CNIT 176 COMPREHENSIVE EXAM UPDATED QUESTIONS
AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔Thrashing - ✔✔inefficient processing caused by constant page swaps
✔✔Single Contiguous Memory Management - ✔✔only 2 programs in memory-
operating system and application program
✔✔Process control block - ✔✔a data structure used by the operating system to manage
information about a process
✔✔Fixed partitions - ✔✔memory is divided into fixed number of partitions in which
programs can be loaded
✔✔Context switch - ✔✔the exchange of register information
✔✔First come, first serve - ✔✔processes are moved to the CPU in the order they arrive
in the running state
✔✔Shortest job next - ✔✔process with the shortest estimated running time in the ready
state is moved into the running state first
✔✔Round robin - ✔✔each process runs for a specified time slice and moves from the
running state to the ready state to wait its turn if not finished
✔✔Dynamic partitions - ✔✔partitions are created as needed to fit the programs waiting
to be loaded
✔✔Non preemptive - ✔✔the currently executing process gives up the CPU voluntarily
✔✔Preemptive - ✔✔the operating system decides to favor another process
✔✔Turnaround time - ✔✔the amount of time between when a process arrives in the
ready state the first time and when it exits the running state for the last time
✔✔Bounds register - ✔✔a register that holds the length of the current partition
✔✔Quantum - ✔✔The amount of time each process receives before being preempted
and returned to the ready state to allow another process its turn, also called Time Slice
✔✔First fit - ✔✔allocate program to the first partition big enough to hold it
✔✔Best fit - ✔✔allocate program to the smallest partition big enough to hold it
,✔✔Worst fit - ✔✔allocate program to the biggest partition able to hold it
✔✔BIOS - ✔✔Where hardware meets software, and where all the boot magic begins;
BIOS code is baked into the motherboard of your pc, usually stored on what is called an
EEPROM and is considerably hardware specific.
✔✔Partition table - ✔✔an index of up to four partitions that exist on the same disk, a
table of contents
✔✔MBR - ✔✔Master Boot Record: Located at the first sector of a hard disk, the MBR
identifies how and where the OS is located so that it can be loaded into main RAM.
✔✔JMP Instruction - ✔✔assembly equivalent of a goto command
✔✔Active partition - ✔✔Partition on a hard drive where the OS boots off of, also called a
bootable partition
✔✔Boot menu - ✔✔When a computer is booting up the bios will allow the user to
access the boot menu if a certain key is pressed (normally F2, F12 or esc.) From the
boot menu the user can select a bootable device to load.
✔✔Bootloader - ✔✔A program that loads an operating system when a computer is
turned on. The bootsector loads and runs the bootloader from its filesystem. When the
bootloader is finally executed, it loads its configuration/database from files on the same
partition.
✔✔OS Kernel - ✔✔Communicates with and controls the hardware
✔✔EEPROM - ✔✔where the BIOS code is baked into the motherboard of your PC,
considerably hardware-specific.
✔✔Dual/ Multibooting - ✔✔Support for loading multiple operating systems
✔✔POST - ✔✔Power-On Self Test
✔✔NTLDR - ✔✔the default bootloader for Windows NT, 2000, and XP; BOOT.INI on
the active partition contains the list of operating systems and their locations;
NTDETECT.COM is a helper program that runs to detect hardware and identify devices
✔✔BOOTMGR - ✔✔the new Windows and is used on Windows Vista, 7, 8, and 10; list
of operating systems is now read from the BCD file in the BOOT directory on the active
partition; is self-contained, and does not need any helper programs or routines
, ✔✔GRUB - ✔✔the most popular bootloader for Linux, though it can boot numerous
other OSes as well; its boot settings are stored in a file usually called grub.cfg (GRUB2)
or menu.lst (GRUB); GRUB is a modular bootloader can load additional modules from
disk
✔✔Boot device - ✔✔any piece of hardware that can read or contains the files required
for a computer to start. For example, Floppy disk, CD, DVD, and USB Flash Drive are
considered bootable devices
✔✔Startup disk - ✔✔Hard drive where the BIOS loads a very small program and tells
the CPU to execute its contents, handing off control of the computer to whatever is on
the hard drive and ending, its active role in loading your PC. Also called a "the boot
device" or "drive 0"
✔✔Drive - ✔✔An electromechanical device that contains and reads and writes magnetic
disks, optical discs or magnetic tapes
✔✔Filesystem drivers - ✔✔give the bootloader the ability to read, at the very least, the
filesystem it is located on
✔✔Firmware - ✔✔permanent software programmed into read-only memory
✔✔Unified Extensible firmware interface - ✔✔(UEFI/EFI) an advanced interface
standard of firmware for operating system compared to legacy BIOS. Supports fast PC
startup, bootable GPT hard drive, larger capacity (more than 2 TB) etc.
✔✔GUID partition table - ✔✔a standard for the layout of the partition table on a physical
storage device used in a desktop or server PC, such as a hard disk drive or solid-state
drive, using globally unique identifiers (GUID)
✔✔efi file - ✔✔These files define the interface between platform firmware and a user's
operating system
✔✔EFI system partition - ✔✔a special partition on the hard drive that the UEFI file is
stored
✔✔Block devices - ✔✔standard magnetic disk, optical drives, solid state drives, storage
area networks
✔✔File operations (for 1,2,3) - ✔✔file as a whole (1): Copy, move, list, print, load and
execute a program, load file into memory, store file from memory, append data from
memory to file, compile, assemble file. Within a file (2): open a file, read a number of
bytes from file, write a number of bytes to a file, move the file pointer forward or
backward, move file pointer to beginning of a file, close a file. Record storage (3):
AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔Thrashing - ✔✔inefficient processing caused by constant page swaps
✔✔Single Contiguous Memory Management - ✔✔only 2 programs in memory-
operating system and application program
✔✔Process control block - ✔✔a data structure used by the operating system to manage
information about a process
✔✔Fixed partitions - ✔✔memory is divided into fixed number of partitions in which
programs can be loaded
✔✔Context switch - ✔✔the exchange of register information
✔✔First come, first serve - ✔✔processes are moved to the CPU in the order they arrive
in the running state
✔✔Shortest job next - ✔✔process with the shortest estimated running time in the ready
state is moved into the running state first
✔✔Round robin - ✔✔each process runs for a specified time slice and moves from the
running state to the ready state to wait its turn if not finished
✔✔Dynamic partitions - ✔✔partitions are created as needed to fit the programs waiting
to be loaded
✔✔Non preemptive - ✔✔the currently executing process gives up the CPU voluntarily
✔✔Preemptive - ✔✔the operating system decides to favor another process
✔✔Turnaround time - ✔✔the amount of time between when a process arrives in the
ready state the first time and when it exits the running state for the last time
✔✔Bounds register - ✔✔a register that holds the length of the current partition
✔✔Quantum - ✔✔The amount of time each process receives before being preempted
and returned to the ready state to allow another process its turn, also called Time Slice
✔✔First fit - ✔✔allocate program to the first partition big enough to hold it
✔✔Best fit - ✔✔allocate program to the smallest partition big enough to hold it
,✔✔Worst fit - ✔✔allocate program to the biggest partition able to hold it
✔✔BIOS - ✔✔Where hardware meets software, and where all the boot magic begins;
BIOS code is baked into the motherboard of your pc, usually stored on what is called an
EEPROM and is considerably hardware specific.
✔✔Partition table - ✔✔an index of up to four partitions that exist on the same disk, a
table of contents
✔✔MBR - ✔✔Master Boot Record: Located at the first sector of a hard disk, the MBR
identifies how and where the OS is located so that it can be loaded into main RAM.
✔✔JMP Instruction - ✔✔assembly equivalent of a goto command
✔✔Active partition - ✔✔Partition on a hard drive where the OS boots off of, also called a
bootable partition
✔✔Boot menu - ✔✔When a computer is booting up the bios will allow the user to
access the boot menu if a certain key is pressed (normally F2, F12 or esc.) From the
boot menu the user can select a bootable device to load.
✔✔Bootloader - ✔✔A program that loads an operating system when a computer is
turned on. The bootsector loads and runs the bootloader from its filesystem. When the
bootloader is finally executed, it loads its configuration/database from files on the same
partition.
✔✔OS Kernel - ✔✔Communicates with and controls the hardware
✔✔EEPROM - ✔✔where the BIOS code is baked into the motherboard of your PC,
considerably hardware-specific.
✔✔Dual/ Multibooting - ✔✔Support for loading multiple operating systems
✔✔POST - ✔✔Power-On Self Test
✔✔NTLDR - ✔✔the default bootloader for Windows NT, 2000, and XP; BOOT.INI on
the active partition contains the list of operating systems and their locations;
NTDETECT.COM is a helper program that runs to detect hardware and identify devices
✔✔BOOTMGR - ✔✔the new Windows and is used on Windows Vista, 7, 8, and 10; list
of operating systems is now read from the BCD file in the BOOT directory on the active
partition; is self-contained, and does not need any helper programs or routines
, ✔✔GRUB - ✔✔the most popular bootloader for Linux, though it can boot numerous
other OSes as well; its boot settings are stored in a file usually called grub.cfg (GRUB2)
or menu.lst (GRUB); GRUB is a modular bootloader can load additional modules from
disk
✔✔Boot device - ✔✔any piece of hardware that can read or contains the files required
for a computer to start. For example, Floppy disk, CD, DVD, and USB Flash Drive are
considered bootable devices
✔✔Startup disk - ✔✔Hard drive where the BIOS loads a very small program and tells
the CPU to execute its contents, handing off control of the computer to whatever is on
the hard drive and ending, its active role in loading your PC. Also called a "the boot
device" or "drive 0"
✔✔Drive - ✔✔An electromechanical device that contains and reads and writes magnetic
disks, optical discs or magnetic tapes
✔✔Filesystem drivers - ✔✔give the bootloader the ability to read, at the very least, the
filesystem it is located on
✔✔Firmware - ✔✔permanent software programmed into read-only memory
✔✔Unified Extensible firmware interface - ✔✔(UEFI/EFI) an advanced interface
standard of firmware for operating system compared to legacy BIOS. Supports fast PC
startup, bootable GPT hard drive, larger capacity (more than 2 TB) etc.
✔✔GUID partition table - ✔✔a standard for the layout of the partition table on a physical
storage device used in a desktop or server PC, such as a hard disk drive or solid-state
drive, using globally unique identifiers (GUID)
✔✔efi file - ✔✔These files define the interface between platform firmware and a user's
operating system
✔✔EFI system partition - ✔✔a special partition on the hard drive that the UEFI file is
stored
✔✔Block devices - ✔✔standard magnetic disk, optical drives, solid state drives, storage
area networks
✔✔File operations (for 1,2,3) - ✔✔file as a whole (1): Copy, move, list, print, load and
execute a program, load file into memory, store file from memory, append data from
memory to file, compile, assemble file. Within a file (2): open a file, read a number of
bytes from file, write a number of bytes to a file, move the file pointer forward or
backward, move file pointer to beginning of a file, close a file. Record storage (3):
