A quick history of Network Operating Systems

Glenford Mapp

Middlesex University

What is an Operating System

• A piece of software which controls access to and the use of computing hardware

• Application/user programs must use the operating system to get things done

• Examples of well known OSs– Windows, OS2, Unix, Linux

1945-1951

• No operating system

• Users booked time on the machine and programmed it manually

• Wasted a lot of time

• Main use as an advanced calculator for solving equations: e.g.; missile trajectories

1952-1957

• FORTRAN – high level language invented– Allowed larger number of engineering and scientific

problems to be solved

• Invention of compilers• Routines controlled the movement of data in and

out of the computer and allowed a human to control the system via a console.– The first operating system

– Batch mode operation

1958-1965

• Multiprogramming – While the processor was waiting on I/O for your

program, another user’s program could be executed

• New concepts in memory allocation and protection, virtual memory, storage systems

• Better electronics: Integrated Circuit Boards• Timesharing systems CTSS; Multics proposed as

a computing “utility”.

1966-1970

• Multics failed in overall goal but produced a lot of seminal ideas

• Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie developed UNIX

• ARPAnet – first packet switching network announced

1970-1975

• Mini-computers got really popular – PDP11 introduced

• The Alto (Xerox PARC)

• Ethernet invented (Xerox PARC)

• Microprocessor invented (Intel)

• CP/M invented – led to DOS

• TCP/IP formally specified

1975-1981

• The Altair – first programmable microprocessor system one could buy– Gates and Allen wrote BASIC interpreter

• Apple launched first commercial PC

• TCP/IP became the preferred US military protocol.

1982-1986

• IBM PC made debut

• MS-DOS became the dominant PC operating system

• Apple and Novell developed networks for PCs e.g., Appletalk, Novel Netware

• TCP/IP incorporated into 4.2 BSD Unix– Networking made widely available

1987-1991

• Windows OS gained support

• Multiprocessors began to be built

• Micro-kernels explored– MACH, Amoeba

• Client-Server Computing

• Multi-service networks– ATM proposed

1992-1996

• The World Wide Web (WWW) was born

• Windows NT deployed

• Linux became stable and useable

• Early ISPs – Demon, AOL gained support

• Windows 95 released

• Thin client computing came of age– Virtual Network Computer (VNC)

1997-2004

• Explosion in mobile and wireless networks– Mobile phones, 802.11b networks

• Support for multimedia applications– Quality of Service issues

• Java and CORBA

• Windows 2000 released – clean OS

• Peer-to-peer networking – Napster, Gnutella

2005 - 2009• Blade Servers Technology

• Deployment of hardware platforms– Dual and Quad Core processors common– Energy is now a big issue

• Deployment of Wireless Technology– WiMax, 802.11n, Ultrawideband

• Cheaper platforms – The rise of netbooks– ASUS Eee PC, etc (under £200.00)

2009 - Present

• The rise of the Mobile Platform– Apple’s iPhone– Google’s Android Platform

• NetOS/Browser platforms– Chrome, Google Wave

• Mobile Architectures for heterogeneous networks

• Ambient Networks, Y-Comm

Mega Trends (Big Wave)

• Moore’s law – silicon density doubles every 18 months (dual and quad processors)

• Cost of computing, memory and networking continue to fall

• One -> many computers

• Processor-centric -> network-centric

• Wired->wireless environments

Mega Trends (Small Wave)

• Integrated Processors– Death of NICs and I/O buses

• Embedded Networking Support for very small devices

• The rise and rise of Ethernet technology– From LAN to WAN, 802.11a/b/g -> 802.11n

• Heterogeneous Networking• Devices connected to many networks at the same time

Effect on Network Operating Systems

• Mobile platform will become dominant– Android, Symbian, RIM

• Support for soft real time applications– More support for multimedia applications

• The rise in the use of server virtualisation– Vmware, Xen

• Support for asynchronous handling– Using events rather than RPC-like methods– Autonomy, etc.