Chapter 4-QA.doc

Chapter 4 – Threads, SMP, and Microkernels True / False Questions: T / F – The basic unit of dispatching in an operating system is usually referred to as a thread or lightweight process. ANS: T T / F – An example of a system that implements a single process with multiple threads is MS-DOS. ANS: F (Java) T / F – In a multithreaded environment, a process is defined as the unit of resource allocation and a unit of protection. ANS: T T / F – The concept of thread synchronization is required in multithreaded systems because threads of a single process share the process’s process control block (PCB). ANS: F (because they share the same address space) T / F – In a pure User-Level Thread (ULT) facility, all of the work of thread management is done by the application, but the kernel is aware of the existence of threads. ANS: F (kernel is not aware of the threads existence) T / F – In the field of distributed operating system design, the One-to-Many (Thread-to-Process) relationship is particularly interesting because it involves the concept of thread migration. ANS: T T / F – One disadvantage to the master/slave shared-memory multiprocessor architecture is that the failure of the master brings down the whole system. ANS: T T / F – In a symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) system, each processor has access only to a private main memory area. ANS: F (also have access to a shared main memory) T / F – An SMP O/S manages processor and other resources so that the user may view the system in the same fashion as a multiprogramming uniprocessor system. ANS: T T / F – The primary advantage of the basic microkernel design over layered kernel designs involves increased performance. ANS: F (performance is a disadvantage) T / F – The philosophy underlying the microkernel is that only absolutely essential core operating system functions should be in the kernel. ANS: T T / F – The basic form of communication between processes or threads in a microkernel O/S is messag