Assessment Criteria (Marking Grid):

Research and Investigation

20%

Referencing

10%

Analysis

30%

Reflection

30%

Documentation

10%

Marking Criteria:

Distinction
Demonstrated comprehensive research with detailed evidence. High level of analysis
performed, exceptional and thorough knowledge and understanding displayed with regard to
facilities and services of the Operating System. Documentation presented in a professional
manner, without any spelling or grammar mistakes. Displayed evidence of critical appraisal.

Credit
Adequate research conducted with fair detail of evidence presented. Moderate level of
understanding, analysis and knowledge displayed. Good level of documentation presented.
Some level of reflection was evident in the documentation. Moderate level of critical
appraisal.

Pass
Low level research conducted. Some evidence of research displayed. Basic level of
understanding and knowledge analysis displayed. Satisfactory level of documentation.
Satisfactory or low level of reflection displayed. No level of critical appraisal demonstrated.

Abstract
1

This research was conducted on the investigation of process control management in Windows
8 operating system and Microprocessors that are found on various types of devices. The
researcher answers the first question of the first section about process control management
and later on the types of process control management such as Scheduling Mechanism, preemptive and non-pre-emptive algorithms. The second section where the first question was
answered was about the significant trends in the making of microprocessors that changed the
performance of the microprocessors, and later moved on the why different designs of
microprocessors were made in order to suit the compatibility of various devices.

Contents
Assessment Criteria (Marking Grid):............................................................................ 1
Abstract................................................................................................................... 2
2

Investigation on process control management..................................................................4

Introduction.......................................................................................................... 4
Process Control Management................................................................................... 5
Scheduling Mechanism, Pre-emptive and Non-pre-emptive algorithms..............................5
Conclusion............................................................................................................ 7
Investigation on the Microprocessors found on various devices...........................................8
Introduction.......................................................................................................... 8
Major Trends affecting Microprocessor Performance....................................................9
Microprocessor Design Goals.................................................................................. 11
Limitations/Extensions.......................................................................................... 13
Conclusion.......................................................................................................... 14
Referencing............................................................................................................ 15
Appendices............................................................................................................. 16
FAQ................................................................................................................... 16
Section 1.......................................................................................................... 16
Section 2.......................................................................................................... 17
Gantt chart......................................................................................................... 18

Investigation on process control management

Introduction
A little history about process control management, in the early computer systems it was only
possible to executed one process at a time. As compared to modern computers we are able to
run multiple processes at a time in a computer, the only reason to why this is possible is
because of time sharing. A process is basically a container that contains a set of instructions
which is that is executed by the processor in an orderly fashion.
In the topic of this document the researcher will be discussing what process management is
all about, firstly starting off with what a process is about, and then how to create a process
and also finalizing a process the way the OS handles the mechanisms of process management
not forgetting the problems faced with these and solutions that were used to overcome them.
The operating system that is researched here is Windows 8.

Process Control Management

What is a process or a thread actually? As stated in the introduction section, the researcher
described a process as a container that hold sets of instructions that are being executed by a
processor in an orderly fashion. A thread is basically the same thing as a process, but its
much more OS conceptual, it is interdependent unlike processes which are independent
(Stokes, 2011). And what that means is that threads are found in processes, there can be many
threads in a single process, and the address space for those kind of threads are the same, and
therefore they can share resources between other threads in the same process, as compared to
processes they cant share the same resources to other processes. (Sahgal, n.d.). A process is
created when a program is executed by the user from the OS or from the boot loader in the
OS itself. Services and processes can also create new processes, they are referred to as the
Parent while the process which the parent create is called a child. (Shaun, 2009)

Scheduling Mechanism, Pre-emptive and Non-pre-emptive algorithms.

Scheduling is a mechanism whereby the processes or threads or any I/O devices are given
access to system resources such as processor time, the reason scheduling has been
implemented in computer system is to achieve a balance in the services that are running.
Scheduling algorithms has been used in modern systems to make it able to perform
multitasking. The windows platform has been using either pre-emptive or non-pre-emptive
algorithms for multitasking. (Sachdeva, 2011)
Pre-emptive multitasking is a method that shares processing time with all running processes,
and non-pre-emptive multitasking is an environment when a process gives up their CPU time
to other higher priority process. (PCmag, n.d.)
We know that prior to the Windows 8 operating system, windows OSs have been using these
techniques. The release of the Windows 8 Operating System brought a lot amendments and
introduction compared to its preceding version. These are the lists of scheduling techniques
that windows 8 has introduced,
-

First Come First Serve Scheduling.

Shortest Time First Scheduling.
Round Robin Scheduling

1) First come first serve scheduling:

5

Meaning process are executed in the same order in the way they exist, queue and the
long term scheduler are responsible for their execution in queue form. The researcher
gives an example of this technique, let consider there are three processes and the time
taken for the burst of data from each one of the process is 3, 5, and 2 milliseconds
and that is the accordance of the burst. Even though the last process which has the
smallest amount of data burst which is 2 milliseconds this technique follows the
order of the burst therefore it is only executed after the first and second process has
been executed. The disadvantage of this technique is that it effects the execution time
of smaller programs, if there are any large program that come before them. This is
better known as convey effect (Sachdeva, 2011).
2) Shortest time first scheduling:
This mechanism of scheduling groups several running processes starting with the
lowest running time. So all currently running programs are arranged in increasing
order of their execution time so all smaller processes are executed first. For example
if we take the same example of processes previously mentioned, the way the OS
would schedule the processes in the order of 2, 3 and 5 milliseconds respectively.
Unfortunately this process causes starvation effect of the larger programs, meaning
they will have to wait much longer to be executed until all the smaller process has
been executed (Sachdeva, 2011).
3) Round Robin scheduling:
Round robin scheduling removes the starvation and convey effect up to a point, by
allocating equal time slots to each process. As an example consider five processes 1,
2, 3, 4, 5 the operating system provides equal time quantum so it gets the same time
slot for its execution. It should be noted that this scheduling is very unique because
the operating system makes a decision of selecting different techniques by considering
the full utilization of system CPU as its primary goal (Sachdeva, 2011).

After comparing, the researcher found that scheduling was the best due to the round robin
scheduling method. This is because round robin is able to avoid starvation and convey effects
where pre-emptive and non-pre-emptive are not able to do so. Not only that, but out of the
many types of scheduling method it stands out because it is able to intelligently allocate
6

resources to processes that need them equally by choosing and adapting different types of
scheduling to the processes that it handles.

Conclusion
Process control management regardless of what operating system is important for a complex
machine such as a computer. The computers in this era are made to multi task and therefore
its important that while doing so there is no corruption or fault and that the performance of
the computer is not deterred. The evolvement of process controlling from the previous
Windowss to the current Windows 8 OS has been quite a journey that never seems to end.
There is of course more room to make changes and improve on, but what Windows 8 has
achieved is remarkable in how it manages all the processes that actually happens.

Investigation on the Microprocessors found on various devices.

Introduction
So what is a microprocessor? It is better known as the CPU or the Central Processing Unit. It
can be found nowadays in many devices. It has commonly been regarded as the brain of
electronic devices. Multiple microprocessors that work together are better known as the
hearts of high end digital devices, such as datacentres and super-computers. A brief history
on microprocessors, the first of its kind was introduced by Intel and it was the Intel 4004, it
was not very powerful because it was used to perform simple mathematical operations. It was
only 60 years ago that computers were considered rare because the public was not able to get
hold of them, due to the cost. Computers were only found in homes thanks to the
microprocessor and it was in late 80s. The modern microprocessor can perform extremely
sophisticated operations in wide areas, and they take very less space compared to when they
used to and delivers a more superior performance than ever. (Intel, n.d.)

Major Trends affecting Microprocessor Performance

There are many trends that has affected the microprocessors performances, this topic
discusses on why and how these trends have done so.
Software Portability
This trend actually changed the architecture of a microprocessor, because prior to this,
microprocessors only were compatible to a specific binary. This implements the just
in time compilation technique, where with this new architecture the processor is able
to execute codes much efficiently without the worry the increasing the load required
to support old binaries. (Laynetworks, n.d.)
Pipelining
In the attempt of reaching higher performance, an instruction can be broken down in
many parts of a pipeline and then be performed parallel with multiple instructions.
Pipelining actually helps to make sure that each part of the broken instruction has
equal work to do so that the time cycle for every part is the same. A typical pipeline
design has these stages, first a fetch stage where the instruction is fetched from an
address and then it enters the execution stage to be executed, and then a final write
back stage where the result is stored. (Klauser, 2001)
Branch Prediction
Branch prediction is a technique whereby the branches are predicted as they move, so
their movements are speculated to actually find out where the next branch might go.
The reason this method is used is because it turns out that branches are highly
predictable and it has been successful in preventing pipeline bubbles after branch
instructions. This is based on probability, for example if a branch has a high frequent
number of being chosen, then the probability for the instruction to be on that branch is
highly likely. (Klauser, 2001)

Superscalar Execution
The problem with pipelined architectures are that they are scalar architectures so they
can only handle 1 instruction per cycle in every pipeline stage. Superscalar was
introduced where it enabled n instructions to be fetched, executed and stored at the
same time. Even though this technique gives good performance but it has the same
disadvantage of a scalar architecture, because mispredicted branches can cause the
decrease on the average performance of the microprocessor. But because an
instruction cannot overtake its predecessors in this pipeline this design is often
regarded as in order architectures. (Klauser, 2001)
32 Bit and 64 Bit
Somewhere 7 years ago, processors were only 32 bit, meaning they only can address
at the maximum of 4GB of memory and not more than that. The problem with 32 bit
is that every hardware in the computer uses an address and that is how the computer
knows what is in its system, and therefore it eats up part of the 4GB and leaves the
remaining physical memory to be used. To overcome this, the 64 bit addressing
system was made, this brought many changes, first was that the addressing system can
now handle more than 4GB, and the other hardware address that use to eat up the
memory no longer do. What does this have to do with the processor? Simple, you
cant have a 32 bit processor running a 64 bit program or operating system
(Sklavos, 2008).
Multi Core
Processors used to only have single cores, a multi core does not mean multi
processors but many cores in a single processor. This uses the multi threading to
process information. How do they work? Lets take an example of a 2GHz Intel dual
core processor, it means that each core in the processor has 2GHz processing speed
each and not interpreted as 2GHz + 2GHz = 4GHz overall. This is because the
instructions are broken down and processed separately with 2GHz and then threaded
back after being processed. (Sklavos, 2008)

10

Microprocessor Design Goals

Many digital and analogue devices now days use microprocessors in their system.
Microprocessor has become such an important part of a human life that it has even been listed
as a basic human requirement. The reason is that because microprocessors are so well
integrated into our lives that we ourselves have become one with them. Going into focus what
this topic talks about is the how microprocessors have been designed differently to adapt to
the new and different types of devices we use every day.

Laptop
Laptops come in many varieties, there are laptops for business, home and gaming. Here the
researcher talks about generally a basic desirable design of a microprocessor for a laptop. The
mainstream laptop users normally uses their device to view emails, browse the web,
document editing, and low level gaming. So the basic desires of a processor doing these are
able to multi task. Another important factor is to make sure that the laptop consumes less
power and therefore it is important that the processor is able to function at its optimum
without taking too much of electricity.

Servers
Servers are powerhouses of information, they are required to function at almost any time, so
its necessary for the servers to be able to function 24/7 for the rest of their lifetime. In order
for them to be able to run without any breakdowns, the processor need to be able to withstand
the accumulated heat. Therefore these processors are designed to have excellent cooling
systems, and high heat tolerance so that they dont breakdown easily due to heat.

11

Desktops
Compared to laptops desktops are primarily used now days for gaming, so here in this case
processors which are designed for desktops arent designed to save power but instead use
more power to give the best performance out. With performance comes the disadvantage of
heat, and therefore risks losing performance and also unexpected breakdowns. To overcome
this problem the microprocessors are well designed to stand heat and able to support cooling.
These processors normally come with a heat zinc that dissipates the heat out of the system,
through the cooling fans. This makes sure the user gets to enjoy high performance constantly.

Embedded Systems
Embedded systems are systems that are a compilation of microprocessors and other electrical
components that work together to complete a certain task. The embedded system that mostly
are out there are function dedicated. The microprocessors in these system can actually range
from a low complexity to high complexity design depending on what the system is for. But
the design of these microprocessor is made so that it is cheap, easy to program and it does not
need cooling devices or the necessity of multi-tasking.

12

Limitations/Extensions
Section 1:
The windows 8 operating system is a new software in the market. Therefore finding
information about how process management control is done in the OS is very hard and
concrete information was scarce. Therefore analysis on how previous Windows is built on
(kernel) the researcher concluded that the windows 8 was also built on the same kernel
Windows NT, therefore should have all the same process control techniques that the other
OSs might have had.

Section 2:
Design goals for each devices was purely analysis on the characteristics that how each
devices work. For example we know that laptop was made for portability therefore it needs to
save energy, and as the processor plays a main role in that, the design of the processor should
be able to run efficiently without consuming a lot of energy. This can actually be related to
Intel processors, the researcher again express biasedness because Intel is the only one who is
able to give a clear picture on its power saving technology.

13

Conclusion
It is certain that life today would not be possible without microprocessors. It has become a
part of our lives. The journey of the designs and trends of microprocessors that revolted on
the needs of the advancement of devices paved the way for new technologies and innovative
processor designs. Only 30 years ago processors were only capable of simple task, where else
now, a single processor contains the power to do the job of hundreds of people. Processors or
microprocessors nowadays are largely found in devices like in laptops, mobile, serves and
embedded systems. The primary design of each processor is to suite the functionality and
efficiency in each devices. Without proper design, the processor and device would not be able
to function to its optimum capability.

14

Referencing
Intel, n.d. What is a Microprocessor?. [Online]
Available at:
http://download.intel.com/newsroom/kits/40thanniversary/pdfs/What_is_a_Microp
rocessor.pdf
[Accessed 7 September 2014].
Klauser, v. A., 2001. Trends in High-Performance Microprocessor. [Online]
Available at: http://homepages.uni-paderborn.de/plessl/lectures/2009Codesign/articles/kl-01a.pdf
[Accessed 8 September 2014].
Laynetworks, n.d. Trends in Microprocessor. [Online]
Available at: http://www.laynetworks.com/trends%20in%20microprocessor.htm
[Accessed 8 September 2014].
PCmag, n.d.. Encyclopedia. [Online]
Available at: http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/49632/preemptivemultitasking
[Accessed 24 August 2014].
Sachdeva, C., 2011. Scheduling Techniques in Windows 8 process management.
[Online]
Available at: http://www.techulator.com/resources/4654-Scheduling-techniquesused-for-process-allocation.aspx
[Accessed 24 August 2014].
Sahgal, V., n.d.. What is the difference between a thread and process?. [Online]
Available at: http://www.programmerinterview.com/index.php/operatingsystems/thread-vs-process/
[Accessed 24 August 2014].
Shaun, 2009. Computer Science Source. [Online]
Available at: http://computersciencesource.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/year-2operating-systems-process-management/
[Accessed 18 August 2014].
Sklavos, D., 2008. How It Works: Processors. [Online]
Available at: www.notebookreview.com/news/how-it-works-processors/
+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=my
[Accessed 9 September 2014].
Stokes, J., 2011. Ask Ars: what is a CPU thread?. [Online]
Available at: http://arstechnica.com/business/2011/04/ask-ars-what-is-a-cputhread/
[Accessed 24 August 2014].

15

Appendices
FAQ
Section 1
1) What is a process or a thread?
A process or a thread is a container that holds sets of instructions.
2) How is process or a thread created?
A process or thread can be created by the OS, user or by a running process.
3) What is an interrupt?
An interrupt can either be a hardware or software which sends a signal to alert the
processor.
4) Why is process control management important in an operating system?
Operating systems are capable of handling and running many programs at once, so in
order to coop with this process control management is vital to maintain system
balance.
5) Is the computer capable of working without the OS?
Yes, but it will not be efficient in handling errors and multi-tasking and also the ease
of using the computer.
6) Why does windows 8 use Process Control Management?
Windows 8 is an advanced operating system that has many system utilities and many
programs running at the same time, therefore it is important that it implements process
control management.
7) Is scheduling important?
Yes, without proper scheduling processes can go haywire and causes system instability.
Not only that, but the OS will not be able to handle the processes efficiently.
8) What kind of algorithms does Windows 8 uses in its Process control techniques?
The Windows 8 OS is built on the Windows NT kernel, so it uses the first come first
serve, shortest time, and the round robin types of scheduling algorithms.

Section 2

16

1) What is the differences between a 64 and 32 bit microprocessor?

The size of the registers in each microprocessors, a 32 bit microprocessor is only
capable of having instructions with 32 bits as compared to a 64 bit microprocessor
that has registers the size of 64 bit to handle instructions.
2) Why different types of designs of microprocessors were made?
Different types of designs were made in order to achieve the optimum performance
of a microprocessor for a suited device.
3) How does the different designs affect the performance of the microprocessors?
Each design changes the performance and efficiency of a microprocessor, for
example the superscalar design enables the processor to multi task but it consumes
more power to run.
4) How does the devices effect the designs of the microprocessors?
Each device is made for a purpose, so like embedded system that only has a single
function the processor is made to accommodate to the requirements of the device
working optimally to ensure the cost of production and other effects are reduced.
5) What are embedded systems?
An embedded system is a system of electronic components working together to
achieve a single task.
6) How does embedded systems microprocessor differ from general purpose
microprocessors?
The embedded systems microprocessor is built to only do a certain function, where
else a general purpose microprocessor is built for computers that a capable of
doing many things, like playing audio and video, browsing the internet and
calculations.
7) How future designs and demands of today change the performance of the
microprocessor?
The design of the microprocessor is ever changing to suite to new technologies and
advancement, in the future microprocessors might even be capable of running
simultaneously with a partnering microprocessors on the same board, and the
power consumption will be decreased where having a computer or device is much
more cost effective than buying books.

17

Gantt chart

Gantt Chart

18