Operating System Syllabus: Check Subject-wise Latest Syllabus

The Operating Systems syllabus offers a comprehensive introduction to the techniques used in implementing and managing operating systems and related system software. The syllabus covers operating systems' core functions and structure, including process management (creation, synchronization, and communication), processor scheduling, and deadlock prevention, avoidance, and recovery strategies. The Operating Systems syllabus focuses on understanding the components of OS, their role as resource managers, various scheduling-related policies, and techniques for managing memory. The student can analyze, compare, and adapt OS features by implementing critical scheduling and memory management algorithms.

The Writeup is divided into two sections - 

1. Basic and Intermediate Operating Systems Syllabus
2. Advanced Operating Systems Syllabus

Basic and Intermediate Operating Systems Syllabus

The syllabus for Basic and Intermediate Operating Systems introduces foundational and mid-level concepts critical to understanding and managing operating systems. At the basic level, the focus is on core principles such as the structure and functions of operating systems, process management, and simple scheduling techniques. The intermediate syllabus further builds on these foundations, covering advanced topics like concurrency and synchronization, deadlocks, file systems, etc.

Operating Systems Fundamentals 

• Introduces the fundamental concepts of operating systems, including their role in managing hardware and software resources. 
• Covers key aspects like process management (creating, scheduling, and terminating processes), memory management (allocation, deallocation, and optimization), storage management (managing file systems and data storage), and ensuring protection, security, and support for distributed systems.

Operating Systems Structures

• Focuses on the internal architecture of an operating system, explaining the services provided (like program execution, I/O operations, and file management) and the system calls that enable user programs to interact with the OS. 
• Explores system programs, modular OS design, and the evolution of operating system generations.

Process Management in OS

• Covers the lifecycle of processes, including process creation, execution, and termination. 
• Discusses scheduling queues and algorithms used to manage multiple processes efficiently. 
• Includes multithreaded programming and comparisons of process management features in UNIX and Windows operating systems.

Concurrency and Synchronization

• Addresses the challenges of running multiple processes simultaneously with techniques for process synchronization. 
• Explores solutions for critical section problems using Peterson’s algorithm, semaphores, and monitors. 
• Discusses classic synchronization problems like the readers-writers problem, dining philosophers problem, and practical examples.

Deadlocks

• Explains the conditions that lead to deadlocks (mutual exclusion, hold and wait, no preemption, and circular wait) and methods to prevent, avoid, and detect them. 
• Discusses recovery strategies and introduces the banker’s algorithm as a deadlock avoidance approach.

File System

• Provides an overview of file systems, including concepts such as file attributes, access methods, and directory structures. 
• Discusses file sharing, mounting mechanisms, and security features that ensure data integrity and restricted access.

File System Implementation:

• Focuses on the technical aspects of implementing file systems. Topics include directory and free-space management, file allocation methods (contiguous, linked, and indexed), and optimization techniques to improve performance and efficiency
• Includes a comparison of file systems in UNIX and Windows.

Here is the segregation of topics and sub-topics under the operating systems syllabus -

Unit	Topics	Sub-Topics
Unit I	Operating Systems Overview	Introduction Operating system operations Process management Memory management Storage management Components of Operating systems Protection and security Distributed systems User interfaces of the operating system Design and implementation of an operating system
	Operating Systems Structures	Operating system services and system calls System programs Structure of operating systems Operating systems generations
Unit II	Process Management	Process concepts Process state Process control block Scheduling queues Process scheduling Multithreaded programming Threads in UNIX Comparison of UNIX and Windows
	Concurrency and Synchronization	Process synchronization Critical section problem Peterson’s solution  Synchronization hardware Classic problems of synchronization (readers and writers, dining philosophers), monitors, synchronization examples Atomic transactions
Unit III	Deadlocks	System model Deadlock characterization, prevention, detection and avoidance, recovery from deadlock Banker’s algorithm
	Memory Management	Swapping, contiguous memory allocation, paging, structure of the page table, segmentation, virtual memory, demand paging Page-replacement algorithms, allocation of frames, thrashing, case study (UNIX)
Unit IV	File System	Concept of a file Access methods Directory structure File system mounting File sharing, protection
	File System Implementation	File system structure Directory implementation Allocation methods Free-space management, efficiency and performance Comparison of UNIX and Windows

Advanced Operating Systems

Advanced Operating Systems syllabus includes studying and exploring modern, complex operating systems that go beyond the basics of process management, memory management, and file systems. These systems are designed to handle high-performance requirements, scalability, distributed architectures, and sophisticated resource management.

Let us look at the seggretared topics and subtopics of Advanced Operating Systems syllabus - 

Unit	Topics	Sub-Topics
Unit I	Processes and Scheduling	Process states and system call interface Life cycle of a process CPU Scheduling  Process dynamics Scheduler working and implementation Linux process states and system calls Process groups, sessions, foreground, and background processes.
Unit II	Interprocess Communication and Synchronization	Signals, pipes, named pipes (FIFOs) threads and pthread library, mutexes and Semaphores, and condition variables Producer-consumer problem and solutions using mutexes
Unit III	Files and File Systems	File and file metadata File naming systems File system operations File system implementation File system structures OS booting  File system optimization
Unit IV	Devices and Device Drivers	Types of devices (terminal, disk, SCSI, tape, CD) Unification of files and devices Device drivers (concepts and implementation details)
Unit V	Resource Management and Security	Resource management issues Types of resources Integrated resource scheduling Queuing models of scheduling Protection of resources (hardware, software, attacks) Security policies

Specialisation offered in Operating Systems

Some operating system courses allow students to acquire a specialisation in a particular operating system, such as Windows, Linux, office automation, etc. There aren’t any degrees that offer such specialisation but the students can find such specialisations online. Some of the specialisations, along with their details, are given below:

Specialisation	Subjects	Details
Linux	Introduction to linux operating system Linux OS services Linux distributions and licensing model	An overview of the Linux OS along with its services and structure are explained in this specialisation.
Windows	Introduction to Windows Operating System Windows applications & services Windows networking & licensing model	An overview of the Windows OS along with its applications, services, and licensing part is covered in this specialisation.
MAC OS	Discovering MAC OS Sierra Installing and using apps on MAC OS Navigating through MAC OS environment	A brief overview of the MAC OS, its use and applications, and services are discussed in this specialisation

Books & Authors Related to Operating System

Some of the best operating system books that the students can refer to gain a clear perspective of the concepts are given in the below table:

Subject	Book Title	Author	Description
Operating Systems	Operating System Concepts	Avi Silberschatz & Peter Galvin	It provides a clear view of various basic and advanced concepts in the operating systems.
Operating Systems	Operating Systems: Internals and Design Principles	William Stallings	It gives a detailed description and overview of the various topics included in the OS syllabus.
Operating System	Operating System: A Concept-Based Approach	D M Dhamdhere	The fundamental concepts of OS with case studies and techniques are explained in this book.
Operating System	Operating System: A Design-Based Approach	Charles Crowley	The concepts along with the evolved forms of operating systems with case studies and code segments are incorporated in this book.
Operating System	Operating Systems: A Modern Perspective	Gary J Nutt	The applications of OS fundamentals in the real world are included in this book.
UNIX OS	Design of the Unix Operating System	Maurice Bach	Core principles of UNIX and the relationship between its kernel and programming interface is covered in this book.
Operating System	Operating System Concepts: Windows Xp Update 6th Edition	Silberschatz Galvin Gagne	A detailed description of the basic OS concepts and a wide range of topics related to Windows, Solaris, Linux, etc. are included in this book.
Operating Systems	Operating Systems	Archer J Harris	The main concepts and rules of DOS, Linux, and UNIX operating systems are explained in this book.
Operating Systems	Modern Operating Systems	Andrew S Tanenbaum	Conceptual knowledge of Windows 2000, Unix, and Linux operating systems can be learnt via this book.
UNIX OS	UNIX- The Complete Reference	Ken Rosen & James Farber	An in-depth knowledge of the UNIX OS can be acquired through this book.

Syllabus for Distance Programme in Operating System

There are various online education platforms that offer distance programmes in operating systems. Though the syllabus of the generic courses remain similar to the regular courses, some courses have different syllabus as per the specialisation. The duration of the regular courses vary from 1-month to 2 years depending upon the course type. However, the duration of the online course can be slightly longer depending on the availability of the students and their schedules. An online exam will be conducted by the respective institute for online courses. The exam format can be either descriptive or objective as it can vary from one institute to another.

The certification courses are usually available for free but the advanced-level courses usually start from Rs. 20,000 and can be much higher depending upon the institute which the students choose for studying the OS course.

Top Colleges for Operating System Courses in India

Some of the top colleges/institutes for the operating system courses depending upon the curriculum, practical knowledge, and placement facilities are given in the below table:

S.No.	College/University/Institute Name	Syllabus (URLs)
1	NIT, Delhi	To be uploaded soon
2	Mumbai University	To be uploaded soon
3	Red Hat Global Learning Services, Mumbai	To be uploaded soon
4	VIT, Chennai	To be uploaded soon
5	IIT Madras	To be uploaded soon
6	Vinayaka Missions University, Salem	To be uploaded soon
7	Parul University, Vadodara	Download Here
8	Apponix, Bengaluru	To be uploaded soon
9	Net Dev Group	To be uploaded soon
10	RCS Education	To be uploaded soon

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Which operating system courses are better: Linux or Windows?

Q. Which institute is the best to learn Linux operating systems?

Q. Why should one learn about operating systems?

Q. Which courses include the operating system as a subject?

Q. Which are the most popular certification courses and institutes when it comes to online operating system courses?

Q. Which are the essential concepts covered in the Linux courses?

Q. What are the operating system syllabus objectives?

Q. Which are the important topics in the operating system syllabus?

Q. Which are the main types of the operating system?

Q. What is synchronisation in an operating system?

Q. Define CPU scheduling in an operating system.

Following are the most popular Operating Systems Colleges in India. Learn more about these Operating Systems colleges (Courses, Reviews, Answers & more) by downloading the Brochure.

Following are the most popular Operating Systems courses, based on alumni reviews. Explore these reviews to choose the best course in Operating Systems.

Following are the most popular Operating Systems UG Courses . You can explore the top Colleges offering these UG Courses by clicking the links below.

Following are the most popular Operating Systems PG Courses . You can explore the top Colleges offering these PG Courses by clicking the links below.

Following are the most popular Operating Systems Specializations . You can explore the top Colleges offering these Specializations by clicking the links below.

Following are the top exams for Operating Systems. Students interested in pursuing a career on Operating Systems, generally take these important exams.You can also download the exam guide to get more insights.