Analysis of the Mac Operating System   Term Paper ID:39565 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Discusses how the Macintosh operating system handles process management memory management file management and ...Discusses how the Macintosh operating system handles process management memory management file management and ...... More...

6 Pages / 1350 Words 9 sources, 9 Citations, MLA Format $24.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Abstract: Discusses how the Macintosh operating system handles process management, memory management, file management and input/output management. Also discusses how the Mac deals with threads, synchronization and the issue of deadlock. Paper Introduction: Analysis of the Mac operating System Introduction Although the Macintosh computer has never enjoyed the dominant marketposition that the Windows-based PC has the Macintosh has a reputation ofbeing more reliable and easier to use two issues that Apple has exploitedin recent ads The differences in performance are often attributed to theMacintosh operating system OS X and the way that it performs criticalfunctions This research discusses how the Macintosh operating systemhandles process management memory management file management andinput output management In addition this Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Advanced synchronization in Mac OS X. The synchronization within Mac OS X relies on interrupt handlers thatcannot be pre-empted and that cannot sleep. To avoid deadlocks, Mac OS X uses Mach subsystems and microkernels toprovide greater stability among threads and thus avoid the deadlocksituation that can paralyze a system. This is inkeeping with the tradition of Apple introducing new features that are laterpicked up by Microsoft, such as the original Apple GUI operating systemthat was mimicked by Windows. File management remains one of the weakeraspects of the operating system, but future versions of OS X may enhancethe capabilities of Spotlight, or introduce additional robustness toFinder. In this way, the amount of device-specificcode is kept to a minimum even as the need for kernel drivers is eliminated("Mac OS X," 2 5). Synchronization Synchronization within the kernel relies on several different lockingstructures and algorithms designed to ensure that synchronization integrityremains intact. Memory management also now includes theautomatic use of virtual memory. ReferencesEclipse Project Release Notes. Virtual memory allocation is determined by theprocesses running and their usage requirements ("An Overview," n.d.). Such reliance was the case in previous versionsof the Macintosh operating system, and the results could be frustratinglyslow as the system was trying to respond to copy or move files from withinapplications. When this does occur, the Mac OS X recovers in part bydetecting the deadlock and rolling back to a pre-deadlock state in theassociated applications. Macworld, 24, pp. Thismakes the process management capabilities of the operating system morepowerful than in previous versions (Siracusa, 2 5). Memory Management The OS X operating system improved the memory management capabilitiesof the Macintosh. (n.d.). There are some who credit OS Xwith pushing Microsoft to enhance its own operating system, a move whichled to the recently announced and highly anticipated Vista. (2 2, January 24). Mac OS X Hints. (2 7, April). Retrieved 21 April 2 7 from: .Gerbarg, L. Deadlock conditionsplague multiprocessing machines, including the Macintosh, but the Tigerversion of OS X sought to improve internal processes in order to reduce thelikelihood of deadlock ("Mac OS Server," 2 3). Input/Output Management Apple has provided hardware developers with an I/O kit that isdesigned to facilitate the development of drivers for the multiprocessingenvironment that exists in the Mac OS X system. ButApple was not content to use a pure UNIX system, and added features thatare in keeping with Apple's reputation for reliability and power. Finder generally remains themost-used application for moving and copying files, although Spotlight canbe used for this, as well (Griffiths & McElhearn, 2 7). Mac OS X Hints. Retrieved 21 April 2 7 from: .Siracusa, J. The kit uses C++ and anobject-oriented architecture to enhance its usability. If an application needsadditional memory, OS X assigns it without having to relaunch the program.This results in seamless processing for users and significantly reduces-oreliminates-"out of memory" errors. Process Management UNIX is at the heart of the Mac operating system; this gives theoperating system flexibility and reliability that comes from the years offield testing and use that UNIX has enjoyed. The use of mutex in OS X can provide bettersynchronization results. This results in somewhat slower response times, but doesmaintain functionality. S. Simple locks are effective, but can require a significantamount of CPU resources. Retrieved 21 April 2 7 from: .Mac OS X server. File Management File Management in OS X is handled by the Finder application, whichhas been made a "pure" application, meaning that while any otherapplication can access it, other applications can no longer rely on it formoving or copying files. (2 3). Not surprisingly,thread management, based on the Mach microkernel, provides much of thefoundation for the overall success of OS X. In addition, each thread canspecify its own requirements in real-time. Theprocess and memory management of OS X is impressive, as is its threadhandling and synchronization. When possible, it will launch processes in parallel. ARS Technica. However, UNIX does notprovide process management as robust as some critics would like, and soApple introduced more sophisticated process management with its 1 .4(Tiger) version of OS X. Apple Computer. The kernel then monitors thethreads to ensure that they remain within their allotment which allows forstrong performance even when time-sensitive operations are running. Apple has long provided enhanced thread management,but this has become one of its strongest points in OS X. If a system does not have sufficientphysical memory, then OS X will allocate virtual memory to the taskautomatically. Apple Computer. Retrieved 21 April 2 7 from: .Mac OS X for UNIX users. Rather than manually assigning memory to eachapplication, OS X assigns memory dynamically. (2 1, December 28). This can help userscreate logically-driven file trees, but can also make it difficult tolocate files when there are hundreds or thousands saved on a system.Spotlight, a new feature in OS X, provides a powerful search engine thatcan be useful to help accomplish this task. Despite these efforts, deadlock canstill occur. In addition, this research also considers how theMac deals with threads, synchronization and the issue of deadlock. 8 - 81.Griffiths, R., & McElhearn, K. This research discusses how the Macintosh operating systemhandles process management, memory management, file management andinput/output management. Deadlock Deadlock, which occurs when two or more applications are waiting forthe other to release a resource, is a problem in multiprocessingenvironments, including those encountered by Mac OS X. Retrieved 21 April 2 7 from: .An Overview of memory usage. Like other systems, the Macintosh uses a combination offiles grouped into folders for its organization. Retrieved 21 April 2 7 from: . The Tiger version of OS X also introduced launchd, a daemon thateliminates the need for individual processes to check for dependencies,relaunch, or maintain communication handles in the event of a crash. Econ Technologies brings easy file synchronization to Mac OS X users. TheTiger version of OS X also includes complete support for synchronizationand cancellation (Griffiths, 2 4). Input/outputcontrol relies on classes that use abstractions common to all drivers aswell as high-level "families". 84-86.Japes, J. Today, the issues are not always obvious tousers at the interface level, but the performance issues enhanced by the OSX technology may well have an even greater impact on users. Thread management is perhaps the Mac's most impressive feature withinthe operating system. (2 5, April 28). Retrieved 21 April 2 7 from: .Griffiths, R. Tiger uses symmetric multiprocessing (SMP)support for user applications as well as within the Mach subsystem. (2 4, September). The result is robustprocess management that provides more efficient kernel threads and processintegrity (Japes, 2 2). Analysis of the Mac operating System Introduction Although the Macintosh computer has never enjoyed the dominant marketposition that the Windows-based PC has, the Macintosh has a reputation ofbeing more reliable and easier to use, two issues that Apple has exploitedin recent ads. This approach can slow down the system, but bynot having to relaunch the applications, let alone reboot the system, thisapproach provides the highest level of transparency to users ("Eclipse,"2 7). G. The differences in performance are often attributed to theMacintosh operating system (OS X) and the way that it performs criticalfunctions. Apple Computer. Kernelresource locking is also used as part of SMP in order to prevent conflictsamong threads working for different processes. Scheduling bands are alsoutilized; these range from to 127, with 127 being the highest priority.Bands within these 128 include bands for high-priority regular threads(bands 64 through 79), kernel mode threads (bands 8 through 95) and real-time threads (bands 96 to 127) (Gerbarg, 2 2). Conclusion When Apple moved to a UNIX-based operating system, it did so in partbecause of the stability and enhanced flexibility that UNIX offers. Synchronization efforts can lead to deadlock whenan application requests a simple lock that it already holds (Gerbarg,2 2). Applealso ensured that launchd took care of the traditional process managementissues such as timing (when a processes launches), and checks fordependencies. (2 5). Macworld, 21, pp. Threads The Mac kernel efficiently handles multithreaded applications on oneor more processors. Threads are individually scheduled and migrated by thekernel; this eliminates the overhead of user-level threaded libraries andimproves the efficiency of the machine. (2 7, February 26). If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.