Operating System Questions Medium
A distributed operating system and a centralized operating system are two different approaches to managing and controlling computer systems.
In a centralized operating system, all the resources and control are concentrated in a single location or server. This means that all the processing power, memory, storage, and other resources are managed and controlled by a central server. Users access and utilize these resources through terminals or client devices, but the actual processing and management occur on the central server. Examples of centralized operating systems include mainframe systems.
On the other hand, a distributed operating system distributes the resources and control across multiple interconnected computers or nodes. Each node in a distributed system has its own processing power, memory, storage, and other resources. These nodes communicate and coordinate with each other to perform tasks and share resources. Users can access and utilize these resources from any node in the system. Examples of distributed operating systems include networked systems and cloud computing platforms.
The main difference between a distributed and centralized operating system lies in the distribution of resources and control. In a centralized system, all resources and control are concentrated in a single location, while in a distributed system, resources and control are distributed across multiple nodes. This distribution allows for better scalability, fault tolerance, and resource utilization in distributed systems. However, it also introduces challenges in terms of communication, coordination, and synchronization between nodes.