Modern Operating Systems

Citation

Tanenbaum, A. S., & Bos, H. (2022). Modern Operating Systems (5th ed.). Pearson.

Chapter Summary

The fifth edition runs to just over 1,100 pages (catalogues give 1,101 and 1,184, depending on the printing) and is listed by Pearson in thirteen chapters, by title only. Pearson summarises what changed in this edition as a new chapter on Windows 11, new security coverage and an emphasis on flash-based solid-state drives. The publisher's flyer adds that persistent memory is discussed, that the Linux and Android case study has been brought up to date, and that new problems appear in every chapter.

Chapter 1: Introduction

The opening chapter introduces the subject. Pearson's overview names processes, threads, memory management, file systems, I/O and deadlocks as the in-depth topics of the book, in the order in which the chapters that follow take them up.

Chapters 2–3: Processes and Threads; Memory Management

These are the first two topic chapters, ahead of file systems and I/O. Between them they cover execution, through processes and threads, and memory, the two resources the overview lists first.

Chapters 4–5: File Systems; Input/Output

Chapter 4 covers file systems and Chapter 5 input and output. The flyer says the new edition covers flash-based solid-state drives and persistent memory thoroughly, which bears most directly on these two chapters.

Chapter 6: Deadlocks

A chapter of its own on deadlocks, which Pearson's overview names among the book's in-depth topics.

Chapters 7–8: Virtualization and the Cloud; Multiple Processor Systems

Two chapters on the settings in which operating systems now run: virtualization and the cloud, and systems with multiple processors. The flyer names virtualization and the cloud among the topics that reflect new trends.

Chapter 9: Security

Security has a chapter of its own. According to the flyer, the updated treatment focuses on topics directly relevant to operating-system design and structure, and discusses hardware developments, software vulnerabilities, attacks and defences, together with viruses, worms and malware.

Chapters 10–11: Case Study 1: Unix, Linux, and Android; Case Study 2: Windows 11

Two full-chapter case studies. The first covers the Unix family, Linux and Android and, according to the flyer, includes new developments in current versions of Linux and Android; the second is the new Windows 11 chapter, which the flyer describes as an exploration of the latest major release of Microsoft's NT operating system.

Chapters 12–13: Operating System Design; Reading List and Bibliography

The design chapter closes the main text. Chapter 13 collects suggested readings and references; the flyer says these reflect the latest operating systems.

Key Concepts

Chapters 1–6: Principles

• Processes and threads: the units of execution that the operating system creates and manages.
• Memory management: how memory is allocated to and shared among programs.
• File systems and input/output: how persistent storage and devices are presented to programs; flash-based SSDs and persistent memory receive emphasis in this edition.
• Deadlocks: situations in which processes block one another, treated in their own chapter.

Chapters 7–13: Modern Systems and Design

• Virtualization and the cloud, and multiple processor systems: the contemporary settings for operating systems.
• Security: attacks and defences relevant to operating-system structure.
• Case studies: Unix, Linux and Android in one chapter, Windows 11 in another.
• Operating system design: the closing chapter on designing a system.

Critical Analysis

Strengths

• Breadth in one volume. Thirteen chapters cover the classical core (processes, memory, files, I/O, deadlocks) and also virtualization and the cloud, multiprocessor systems and a full chapter on security.
• Two real systems. Full-chapter case studies of the Unix family with Linux and Android, and of Windows 11, let a reader compare two different design traditions after learning the principles.
• A chapter on design. The main text ends with a chapter titled Operating System Design, so the book does not stop at describing existing systems.
• Practice and further reading. The flyer states that new problems appear in every chapter, and Chapter 13 provides a reading list and bibliography.
• Current hardware. The flyer highlights solid-state drives, persistent memory and 64-bit architectures, so the storage chapters are not confined to spinning disks.

Limitations

• Length. At more than 1,100 pages, the book holds more than one semester of reading, and a course must select chapters.
• Concepts first. Publisher material emphasises explanation, case studies and problems; it does not mention programming projects. Readers who want systems programming exercises will need another source or a course project.
• The blurb is partly generic. Pearson's description still lists "interface design" and "multimedia", yet the contents list has no chapter of those names; the flyer mentions multimedia file systems, but where they appear is not stated. Check the section-level contents before relying on those topics.

Where It Fits in the Course

Tanenbaum and Bos is a comprehensive textbook-and-reference for the standard undergraduate operating systems course. Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne's Operating System Concepts is the other broad textbook in the list, with examples from Linux, Windows, macOS, Android and iOS and short programming projects; either can serve as the main text, and the choice depends on writing style and on how much programming the course wants.

Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces takes a narrower route, organised around virtualization, concurrency and persistence, and is a useful companion when a shorter conceptual treatment helps. Ward's How Linux Works is the practical complement, explaining a real Linux system from the shell down to the kernel, and pairs naturally with Chapter 10. Saltzer and Kaashoek's Principles of Computer System Design goes beyond a single operating system to abstraction, modularity, naming, protection and communication, and works well after Chapter 12.

How to Use This Book

The book is for students who have programmed before (the publisher material states no prerequisites); it is most useful for a first full course on operating systems and as a reference afterwards.

A practical plan:

• Core: Chapters 1–6, in order. Treat Chapters 2 and 3 as the centre of the course and read Chapters 4–5 for storage and devices.
• Contemporary topics: Chapter 7 (virtualization and the cloud), Chapter 8 (multiple processors) and Chapter 9 (security), chosen according to the course.
• Case studies: Chapter 10 or Chapter 11 after the principles chapters, ideally with a running system in front of you; read both for a comparison of traditions.
• Finish: Chapter 12 on design, then the reading list in Chapter 13 for follow-up.

Do the end-of-chapter problems rather than skipping them, and pair the reading with a hands-on source such as How Linux Works or a programming project, because the publisher material does not describe one.