Understanding Operating Systems

This book provides a practical introduction to the theory and real-world performance of computer operating systems. It is deal for use by computer science, information systems, and management information systems professionals and students who need a basic understanding of operating systems theory, a comparison of five significant operating systems currently in use, and a grasp of the technical and operational trade-offs among them. Thoroughly revised, the second edition offers up-to-date information on the MS-DOS, UNIX, VAX/VMS, Windows-NT, and IBM/MVS operating systems, and new coverage (in Chapters 9, and 10) of local- and wide-area network operating systems. With its accessible style and easy-to-use organization separating operating systems principles and theory (Chapter 1-11) from detailed descriptions of five specific operating systems (Chapters 12-16), this book is a valuable working reference and resource for the systems professional.