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Lesson 4 Operating systems
ObjectiveDefine the function of operating systems as they pertain to e-business.

Function of Operating Systems in E-Business: An In-Depth Examination

In the realm of e-business, a domain where technology, commerce, and customer interaction intersect seamlessly, the operating system (OS) serves as a foundational layer, underpinning various facets of online business operations. Let's dissect the multifaceted role that operating systems play in e-business:
  1. Infrastructure Support:
    1. Server Managementand: Operating systems, such as Linux, Windows Server, or UNIX, provide the essential functionalities to run and manage servers that host e-business applications, websites, and databases.
    2. Resource Allocationand: The OS ensures optimal allocation and utilization of hardware resources such as a) CPU, b) memory, c) storage, and d) network to ensure uninterrupted e-business operations.
  2. Security and Reliability:
    1. Access Controland: The OS facilitates user authentication and authorization mechanisms, ensuring only legitimate users access e-business applications and data.
    2. Firewall and Intrusion Detectionand: Modern operating systems come equipped with built-in firewalls and intrusion detection systems to thwart malicious activities targeting e-business platforms.
    3. Data Integrity and Backupand: Operating systems provide filesystem integrity checks and support backup solutions, ensuring data crucial to e-business operations is consistently available and safeguarded against loss.
  3. Platform for Application Hostingand:
    1. Middleware Integrationand: Operating systems support the integration of various middleware solutions, such as web servers, application servers, and database systems, crucial for e-business functionalities.
    2. Runtime Environmentand: E-business applications, developed in languages like Java, Python, or PHP, rely on the OS to provide the necessary runtime environments for execution.
  4. Scalability and Performanceand:
    1. Load Balancingand: Advanced OS configurations can distribute workloads across multiple servers or processors, ensuring e-business applications can handle high traffic volumes without performance degradation.
    2. Virtualization and Containerizationand: Modern operating systems support virtualization (like VMware or Hyper-V) and containerization (like Docker), allowing e-businesses to scale out their infrastructure efficiently.
  5. Connectivity and Communicationand:
    1. Network Managementand: The OS manages network protocols and services, ensuring seamless connectivity between e-business servers and clients globally.
    2. API and Service Integrationand: Operating systems offer frameworks to enable API integrations, facilitating interactions between different e-business applications, third-party services, and external platforms.
  6. Database Managementand:
    1. Database Hostingand: E-businesses rely heavily on databases. Operating systems support the installation, management, and optimization of database systems, be it SQL-based solutions like Oracle or PostgreSQL or NoSQL solutions like MongoDB.
    2. Data Retrieval and Transactionsand: The OS ensures efficient data retrieval operations and supports transactional integrity, crucial for e-commerce checkout processes, inventory management, and customer data handling.
  7. Interface and User Experienceand:
    1. Graphical User Interface (GUI)and: For e-business applications requiring desktop interfaces or management consoles, the OS provides the GUI frameworks.
    2. Device Supportand: E-business solutions often necessitate interactions with various devices, such as Point of Sale (POS) systems, barcode scanners, or mobile devices. The OS ensures seamless device integration and management.
The operating system, often unseen by the end-user, functions as the backbone of e-business operations. By providing a secure, scalable, and robust environment, the OS ensures that e-business platforms operate efficiently, reliably, and securely, catering to the dynamic needs of the digital commerce landscape.


Tasks of an Operating System

Another core technology,operating systems[1], performs a variety of tasks. These tasks, listed below, range from the most basic to the highly sophisticated:
  1. Translate input from the keyboard
  2. Send output to the display screen
  3. Control disk drives and printers
  4. Work with applications and Web servers to make sure that different programs and users running at the same time do not interfere with each other
  5. Perform multiple security functions, including preventing unauthorized users from accessing the system

Every general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other programs. This includes personal computers, servers, and handheld devices, all of which have operating systems that are scaled to their size and function.
The following series of images below illustrates how the operating system interfaces with the other baseline products that make up your solution.

Operating System Functions

1) Operating Systems convert a core instruction set available in the CPU and peripherals into a set of  executable and manageable functions.
1) Operating Systems convert a core instruction set available in the CPU and peripherals into a set of executable and manageable functions.

2) This conversion occurs through higher-level software such as programming languages, management applications, middleware, and databases.
2) This conversion occurs through higher-level software such as programming languages, management applications, middleware, and databases.

3) Operating Systems make sure that different programs and users running at the same time do not interfere with each other. Your operating system will therefore work closely with the applications you choose
3) Operating Systems make sure that different programs and users running at the same time do not interfere with each other. Your operating system will therefore work closely with the applications you choose.

4) Operating systems convert a core instruction set available in the CPU and peripherals into a set of executable and manageable functions
4) Operating systems convert a core instruction set available in the CPU and peripherals into a set of executable and manageable functions

What Operating Systems do

The hardware, the central processing unit (CPU), the memory, and the input/output (I/O) devices, provides the basic computing resources for the system. The application programs, such as word processors, spreadsheets, compilers, and Web browsers define the ways in which these resources are used to solve users’ computing problems. The operating system controls the hardware and coordinates its use among the various application programs for the various users. We can also view a computer system as consisting of hardware, software, and data. The operating system provides the means for proper use of these resources in the operation of the computer system. An operating system is similar to a government. Like a government, it performs no useful function by itself. It simply provides an environment within which other programs can do useful work. To understand more fully the operating system’s role, we next explore operating systems from two viewpoints: that of the user and that of the system.

Types of Operating Systems

For eBusiness and Web servers, the most commonly chosen server operating systems are various flavor of linux, such as Redhat and Ubuntu.
Many other operating systems, however, are found in the Web/eBusiness server mix, including other forms of Unix (like HP-UX, AIX, and Linux), and mainframe operating systems like MVS. MVS is not used to serve web content and is the operating that is used for a mainframe computer such as the IBM/390.
Linux, due to its low-price point and non-commercial nature, has been challenge Windows and Solaris in the low-end Web server space since the year 2000, although Linux is still seldom used in large, application processing aspects of eBusiness. In sum, then, when confronted with your business needs and the choices that are available, you should take a holistic approach to choosing an operating system. If you plan on developing for the .NET platform, then you should an operating such as Windows 2016 Server. The next lesson explores the most important considerations when choosing the right operating system for your solution.
[1] Operating systems: Arguable the most important program that runs on a computer. An operating system (OS) performs basic tasks such as recognizing input from the keyboard and sending output to a display screen.

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