System Software: Practice Questions

Which of the following is an example of a utility program in a computer system?

In the context of computer system operation, which of the following characteristics is unique to virtualisation?

A large e-commerce platform experiences peak traffic during holiday sales, requiring its servers to handle millions of transactions simultaneously. To cope with this demand, the platform distributes incoming requests across multiple independent servers, each processing a portion of the workload. This setup also ensures that if one server fails, others can continue operations, preventing service interruption. Which mode of operation is being described?

Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between hardware, system software, and application software in a computer system?

A company's payroll system collects all employee time-clock data throughout the month. On the last day of the month, the system runs a programmed sequence to calculate gross pay, taxes, and net pay for all 5,000 employees without any user intervention. Once started, the process continues until all records are processed and payslips are generated. This is an example of:

Distinguish between parallel processing and distributed processing regarding the physical arrangement and cooperation mechanism of the multiple processors utilized.

Explain the concept of virtualisation as a mode of operation. State two key benefits virtualisation provides to IT infrastructure and give a brief example of its practical application.

Describe two essential functions of an operating system, briefly explaining how each contributes to the overall management and operation of a computer.

A major technology company, 'TechGrid', operates a large data centre providing two critical services, each with distinct performance requirements:

• Service A: High-Frequency Trading (HFT) System, which executes stock transactions immediately upon receiving market feeds. This demands absolute minimum latency and immediate responsiveness.
• Service B: Enterprise Data Warehousing (DW) System, which processes massive aggregated log files for quarterly compliance reporting. This process runs over several hours every weekend and prioritizes high throughput of data rather than instantaneous response.

(a) Identify the most suitable operating mode for Service A and Service B, respectively. Justify your choice by explaining the primary characteristic of each identified mode and how it meets the specific service requirement. (3 points)

(b) To maximize the utilization of their expensive physical server hardware, TechGrid employs extensive virtualisation, running dozens of virtual machines (VMs) on a single physical server host. Explain the role of the system software component (the Hypervisor or Virtual Machine Manager) that enables this virtualisation. Furthermore, describe one significant challenge or overhead that virtualisation introduces to the overall system performance compared to running the OS directly on the physical hardware. (3 points)

(c) Name and briefly explain the function of one utility program (besides the file manager) essential for TechGrid's system administrators to maintain the continuous operation and security of the server farm. (1 point)

A multinational technology firm manages its global operations using various modes of computer operation and system software to optimize efficiency and maintain system integrity.

(a) The firm utilizes distributed processing for its global logistics database, while its scientific research department uses parallel processing for complex climate simulations. Distinguish between these two modes of operation in terms of hardware architecture and the method of task completion. (3 marks)

(b) To reduce hardware costs, the firm implements virtualisation on its enterprise servers. Explain the role of the Hypervisor (Virtual Machine Manager) in this setup and describe how it allows different operating systems to run on the same physical machine. (2 marks)

(c) When a specialized high-resolution 3D scanner is connected to a workstation, the operating system requires a driver program. Explain why a driver is categorized as system software rather than application software, and state its primary function in resource management. (2 marks)