An operating system resource manager

Operating systems work as resource managers:

The operating system must keep track of the status of each resource, decide which process is to get the resource and how much and when, allocate it, and eventually reclaim it.

There is difference between the resources of memory, processors, I/O devices like disks, tapes and teletypes, and information, because of the inherent differences in their characteristics. It would be recognized that in a broad sense they are all devices and have many similarities. However, such abstractions do not appear to be useful at present for the development of relevant theory or techniques for the managing of the resources.

Viewing the operating system as a resource manager, each manager must do the following:

1. Keep track of the resources.

2. Enforce policy that determines who gets what, when and how much.

3. Allocate the resources.

4. Reclaim the resource.

I have grouped all the programs of the operating system into four resource categories. In the following blogs these resource categories with their major functions  and the typical names given to some of the routines that perform these functions would be discussed.