Programs based on machine Language are difficult to understand as well as develop.
•A pure machine-oriented language is difficult to remember and recall: All the
instructions and data to the computer are fed in numerical form.
•Knowledge of computer internal architecture and codes is must for programming.
•Writing Code using machine language is time consuming ,cumbersome and complicated.
•Debugging of Programs is difficult.
 Assembly Language
• It is a kind of Low-Level Programing Language which uses symbolic codes or
mnemonics as instruction.

• The Processing of an assembly Language Program is done by using a Language

Translator called Assembler that translates assembly Language code into
Machine code.

• Assembly Language program needs to be translated into equivalent machine

language code(binary code) before execution.
 Advantages of Assembly Language
Advantages of Assembly Language :
•Due to use of Symbolic codes(mnemonics) , an assembly language programs can
be written faster.
•It makes the programmer free from the burden of remembering the operation
codes and addresses of memory location.
•It is easier to debug.

Disadvantages of Assembly Language :

•It takes a lot of time and effort to write the code for the same.
•It is very complex and difficult to understand.
•The syntax is difficult to remember.
•It has a lack of portability of program between different computer architectures.
 High Level Language
• High Level Language were developed to overcome the large time consumption
and cost in developing machine and assembly languages.

• It is much closure to English like Language.

• A Separate Language translator is required to translate high level language

programs into machine readable object code.

• Some of the distinguished features of High level Language include interactive,

support variety of data types, a rich set of operators, flexible control structures
,
readability ,modularity, file handling and memory management.
 Contd..
Advantages of High Level Language:
•It is machine independent.
•It can be used both as Problem and Procedure oriented.
•It follows simple English-like structure for program coding.
•It does not necessitate extensive knowledge of computer architecture.
•Writing code using high level language consumes less time.
•Debugging and program maintenance are easy.

Disadvantages of High Level Language:

•It requires language translators for converting instructions from high level
language into low level object code.
 High Level Language Vs. Low Level Language
Table 1.3 : High Level Vs Low Level Language

High Level Language Low Level Language

High-Level Languages are easy to learn Low-Level Languages are challenging to
and understand. learn and understand.
They are executed slower than lower They execute with high speed.
level languages because they require a
translator program.
They allow much more abstraction. They allow little or no abstraction.

They do not provide many facilities at the They are very close to the hardware and
hardware level. help to write a program at the hardware
level.
For writing programs, hardware For writing programs, hardware
knowledge is not required. knowledge is a must.
 Contd…

High Level Language Low Level Language

The programs are easy to modify. Modifying programs is difficult.

A single statement may execute several The statements can be directly mapped to
instructions. processor instructions.

BASIC, Perl, Pascal, COBOL, Ruby etc are Machine language and Assembly language
examples of High-Level Languages. are Low-Level Languages.
 Life cycle of source Program
• The life cycle of a source program defines the program behavior and extends
through execution stage, which exhibits the behavior specified in the program.

• Every source program goes through a life cycle of several stages.

Edit time: It is the phase where editing of the program code takes place and is also known as
design time. At this stage, the code is in its raw form and may not be in a consistent state.

Compile time: At the compile time stage, the source code after editing is passed to a
translator that translates it into machine code. One such translator is a compiler. This stage
checks the program for inconsistencies and errors and produces an executable file.

Distribution time: It is the stage that sends or distributes the program from the entity
creating it to an entity invoking it. Mostly executable files are distributed.
 Contd..
Installation time : Typically, a program goes through the installation process, which makes it
ready for execution within the system.

Link time : At this stage, the specific implementation of the interface is linked and associated
to the program invoking it. System libraries are linked by using the lookup of the name and the
interface of the library needed during compile time or throughout the installation time, or
invoked with the start or even during the execution process.

Load time : This stage actively takes the executable image from its stored repositories and
places them into active memory to initiate the execution. Load time activities are influenced
by the underlying operating system.

Run time : This is the final stage of the life cycle in which the programmed behavior of the
source program is demonstrated
Figure 1.6 : Life Cycle of a Source Program[2]
 System Software Development
Preliminary
Investigation

System Analysis

System Design

System Tool acquisition

Implementation
Figure 1.7 : System Software Development
System Maintenance
 Contd..
• Software development process follows the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC),
which has each step doing a specific activity till the final software is built.
• The system software development process also follows all the stages of SDLC, which
are as follows:

Preliminary investigation: It determines what problems need to be fixed by the system

software being developed and what would be the better way of solving those problems.

System analysis: It investigates the problem on a large scale and gathers all the
information. It identifies the execution environment and interfaces required by the
software to be built.

System design: This is concerned with designing the blueprint of system software that
specifies how the system software looks like and how it will perform.
 Contd..
System tool acquisition: It decides and works around the software tools to
develop the functionalities of the system software.

Implementation: It builds the software using the software tools with all the
functionality, interfaces, and support for the execution. This may be very
specific as the system software adheres to the architecture. Operating system
support is sought for allocations and other related matters.

System maintenance: Once the system software is ready, it is installed and

used. The maintenance includes timely updating software what is already
installed.
 Recent Trends in Software Development
Latest trends in program development from the coding perspective include the following:
Use of preprocessors against full software stack
JavaScript MV* frameworks rather than Java Script files
CSS frameworks against generic cascading style sheets
SVG with JavaScript on Canvas in competition with Flash
Gaming frameworks against native game development
Single-page Web apps against websites
Mobile Web apps against native apps
Android against iOS
Moving towards GPU from CPU
Renting against buying (Cloud Services)
Web interfaces but not IDEs
Agile development
 Levels of System Software

Figure 1.8: Levels of System Software[2]

 References
[1] System Programming by D M Dhamdhere McGraw Hill Publication
[2] System Programming by Srimanta Pal OXFORD Publication
[3] System Programming and Compiler Construction by R.K. Maurya& A. Godbole.
[4] System Software – An Introduction to Systems Programming by Leland L. Beck,
3rd Edition, Pearson Education Asia, 2000
[5] System Software by Santanu Chattopadhyay, Prentice-Hall India,2007
www.paruluniversity.ac.in