unix

Running head : UNIX network servers

Students name

University

Course name

Tutor

Date : 11th June 2008

Introduction

An operating system in computer system is a software charged with responsibility of controlling all the computer activities . There are two kinds of operating systems : command driven and the ones that use GUI i .e . graphical user interface , though some OS are both command driven and also use the GUI 's for example LINUX . Examples of operating systems are UNIX , LINUX ,Windows (NT , XP , 98 , 2000 , MAC and DOS . The main

function of an OS is the coordination of the functions of the BIOS and the application softwares of a computer system . Other functions of an operating system include scheduling of tasks ,memory management , input and output management and handling , management of interprocess communication and its mechanisms . As the operating system is the core of the computer system , its characteristics go a long way in determining the strengths or weakness of a computer system and thus the reliability in the case of a networked computing environment , it is thus necessary to consider the following key factors that will go a long way in ensuring a computer system provides it 's users with the required functionality . First is security an operating system should ensure the security of the data stored , the softwares and provide a mechanism by which treats to the security system can be detected , corrected and prevented . The most common security threats in are security viruses Trojan horses , logic bombs , hackers , denial of service attacks , password crackers , sniffers and spoofing . It should also provide a mechanism of restoring the system to its state before the crash by providing a logging mechanism in which the state of the system at any given time is always monitored , changes noted and recorded for retrieval if need arise and . The other issue is networking , an OS should provide efficient networking capabilities . Networking is an important aspect in computing as it provides a mechanism for sharing resources , information , messages and generally making the computer more useful for as no man , should it be computer , is an island . The key concern in choosing an operating system , as far as networking is concerned , are : Is the computer a HYPERLINK "http /www .associatedcontent .com /theme /1349 /home .html " home computer or one involved in corporate undertakings ? Do you handle complex data ? what level of security is desired ? As a rule of thumb user friendliness is of more importance for home computers which handle simple applications , than security this is not so in cooperate computers in which security is central in importance . The other is the memory capacity of your system . Currently , most OS require more than 128 MB of disk space to load and therefore can not be run on systems with less memory might . Other factors that are considered when choosing an operating system include : the skills of the user : it generally needs more technical knowledge to use a command driven OS this is no so for OS that use...