Operating system as a Resourse Manager.

Operating System as Resource Manager

·        A computer system usually has many hardware and software resources such as processor, memory, disks, printers, VO devices etc. The operating system acts as a manager of these resources.

·        The operating system is responsible for controlling and allocating various hardware and software resources to different users in an optimal and efficient manner.

·        The task of resource management becomes essential in multi-user operating systems where different users compete for the same resources.

·        As a resource manager, an operating system keeps track of:

1.      Who is using which resource

2.      Granting resource requests

3.      Accounting resource usage

4.      Mediating conflicting requests from different programs and users

·        Operating system manages resources in two ways:

1.      Fime Multiplexing. It defines the sharing of resources on the basis of e fixed time slices. For example, the operating system allocates the resources, such as CPU to program A for a fixed time slice. After that time slice is over, the CPU is allocated to another program B and so on

2.      Space Multiplexing. It defines the concurrent sharing of resources among different programs. For example, sharing of hard disk and mai memory is space multiplexing.