Mastering the Mechanics of Operating Systems and Cybersecurity with Professor JRod

Unlock the secrets of your computer's command center as Professor JRod navigates the intricate world of operating systems with expertise that's anything but ordinary. Step into the realm of process management, where the birth, life, and eventual demise of a process unfolds, and where process control blocks stand guard over the vital information that keeps your system ticking. From the ins and outs of scheduling algorithms to the nuances of inter-process communication, this episode is a treasure chest of knowledge, perfect for those on the brink of CompTIA certification or for the tech-curious seeking to deepen their understanding of the digital universe.

Venture further into the cybersecurity stronghold, where Professor Jay Rod dissects access control mechanisms with the precision of a master locksmith. Decode the complex language of DAC, MAC, ACLs, and RBAC, and discover how these frameworks act as the bulwarks against digital threats. This dialogue isn't just about the "how" but the "why" - why staying vigilant with software patches is paramount, why audits are the backbone of trust, and why encryption is your silent sentinel. It's a conversation that doesn't just inform; it empowers and equips you with the tools to fortify your own cyber fortress. Join us for a session that's set to enlighten, inspire, and transform your approach to cybersecurity.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:28

And welcome to Technology Tap. I'm Professor Jay Rod. In this episode we're going to talk about Operating Systems. Let's get to it, alright, welcome everyone. For those of you who don't know me first time listening to Technology Tap, my name is Professor Jay Rod, that's J-R-O-D and I'm Professor of Cyber Security and the reason for this podcast is to help my students pass there, or any student out there pass their CompTIA A plus, network plus and security plus. And you could not only find me on this podcast but you could also find me on TikTok. I'm at Professor Jay Rod, that's J-R-O-D, and there I do question and answers, quick one, two minute question and answer sessions. I'll do a quick like definitions and stuff that's general for you to learn for the CompTIA exam, but it's like one or two minutes, three minutes the most burst. You don't want to get too many minutes on TikTok. People get bored, but I'm trying to get a thousand likes. If I go and get a thousand likes I'll have the ability to go live and you know I can answer questions that you guys have about CompTIA, anything else. So make sure you look for me on TikTok at Professor Jay Rod.

Speaker 1: 2:11

Alright, so today we are doing Operating Systems, so let's take a look. So it's different functions of a core function of the operating systems, and there's several. We might have to do this in different stages. It might not be just, it just might be a part two, depending how long you know we last. Usually for those of you who are new usually I try to make the podcast between 27 to half an hour, not not too much longer than that. So if I go past 28 minutes, 29 minutes, I'll stop and I can do a part two of core functions of Operating Systems, alright. So let's look at the first function, which is process management.

Speaker 1: 2:58

And then process management is a fundamental aspect of operating systems. That involves the creation, scheduling, execution and termination of processes, and here's an overview. One is process creation, which includes program execution processes. Processes are instance, instances of executing programs. When a program is executed, the operating system creates a new process to execute the program's instructions. Also fork operation. In Unix, like operating systems, the fork system call is used to create a new process which is a copy of the parent process. The child process can then execute a different program using the exec system call.

Speaker 1: 3:42

Next is process state we have new. The process is being created ready. The process is ready to execute and is waiting for the CPU and then running. The process is currently being executed by the CPU, blocked or waiting. The process is waiting for an event to occur, such as user input or I O operations, and then the last is terminated. The process is finished. Execution.

Speaker 1: 4:06

Next we move on to process scheduling. When you scheduling an algorithm, the operating system scheduler determines which process to execute next on the ski on the CPU. Scheduling algorithms include first come, first serve, shortest job, next round Robin, priority scheduling and multi level to scheduling. Next is context switching. When the scheduler switches from executing one process to another, a contact switch occurs where the state of the current process is saved and the state of the next process is restored.

Speaker 1: 4:44

Process synchronization and communication Synchronization process may need to synchronize their execution to access shared resources or avoid race conditions. Synchronization mechanisms like semi forms and monitors ensure mutual exclusive access to shared resources. Inter process communication processes may communicate and exchange data with each other using IPC mechanisms or inter process communication mechanisms such as pipes, message queues, shared memory and sockets. Process termination First we start with normal termination. A process terminates after completing its execution on a specifically calls the exit system. Call Abnormal termination A process may terminate abnormally due to errors, exceptions or signals. And then we have cleanup. When a process terminates, the operating system releases allocated resources, closes, open files, the allocates memory to prevent resource leaks.

Speaker 1: 5:48

Next we go to process control block. The CB, the PCB structure. Each process is presented is represented by process control block in the operating system. The process control block contains information about the process sees, including is processing ID, state program counter, cpu registers, memory allocation and scheduling information. Pid is processing IDs. If you look at task manager from the command line, you see the PID numbers for for different numbers that you have open. So let's say you have no pad open and you do task manager, you see the the PID number for no pad. Process management operations the operating system performs various process management operations, including process creation, scheduling, contact switching, synchronization and termination based on the information stored in the PCB. Process management is a critical component of modern day operating systems, enabling efficient multitasking, resources allocation and coordination of current activities in computing environment. Operating systems use sophisticated and sophisticated process management techniques to maximize CPU utilization, improve system responsiveness and ensure reliable execution of software applications.

Speaker 1: 7:15

Next we are going to memory management. Memory management is a crucial aspect of operating systems that involves the allocation, the allocation and organization of memory resources in the computer systems. Let's take a look at an overview. First we look at memory hierarchical hierarchy. First we start with registers, the smallest and fastest type of memory located within the CPU used to store data and instructions being processed. Cache high speed memory located between the CPU and the main memory, used to temporary store frequently access data and instructions. Main memory, which is RAM volatile memory used to store instructions and data during execution. You have secondary storage, non volatile storage, like what hard drives and solid state drives used for long term storage. We have next main memory management unit. It's responsible for translating logical address generated by the CPU into physical address in main memory. Memory management unit perform address translation, memory protection and memory segmentation or paging.

Speaker 1: 8:29

Next we have memory allocation, both static and dynamic. Static allocation is when memory is allocated to programs at compiled time and remains fixed throughout the program's execution. Dynamic memory is memory allocated and deallocated during a program execution as needed. Next we have memory protection. Operating systems enforce memory protection mechanism to prevent unauthorized access to memory regions. Read only read, write and execute. Permissions are assigned to memory pages to control access by processes. Memory protection helps prevent buffer overflows, stack smashing and other security vulnerabilities.

Speaker 1: 9:13

Next we have virtual memory. Virtual memory allows programs to use more memory than physically available by using combination of RAM and secondary storage, as memory pages are swapped between RAM and disk storage to accommodate the program's memory requirements. Virtual memory enables effective memory utilization, multitasking and memory sharing among processes, and that's very. If you've never done that, it's pretty cool to see that in action. And you can always increase your virtual memory on your computer. That's very easy to do.

Speaker 1: 9:56

Next is memory paging. Paging is a memory management scheme that divides physical memory into fixed size blocks called pages. Virtual memory address are mapped to physical memory address using page tables operated by and maintained by the operating system. Memory reduce memory fragmentation and enables efficient memory allocation and management. Then we have memory fragmentation. Fragmentation occurs when memory is allocated and deallocated in a way that leaves unused memory blocks scattered throughout the address space. Fragmentation can lead to inefficient memory usage and reduced system performance. Precinct, like compaction and memory pooling, are used to reduce fragmentation and improve memory utilization. Memory swapping Memory swapping involves moving inactive or less frequent use memory pages from RAM to disk storage to free up physical memory for active process. Swapping is performed by the operating system's memory manager, based on predefined swapping algorithms and memory usage patterns. Memory management is critical for optimizing system performance, ensuring reliable programming execution and maintaining system stability. In modern operating systems, operating systems use a combination of memory management techniques to efficiently allocate, protect and utilize system memory resources across diverse computing environments and workloads.

Speaker 1: 11:33

File system management is the next one. File system management is a crucial component of operating systems that facilitates the organization, storage, retrieval and manipulation of files and directories. Here's an overview. First we start with file system concepts. Files are logical units of data stored on storage devices. They contain user data, programs, configurations and other information. Next we have directories. Directories or folders Are containers used to organize and group related files and other directories within a hierarchical structure. Paths are unique identifiers that specify the location of files and directories within the file system hierarchy, like see users downloads. Right, that's a path. File attributes. A file system store beta data associated with files, including file name, size, creation, date, modification, date, permission and ownership. File system types.

Speaker 1: 12:41

It's next disk based file system. Disk based file systems like NTFS for Windows, ex4 for Linux and HFS Plus for Mac OS are optimized for storing and accessing files on the hard disk drives and solid state drives, you have your network file systems. Network file systems enable file sharing and access over the network. Files include NFS for Unix like systems, and SMB, which is small message block, and CIFS for Windows system, and you need that small message block. You need for more than just files. You could use it for printing also Distributed file systems. Distributed file systems like how do distributed file systems and Google file systems distribute and manage file storage across multiple servers and distributed computing environment.

Speaker 1: 13:37

Next we have file operations, file creation and deletion. Operating systems provide API and system calls for creating, deleting and managing files. Examples includes open, close, create unlinked system calls. And that's where, like Unix, if some of you are not familiar with those File writing and reading file system support reading, write operations for reading data from files and writing data to files using systems calls like read and write, and then files seeking. File seeking operations allow users to navigate within the files and move the file pointed to specific position using functions like seek, find, search, right File system organization.

Speaker 1: 14:23

File allocation table, or FAT, is a simple file system structure used in older Windows systems for organizing files and directories. They use FAT and FAT32 on USBs Master file table, mft. Ntfs uses master file table to store metadata and file systems. Metadata structures Inno's Unix, like file system use. X4 uses index nodes or in nodes to represent files and directories and store metadata associated with them. And then you have file system features journaling file systems like X4 and NTFS use journaling to record file systems transactions, ensuring data consistency and reliability in the event of a system crash or power failures.

Speaker 1: 15:16

File compression some file systems support file compression techniques to reduce storage space usage and improve file transfer efficiency. Encryption file system encryption features like BitLocker for Windows and FileVolve for Mac OS. Encrypt file content to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access. And then access control list allows administrator to define granular access permission for files and directories, specifically which users or groups have rewrite or execute permissions. File system maintenance you have file system check it's a utility that scans and repair file system errors, inconsistencies and corruption to maintain data integrity and prevent data loss. Defragmentation it's a utility that optimized this performance by rearranging fragmented files and consolidating free space on storage drives. Stand by sleep to conserve energy and extend battery power in mobile devices and laptop.

Speaker 1: 16:21

Power management policies operating system implement power management policies to control device power states dynamically based on a system, workload, user activity and power source conditions. Device monitoring and maintenance device monitoring operating systems monitor device status, perform metrics and error conditions to detect hardware failures, driver issues and resource conflicts. Device configurations and diagnostics systems. Utilities and administrator tools allow users to configure device settings, diagnose hardware problems and perform maintenance task. Device security access control operating systems enforce access control policies to restrict access to sensitive devices and device resources based on user privileges and permission. Device isolation, virtualization technologies and containerization techniques provide mechanisms to isolate and sandbox device access for security and reliability purposes. Device hot plugging and removal hot plugging allow users to connect and disconnect devices from the system while it's running without requiring system reboot and hot swapping. So system support hot swapping device where device can be replaced or upgraded without interrupting system operations. Device management plays a crucial role in ensuring efficient and reliable operations of hardware devices within the operating system. By abstracting hardware complexities, providing standard standardize interfaces and implementing robust management and control mechanism, operating systems enables seamless integration and interaction between software application and the diverse range of hardware peripherals and components.

Speaker 1: 18:21

First we have security and access control, which are critical aspects of operating systems, ensuring that resources are protected and only authorized users or processes can access. Here's an overview of security and access control mechanisms in operating systems. First one is user authentication. You have your login credentials. Operating systems requires users to authenticate themselves using login credentials such as username, password, pins or biometric data, fingerprint, facial recognition of the like, multi-factor authentication, which is the big thing now, as an extra layer of security, by requiring users to provide multiple forms of identification, such as password and one time code sent to their mobile device. So people talk about multi-factor authentication at my students.

Speaker 1: 19:16

How long do you think multi-factor authentication has been around? And some people say like, oh, two years. Or some people say five years, some people say 10 years. It's actually been around for longer than that. It's actually been around for like 40 years, I think. Because if you look at one thing, that's multi-factor, that's been around for years, and I'm going to tell you you're going to be like oh yeah, you're right. Taking money out of the ATM machine, that's multi-factor. You need a card, which is something that you have, and you need the pin, which is something that you know. That's multi-factor. Right, that's not the multi-factor, like you know now, where they send a code to your phone one time code but that is multi-factor. Taking money out of the ATM is a multi-factor that you're doing so. It's been around for a long time. All right Access control models.

Speaker 1: 20:09

You have your discretionary access control, or DAC. Allows users to control access to their own resources by setting permissions on files and directories. Permissions include read, write and execute privileges for the owner group and others. You have mandatory access control, or MAC. Enforces access control policies based on a system-wide rules set by administrators. Users cannot override MAC rules, which are typically based on security labels or classifications like secret, top secret, that sort.

Speaker 1: 20:45

Then you have role ACLs access control lists. Acls are a list of permissions attached to files and directories, specifically which users or groups have specific access rights read, write, execute. Extended ACLs allow finder granular control by specifying access permissions for different user class, owner groups and others and applying additional rules based on user attributes or roles. Then you have rule-based access control, which assigns permissions to users based on their roles within their organizations. Users are assigned roles and permissions are associated with those roles. This simplifies administration and ensures consistent access control across the organization. If they have somebody who's special, then that messes up everything. And if you know, you know Security policies and enforcement Security policies. Operating systems enforce security policies to govern user behavior, resource access and system configuration. Policies define rules for password complexity, account lockout, file passwords, file permissions and network access. Security Audit Security Audit Mechanism track users activity, system events and access attempts to detect security breaches, policy violations and suspicious behavior.

Speaker 1: 22:16

Encryption and data protection you have file encryption. Operating systems offer encryption features to protect sensitive data stored on disk. Encryption algorithms like AES advanced encryption standards encrypt files and directories to prevent unauthorized access. Disencryption full disencryption solutions like BitLocker for Windows and Favol for macOS encrypt an entire disk volume to safeguard data at rest. Firewall and network security Firewall operating system may include a built-in firewall software to monitor and filter network traffic, blocking unauthorized access attempt and malicious connections. Network security Operating systems support network security protocols like IPsec and SSLTLS to encrypt network communications to ensure data confidentiality and integrity.

Speaker 1: 23:15

Software updates and patch management Software updates operating system vendors release security patches and software updates to address vulnerabilities, bugs and security flaws. Regular updates help mitigate security risk and protect against known threats. Then you have patch management. Patch management tools automate the process of deploying software updates and patches across distributed systems, ensuring that systems remain up to date and secure. By implementing robust security and access control mechanism, operating systems help safeguard sensitive data, prevent unauthorized access and mitigate security risk in computing environments. These mechanisms ensure that authorized users and processes can access resources, protecting confidentiality, integrity and availability of information assets.

Speaker 1: 24:30

I'm trying to get into the granular of the operating system so that people think about operating systems and they just take up windows and what it can and cannot do. They need to look at the granular of what windows, mac, linux, unix, what they all do, and this is what we're trying to do here at TechnologyTap. So just a few housekeeping tips. I'm still doing TechnologyTap Premium for those of you who want to join. It's an extra service, $5 a month. Not looking to get rich off you guys, but you know there are expenses to doing a podcast.

Speaker 1: 25:11

I want to be able to do giveaways. I want to. I gave away. Actually he did a nice thing. I have a winner who won the network plus. He won it over the summer network plus certification voucher. He actually wants me to give it away. I don't know how I'm going to do that yet, but he told me that I can give it away to anybody who wants because he recently got his security plus. He's not really interested in network plus, but shout out to him my winner who won over the summer. And if anybody's interested you know what, let's do this.

Speaker 1: 25:53

If anybody's interested in getting a free network plus voucher, write me an email at Professor J Rod as JROD, and tell me why I should pick you. Why should pick you for this? You know network voucher, that that time is in the Thomas Otomas one and he wants to give it out. So if you think that's you, email me, professor J rod, at gmailcom and tell me why you should win. Right, you should put on the subject why should I win, you know? Or network certification. Yeah, put network certification on the on the subject line. That way I make sure that it's not spamming and throw it out and then give me a compelling reason why you think you should get it.

Speaker 1: 26:44

Now, if you've never studied for the, for the network plus exam, don't send me an email, right, because you know if you haven't studied for it. But if you study for it and you ready to take network plus and the barrier is this the. You know the. You know you don't have the money for the certification, email me, right, you know. I find that that's one of the, the biggest thing that I see. That's a very big barrier for a lot of my students. He said they take the course or they study and they tell me that they ready, but they can't afford to buy a voucher Because these vouchers are. They're not cheap, they're expensive. So part of the reason why I do this podcast is in the tick tock now is I'm hoping that somebody like CompTIA notices me and then not that they, not that I want to get sponsored for money, but I would like to get sponsored to give away, you know, comptia vouchers, because I think that that is the number one obstacle for people Getting their certification.

Speaker 1: 27:53

Believe me, guys, I teach comp TIA a plus all the time, like all the time right, and and I know that that's the you know I'll get, let's say, 20 students to take the comp TIA and out of the 20, there may be 12 who I think Already to take the exam and out of those 12, maybe one or two of them will actually take it because you know they want. They want to make sure that they're ready and they don't want to spend their money to take the exam and then fail Right. They want to make sure that they 100% ready and Even if I tell them, look, I think you're ready, they still won't take it because they don't want to fail, because they don't want to spend the money. It's a lot, it's a lot for them. You know, a plus is two exams, like two hundred and sixty four dollars, that's five, it's over five hundred bucks. So, you know, if I could get, you know, if somebody from comp TIA ever listens to this Right and and they want to sponsor me and and you know, say, hey, we'll give you, you know, a voucher every, I don't know, once a month or once every other month, I'll be glad to give it away.

Speaker 1: 29:06

I'm not, I'm not here to make, you know, to be a millionaire, but you know, I'm here to help people who want to get the certifications, because, take it for me. I know the computers change your life. I mean, I know that IT, like any job, right, you got to be passionate about it, but I know it changed my life, it could change your life. You know, moving over to academia of IT definitely changed my, my life. You know, you got willing. I'm only a few, a few weeks away from From being a doctor Rodriguez instead of professor Rodriguez, but that's the story for another day. Guys, I'll let you know if and when that ever. You know if and when that happens.

Speaker 1: 29:51

So, but you know I this is why I do this right. I want, I want people out there too to get certified and and become very successful. And you know, it doesn't matter that you end up making more money than me. That's my big joke that I tell my students, you know, and I won't be mad if you make more money than me. Now you buy me a steak, you know when you, when you.

Speaker 1: 30:14

You know, I have a student who works at a and at a famous beer distributor or beer maker, and he still has me a case of beer because he says they Like they. There's cases like when you leave the office, there's like cases right there. You can just Pick it up and and take it with you. So he still owes me a case. I won't say which one, but he knows. He knows what I'm talking about. I saw him recently, so he knows.

Speaker 1: 30:43

But this is why I do it, guys. I do it, you know, for you. So you know. That's why, when you see like, oh wait, he hasn't come out with an episode For a while. It's not that I'm slacking, yeah, I'm doing other things, doing my dissertation now. So that took up a lot of my time but you know I'm as long as I'm around. I'm gonna still try to do this podcast and I hope and pray that somebody recognizes me and recognize what I'm trying to do here and, you know, believes in this, what we're doing, and agrees to sponsor me. But Anyway, next time we'll do part two on operating systems. I'm looking at my notes. It's a lot, so might either do part two or maybe you're in a part three on operating systems. But until next time We'll see you. This has been a production of Little Chachal. Productions are by Sarah, music by Job Kim. If you like to reach me, you can reach me at professorjrodjrod at gmailcom. I'm also on instagram at professor jrod and I'm also now on tiktok At professor Jrod JROD.