Theory

MCDST Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-271): Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Microsoft® Windows® XP Operating System, Second Edition (Pro-Certification)

Get in-depth exam prep for Exam 70-271, a core requirement for MCDST certification, as you build real-world job skills. Updated to cover Service Pack 2, this kit includes 425 practice questions, full review, case studies, troubleshooting labs, and more

Operating System Concepts (7th Edition)

Another defining moment in the evolution of operating systems
Small footprint operating systems, such as those driving the handheld devices that the baby dinosaurs are using on the cover, are just one of the cutting-edge applications you'll find in Silberschatz, Galvin, and Gagne's Operating System Concepts, Seventh Edition.
By staying current, remaining relevant, and adapting to emerging course needs, this market-leading text has continued to define the operating systems course. This Seventh Edition not only presents the latest and most relevant systems, it also digs deeper to uncover those fundamental concepts that have remained constant throughout the evolution of today's operation systems. With this strong conceptual foundation in place, students can more easily understand the details related to specific systems.
New Adaptations
* Increased coverage of user perspective in Chapter 1.
* Increased coverage of OS design throughout.
* A new chapter on real-time and embedded systems (Chapter 19).
* A new chapter on multimedia (Chapter 20).
* Additional coverage of security and protection.
* Additional coverage of distributed programming.
* New exercises at the end of each chapter.
* New programming exercises and projects at the end of each chapter.
* New student-focused pedagogy and a new two-color design to enhance the learning process.

Modern Operating Systems (3rd Edition) (GOAL Series)

For software development professionals and computer science students, Modern Operating Systems gives a solid conceptual overview of operating system design, including detailed case studies of Unix/Linux and Windows 2000.

What makes an operating system modern? According to author Andrew Tanenbaum, it is the awareness of high-demand computer applications--primarily in the areas of multimedia, parallel and distributed computing, and security. The development of faster and more advanced hardware has driven progress in software, including enhancements to the operating system. It is one thing to run an old operating system on current hardware, and another to effectively leverage current hardware to best serve modern software applications. If you don't believe it, install Windows 3.0 on a modern PC and try surfing the Internet or burning a CD.

Readers familiar with Tanenbaum's previous text, Operating Systems, know the author is a great proponent of simple design and hands-on experimentation. His earlier book came bundled with the source code for an operating system called Minux, a simple variant of Unix and the platform used by Linus Torvalds to develop Linux. Although this book does not come with any source code, he illustrates many of his points with code fragments (C, usually with Unix system calls).

The first half of Modern Operating Systems focuses on traditional operating systems concepts: processes, deadlocks, memory management, I/O, and file systems. There is nothing groundbreaking in these early chapters, but all topics are well covered, each including sections on current research and a set of student problems. It is enlightening to read Tanenbaum's explanations of the design decisions made by past operating systems gurus, including his view that additional research on the problem of deadlocks is impractical except for "keeping otherwise unemployed graph theorists off the streets."

It is the second half of the book that differentiates itself from older operating systems texts. Here, each chapter describes an element of what constitutes a modern operating system--awareness of multimedia applications, multiple processors, computer networks, and a high level of security. The chapter on multimedia functionality focuses on such features as handling massive files and providing video-on-demand. Included in the discussion on multiprocessor platforms are clustered computers and distributed computing. Finally, the importance of security is discussed--a lively enumeration of the scores of ways operating systems can be vulnerable to attack, from password security to computer viruses and Internet worms.

Included at the end of the book are case studies of two popular operating systems: Unix/Linux and Windows 2000. There is a bias toward the Unix/Linux approach, not surprising given the author's experience and academic bent, but this bias does not detract from Tanenbaum's analysis. Both operating systems are dissected, describing how each implements processes, file systems, memory management, and other operating system fundamentals.

Tanenbaum's mantra is simple, accessible operating system design. Given that modern operating systems have extensive features, he is forced to reconcile physical size with simplicity. Toward this end, he makes frequent references to the Frederick Brooks classic The Mythical Man-Month for wisdom on managing large, complex software development projects. He finds both Windows 2000 and Unix/Linux guilty of being too complicated--with a particular skewering of Windows 2000 and its "mammoth Win32 API." A primary culprit is the attempt to make operating systems more "user-friendly," which Tanenbaum views as an excuse for bloated code. The solution is to have smart people, the smallest possible team, and well-defined interactions between various operating systems components. Future operating system design will benefit if the advice in this book is taken to heart. --Pete Ostenson

The widely anticipated revision of this worldwide best-seller incorporates the latest developments in operating systems technologies. The Third Edition includes up-to-date materials on relevant operating systems such as Linux, Windows, and embedded real-time and multimedia systems. Includes new and updated coverage of multimedia operating systems, multiprocessors, virtual machines, and antivirus software. Covers internal workings of Windows Vista (Ch. 11); unique even for current publications. Provides information on current research based Tanenbaum’s experiences as an operating systems researcher. A useful reference for programmers.

Operating Systems Design and Implementation (3rd Edition) (Prentice Hall Software Series)

Most books on operating systems deal with theory while ignoring practice. While the usual principles are covered in detail, the book describes a small, but real UNIX-like operating system: MINIX. The book demonstrates how it works while illustrating the principles behind it. Operating Systems: Design and Implementation Second Edition provides the MINIX source code. The relevant selections of the MINIX code are described in detail. When it first came out, MINIX caused something of a revolution. Within weeks, it had its own newsgroup on USENET, with 40,000 people. Most wanted to make MINIX bigger and fancier. Instead, Linux was created. That has become quite popular, very large, and complicated. MINIX, on the other hand, has remained small and suitable for instruction and example. The book has been revised to include updates in MINIX, which started out as a v 7 unix clone for a floppy-disk only 8088. It is now aimed at 386, 486, and pentium machines and is based on the international posix standard instead of on v7. There are now also versions of MINIX for the Macintosh and SPARC available. Professional programmers will find this book to be a valuable resource and reference book.

Operating Systems: Internals and Design Principles (6th Edition) (GOAL Series)

Serving as both a basic reference and an up-to-date survey of the state of the art, this book covers the concepts, structure, and mechanisms of operating systems. Stallings presents the nature and characteristics of modern-day operating systems clearly and completely. Updated treatment of Windows as a case study to cover Windows Vista. Online animations with references incorporated throughout. A new chapter on Embedded Operating Systems. Part Six (Distributed Systems and Security) moved online, reducing the cost and size of the book without loss of content. Expanded coverage of security. New figures added, with many existing figures updated to enhance clarity. A useful reference for programmers, systems engineers, network designers and others involved in the design of computer products, information system and computer system personnel.

Design of the UNIX Operating System (Prentice Hall Software Series)

Learning the UNIX Operating System, Fifth Edition

Part basic primer, part reference guide, this slim volume will make your life with UNIX much simpler. This book is specifically designed for those who are new to UNIX and contains neither introductory-level condescension nor advanced-level gibberish. Well-indexed and clearly mapped, Learning the UNIX Operating System will show you how to use and manage files and get your e-mail as well as how to perform more advanced tasks, such as redirecting standard input/output and multitasking your processes. Those new to the UNIX world will appreciate its concise presentation, and those reasonably familiar with UNIX will learn many new shortcuts, tricks, and tools. --Jennifer Buckendorff

If you are new to Unix, this concise book will tell you just what you need to get started and no more. Unix was one of the first operating systems written in C, a high-level programming language, and its natural portability and low price made it a popular choice among universities. Initially, two main dialects of Unix existed: one produced by AT&T known as System V, and one developed at UC Berkeley and known as BSD. In recent years, many other dialects have been created, including the highly popular Linux operating system and the new Mac OS X (a derivative of BSD).

"Learning the Unix Operating System" is a handy book for someone just starting with Unix or Linux, and it's an ideal primer for Mac and PC users of the Internet who need to know a little about Unix on the systems they visit. The fifth edition is the most effective introduction to Unix in print, covering Internet usage for email, file transfers, web browsing, and many major and minor updates to help the reader navigate the ever-expanding capabilities of the operating system:

In response to the popularity of Linux, the book now focuses on the popular bash shell preferred by most Linux users.

Since the release of the fourth edition, the Internet and its many functions has become part of most computer user's lives. A new chapter explains how to use ftp, pine for mail, and offers useful knowledge on how to surf the web.

Today everyone is concerned about security. With this in mind, the author has included tips throughout the text on security basics, especially in the Internet and networking sections.

The book includes a completely updated quick reference card to make it easier for the reader toaccess the key functions of the command line.

The Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System

Understanding Operating Systems, Fifth Edition

With the same straightforward and clear writing style that has made previous editions so successful, Understanding Operating Systems, Fifth Edition, provides the ideal blend of operating theory and practice. Coverage includes the fundamentals of operating systems: what they are, what they do, how they function, how they can be evaluated, and how they compare to one another. Part One describes the management of memory, processors, devices, files, and networks as well as system security, ethics, and overall system management. The second part of the book focuses on four specific operating systems (UNIX, MS-DOS, Windows, and Linux) and how they apply the theory explained in the first part of the text. Updates include discussions of new technologies that affect operating system design, including multi-core chips and virtualization, making this edition a current and relevant resource.

Guide To Operating Systems, Enhanced Edition

Guide to Operating Systems, Enhanced Edition provides the information needed to understand and support the desktop, server, and network operating systems in use today -- Windows XP, Windows Vista (the latest Windows version) Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows 2000, SUSE Linux, Fedora Linux, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Mac OS X (Panther and Tiger), and NetWare. Major concepts include operating system theory, installation, upgrading, configuring (operating system and hardware), file systems, security, hardware options, storage, resource sharing, network connectivity, maintenance, and troubleshooting. This book combines theory and technical practice for a stronger understanding, and it is great for training technical professionals who support multiple operating systems.