Guide to Operating Systems 4th edition
Palmer & Walters
Chapter 2
Popular Operating Systems
Overview
This chapter lists some of the more commonly used operating systems, and gives some details
about their history and included features. The goal of the chapter is to give some insight into
the more interesting features that set apart each operating system.
Objectives

Describe operating systems that laid the groundwork for current desktop and server
operating systems

Identify the basic features and characteristics of popular desktop and server operating
systems

Understand when to use certain operating systems
Key Terms
 activate A procedure to register your copy of a Windows operating system starting with
the Windows XP version. Without this activation, you will not be able to run your
operating system for more than a small amount of time.
 Active Directory A Windows 2000 database of computers, users, shared printers,
shared folders, and other network resources and resource groupings that is used to
manage a network and enable users to quickly find a particular resource.
 Active Directory Application Mode (ADAM) Allows Active Directory and software
applications to communicate. It provides coordination and authentication of users and
user information.
 Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) Enables one sign-on for both network
and Web-based resources.
 ActiveX An internal programming standard that allows various software that runs under
the Windows operating system to communicate with the operating system and other
programs.
 Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) A variant of the UNIX operating system upon
which a large proportion of today’s UNIX software is based.
 client In a networking environment, a computer that handles certain user-side software
operations. For example, a network client may run software that captures user data input
and presents output to the user from a network server.
 clustering The ability to share the computing load and resources by linking two or more
discrete computer systems (servers) to function as though they are one.
 common language runtime (CLR) A feature developed in Windows Server 2003 that
verifies code before it is run and monitors memory to clean up any leakage before it
becomes a problem.
 Component Object Model (COM) Standards that enable a software object, such as a
graphic, to be linked from one software component into another one.
 Distributed File System (DFS) A set of client and server services to organize
distributed shared files into logical file system.
Guide to Operating Systems 4th edition
Palmer & Walters
 domain A logical grouping of computers and computer resources that helps manage
these resources and user access to them.
 driver signing Setting up all drivers so that they cannot be inadvertently overwritten by
earlier driver versions, and only certified versions of drivers can be installed.
 external commands Operating system commands that are stored in separate program
files on disk. When these commands are required, they must be loaded from disk
storage into memory before they are executed.
 failover clustering Server clusters that are used to provide a high availability of
services from the cluster.
 File Classification Infrastructure (FCI) Allows files to be located on servers in the
organization based on predetermined naming conventions.
 gadgets Small applications for readily accessing information and tools.
 high-performance computing (HPC) Microsoft HPC Server 2008 is designed for
applications that need high speed and highly efficient computing.
 HomeGroup A home networking system found in Windows 7.
 Hyper-V Allows a server to run multiple independent operating systems at the same
time along with running multiple virtual servers on one physical server.
 Infrared Data Association (IrDA) A group of peripheral manufacturers that developed
a set of standards for transmitting data using infrared light. Printers were some of the
first devices to support the IrDA specifications.
 IP Security (IPsec) A way to secure Internet protocol (IP) traffic by encrypting and
authenticating each packet.
 jump list A list of items such as documents recently opened, music listened to, or Web
sites visited.
 Kerberos A security system developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to
enable two parties on an open network to communicate without interception by an
intruder, creating a unique encryption key per each communication session.
 library A Windows 7 feature consisting of virtual folders that contain data and
information from various places on the network and the local computer.
 line editor An editor that is used to create text a line at a time.
 Microsoft Management Console (MMC) A flexible system to provide server
administrators one place to configure the servers and monitor their function.
 .NET Framework A large library available to all programming languages supported by
.NET, which allows multiple programming languages to utilize code from other
languages.
 peer-to-peer networking A network setup in which any computer can communicate
with other networked computers on an equal or peer-like basis without going through an
intermediary, such as a server or network host computer. Mac OS is a peer-to-peer
operating system.
 Plug and Play (PnP) Software utilities that operate with compatible hardware to
facilitate automatic hardware configuration. Windows versions starting with 95
recognize PnP hardware when it is installed, and, in many cases, can configure the
hardware and install required software without significant user intervention.
 Print Management Console A console that allows a system administrator to manage
printers and printing throughout the network.
 privileged mode A feature of the operating system kernel introduced in Windows NT
which protected it from problems created by a malfunctioning program or process.
 ReadyBoost A disk cache feature that allows any kind of portable mass storage as
cache.
Guide to Operating Systems 4th edition
Palmer & Walters
 registry A Windows database that stores information about a computer’s hardware and
software configuration.
 Rights Management Services (RMS) A feature developed in Windows Server 2003 to
secure documents from copying, forwarding, and printing.
 Server Core A scaled-back version of Windows Server 2008 where all configurations
and maintenance are done via the command-line interface.
 SharePoint Services A collection of Microsoft software used for collaboration, Web
publishing, and file sharing.
 single-sign-on (SSO) A way to log on once and have access to everything you have
been granted access to across the network.
 storage area network (SAN) A set of storage devices that appear to the server as being
locally attached, but in fact are on their own network with access granted to the server.
 System V Release 4 (SVR4) A variation of the UNIX operating system. It is very
popular today along with the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD).
 task supervisor A process in the operating system that keeps track of the applications
that are running on the computer and the resources they use.
 total cost of ownership (TCO) The cost of installing and maintaining computers and
equipment on a network, which includes hardware, software, maintenance, and support
costs.
 Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) An initiative of more than 80 companies to develop
products that can be quickly added to a computer or network. These include intelligent
appliances for the home. More information can be found at the Web site www.upnp.org.
 Universal Serial Bus (USB) A serial bus designed to support up to 127 discrete devices
with data transfer speeds up to 5 Gbits/s (gigabits per second).
 User Account Protection (UAP) A feature of some Microsoft operating systems that
allows for better protection of user accounts by controlling permissions and by limiting
the software applications that can be run from an account.
 virtual folder A combination of folders and files based on content. The files can be in
any location on the local computer or the network.
 virtual private network (VPN) A private network that is like a tunnel through a larger
network—such as the Internet, an enterprise network, or both—and restricted to
designated member clients.
 Web browser Software to facilitate individual computer access to graphical data
presented over the Internet on the World Wide Web, or over a local area network in a
compatible format.
 Windows Hardware Error Architecture (WHEA) supports memory and cache error
recovery without the operating system being aware of this process.
 X Window A windowed user interface for UNIX and other operating systems.