Types of Operating Systems

When referring to types of Operating Systems in this course you do not refer to “Windows”, “Linux”, “Mac OSX” etc. We refer to the category of Operating Systems.

Embedded

Embedded Operating Systems have a narrower scope of operation than stand alone and server Operating Systems. It is often found in specialised equipment, typically with reduced functionality or resources (such as RAM, CPU, graphics capability, secondary storage). Examples include digital cameras, air conditioners, and cars (while mobile OS’s are classed as embedded, I wouldn’t advise you use those in an exam). These still fulfills all the roles of Operating Systems, however, they often have the applications integrated into the OS and are updated as a whole through a firmware update, rather than partial updates or application updates.

Stand alone

A stand alone Operating System is used on a Personal Computer to allow applications to run on desktop or notebook hardware (utilising drivers). Stand alone Operating Systems can operate on various hardware configurations. The Operating System is often updated independently from the application software. Examples include Windows, OSX, Linux (although there are some examples of embedded Linux as well as Windows CE which can be classed as an embedded OS).

Server

Server Operating Systems are optimised to run on server hardware to deliver specific specialised server functions such as email server, file server, web server, and database server. They operate within a client/server model, with client computers requesting files and the servers serving. Windows Server 2019 would be an example.