Part -1:
1. Why are operating systems important for computer systems? How can you run a program on a computer system that has no operating system (e.g., a microcontroller system)?
2. How is an instruction executed on a computer system with a von Neumann architecture?
3. How does interrupt-driven I/O work through the relevant device controller and device driver?
Part -2:
1. What do you think are the major aspects of operating systems?
2. Why do kernel mode and user mode need to be separated, and what mechanisms are used for the separation?
3. What are interrupt and trap (or exception), and how are they used to support multi-programming and multi-tasking?
4. Compare open-source operating systems such as Linux with closed-source systems such as Windows. Which one do you prefer under what conditions (or circumstances)?
Part -3:
1. What are the three different vantage points for considering operating systems?
2. What services are designed for performance, and what services are designed for usability?
3. What are system calls, and how does a system call work in a dual-mode context?
4. How do you see the relationship between Linux system calls and a standard C Library?
Part -4:
Study Questions
1. What do you think about operating systems based on microkernel structure compared with their layered and modular kernel counterparts?
2. Why is it important to separate kernel from user space?
3. How are user mode and kernel mode issues dealt with under a virtual machine environment?
Part -5:
Study Questions
1. What is the reason (besides a few core codes programmed by assembly) for using high level language in OS design?
2. Why is operating-system generation and booting needed in most operating systems? What is the two-step process for system boot?