Operating System

Basic idea

The OS layer that interacts with a network either as a participant (networked OS) or as something to be abstracted away (distributed OS). The distinction is who knows about the network: the user or the OS.

Key facts

• Networked OS: hosts are autonomous; user explicitly invokes network ops.
• Distributed OS: location transparency — the OS schedules and migrates as needed.
• Real-world systems are mostly networked; true distributed OSes (Plan 9, Amoeba) remained research artefacts.

Networking versus Distributed OS

Networked OS

A networked operating system provides support for network operations. The users manage the networked applications and commands. Each host is autonomous.

Distributed OS

Tries to abstract the network from the user and thereby remove the need for the user to specify how the networking commands and operations should be undertaken.

Siblings

• Memory
• Processes and threads