UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2018/2019
EXAMINATION FOR THE DIPLOMA IN INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
DIT301 OPERATING SYSTEMS
DATE: APRIL 2019 TIME: 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS: ATTEMPT QUESTION ONE AND ANY OTHER TWO QUESTIONS.
QUESTION ONE
a) Explain the states a process can be in. [5 Marks]
b) Explain the following Operating systems terms: [3 Marks]
i. Turnaround time
ii. Throughput
iii. Response time
c) With the aid of diagrams explain TWO memory management techniques. [8 Marks]
d) Explain FIVE functions of the operating system. [5 Marks]
e) Information held both in primary and secondary memory faces threats of unauthorized
access. Explain ways in which information can be secured. [5 Marks]
f) Distinguish:
i. Multiprocessing and multi programming [2 Marks]
ii. Pre-emptive and non- pre-emptive scheduling algorithms. [2 Marks]
QUESTION TWO
a) Ann has visited a computer shop with the intention of purchasing an operating system.
Advise her on the features to look out for in her choice. [5 Marks]
b) Outline Four objectives of input/output device management. [4 Marks]
c) Describe the following process scheduling algorithms. [6 Marks]
i. FCFS
ii. Round robin
iii. Priority scheduling
d) Explain THREE advantages and TWO disadvantages of GUI. [5 Marks]
QUESTION THREE
a) Explain FIVE components of a process control lock block. [5 Marks]
b) Explain the FOUR conditions that must be present for deadlock to occur. [8 Marks]
c) Explain FOUR advantages of command line interface. [4 Marks]
d) List down THREE activities a user can perform on a file. 3 Marks]
QUESTION FOUR
a) Explain FIVE types of operating systems. [5 Marks]
b) Briefly explain the three types of schedulers. [3 Marks]
c) Explain FIVE qualities of a good scheduling algorithm. [5 Marks]
d) List FOUR examples of operating systems in the market today. [4 Marks]
e) Explain THREE features of modern operating systems. [3 Marks]
QUESTION FIVE
a) With the aid of diagrams explain paging and swapping memory management techniques.
[6 Marks]
b) With the aid of a diagram explain the FIVE state process model. [5 Marks]
c) Define the following terms: [4 Marks]
i. Buffer
ii. External fragmentation
iii. Fixed partition
iv. Segmentation
d) With aid of examples explain input/ out device categories. [5 Marks]
