B.
Linux System Architecture
1
Applications: Compilers, word processors, X-based GUI
AUI
LINUX Shell: Bourne Again (bash), TC, Z, etc.
Language libraries
API
System call interface
Memory File management Process
management Management
Kernel
Device Drives
BIOS
Computer Hardware
2
l Kernel
– The part of an OS where the real work is done
l System call interface
– Comprise a set of functions (often known as Application Progarmmer’s
Interface API) that can be used by the applications and library routines
to use the services provided by the kernel
l Application User’s Interface
– Interface between the kernel and user
– Allow user to make commands to the system
– Divided into text based and graphical based
3
l File Management
– Control the creation, removal of files and provide directory
maintenance
– For a multiuser system, every user should have its own right to
access files and directories
l Process Management
– For a multitask system, multiple programs can be executed
simultaneously in the system
– When a program starts to execute, it becomes a process
– The same program executing at two different times will become
two different processes
– Kernel manages processes in terms of creating, suspending, and
terminating them
– A process is protected from other processes and can
communicate with the others
4
l Memory management
– Memory in a computer is divided into main memory
(RAM) and secondary storage (usually refer to hard disk)
– Memory is small in capacity but fast in speed, and hard
disk is vice versa
– Data that are not currently used should be saved to hard
disk first, while data that are urgently needed should be
retrieved and stored in RAM
– The mechanism is referred as memory management
l Device drivers
– Interfaces between the kernel and the BIOS
– Different device has different driver
5
Open Source Software
People improve it, people adapt it, people fix
bugs. And this can happen at a speed that,
compared to conventional software
development, seems astonishing.
What is Linux
Linux is a generic term referring to Unix-like graphical
user interface (GUI) based computer operating systems.
Features of Linux
Powerful
It is Multi-user, Multitasking, Multiprocessor
Coexists with other Operating Systems
Runs on multiple platforms
Includes the Source Code
Crash proof
Demand loads executables
Shared copy-on-write pages among executables
Linux has CD-ROM file system which reads all standard formats
of CD-ROMs.
Linux performs well with TCP/IP networking, including
ftp, telnet, NFS, etc.
Linux also runs as Lan Manager/Windows Native (SMB)
client and server .
It integrates many networking protocols .
It’s “free”
Licensed under GPL
Vendors are distributors who package Linux
Components of Linux System
Kernel : Kernel provides the required abstraction to
h i d e l ow l e ve l h a rdwa re d e t a i l s to s ys te m o r
application programs
System Library : System libraries are special functions
or programs using which application programs or
system utilities accesses Kernel's features
Sys te m Ut i l i t y : Sys te m Ut i l i t y p ro g ra m s a re
responsible to do specialized, individual level tasks.
Components of Linux System
Architecture
Linux System Architecture is consists of following layers,
Hardware layer - Hardware consists of all peripheral devices (RAM/
HDD/ CPU etc).
Kernel - Core component of Operating System, interacts directly with
hardware, provides low level services to upper layer components.
Shell - An interface to kernel, hiding complexity of kernel's functions
from users. Takes commands from user and executes kernel's
functions.
Utilities - Utility programs giving user most of the functionalities of an
operating systems.
