IT 600 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric
Overview
IT professionals are often called upon to make decisions, provide recommendations, and perform analyses that require an in-depth understanding of the inner workings of an operating system. This summative assessment will provide students with the knowledge and skills required to achieve and maintain this level of understanding throughout their careers. For the summative assessment, students will perform a technical evaluation of an operating system. Students will be offered a choice of operating systems to analyze. Students will use real-time and log-based tools, empirical observation, and scholarly research to analyze the core subsystems of the operating system. For each subsystem, students will research and describe the technology used in that subsystem and compare it to other available technologies. For the final report, students will assess the results of their analyses and perform an overall evaluation of the operating system, with recommendations for how it might be improved.
For the summative assessment you will perform an in-depth technical evaluation of an operating system. The evaluation will be made in terms of the ability of the system and its supporting hardware to meet a set of organizational needs and technical requirements. The organization is a global enterprise that provides premium technical support to other enterprise businesses.
Management will use your evaluation as one element among several in their assessment of options for future technology adoption. You will define the technical requirements, based on tasks performed by the organization, the applications used, system loads, security, system management, maintenance, and performance. The scope of the evaluation will include analyses and assessments of the hardware-software interface, the techniques used to implement processes and threads, the file systems supported by the operating system, the input/output subsystem, and the operating system security features. You will use these analyses and assessments to produce a comprehensive evaluation, which will be written in the form of a detailed technology review.
SNHU will provide tools to support analysis of some commonly used operating systems, but you may select another operating system if you have the resources to do so. There will also be several milestones throughout the course that will allow you to develop the evaluation incrementally.
The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two, Three, and Seven. Your final report will be submitted in Module Nine.
Prompt
Your technical evaluation of an operating system should include analyses and assessments of the hardware-software interface, the techniques used to implement processes and threads, the file systems supported by the operating system, the I/O subsystem, and the operating system security features. You will use these analyses and assessments to produce a comprehensive evaluation, which will be written in the form of a detailed technology review.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
- Organizational Needs and Requirements
- Develop an organizational profile that analyzes the tasks performed by the organization, the computer applications in use or expected to be in use, and the estimated system loads anticipated for the operating system.
- What are the organizational, security, and performance and reliability requirements related to operating system function,
management, and maintenance?
- Computer Architecture
- What hardware is required to host the operating system? This should include an identification of the minimal hardware required and an assessment of what would be needed to support organizational needs and requirements.
- Analyze the architecture in terms of support and functionality of process management, memory management, I/O, and mass storage.
- Analyze the architectural support for multiprocessor systems and assess the organization, connection, and control aspects. What are some architectural issues that might arise regarding technologies used in multiprocessor systems and how would you recommend utilizing multiprocessor systems in light of these issues?
- Process Management
- Assess the operating system process management in terms of its responsiveness to organizational requirements. Use process monitoring tools to gather data for your assessment.
- Assess software tools for thread analysis and deadlock detection that are available for the operating system. What strategies does the operating system provide for handling deadlocks?
- What support does the operating system provide for multiprocessing? Assess the applicability and ability of the operating system to allocate tasks between multiple processors.
- Memory Management
- Describe how the types of memory supported by the operating system are used. What memory abstraction does the system use? Use an analysis tool to investigate the mapping to physical memory.
- Describe the system support for virtual memory, memory paging, and segmentation. Use a monitoring tool to assess their activity under heavily loaded conditions.
- Assess the techniques used for memory management policy and mechanism separation and their utility in managing complexity.
- I/O and Mass Storage
- Describe the hardware-software interface for I/O management used by the operating system. Various techniques are used for enabling the operating system to communicate with devices. What techniques are supported and what are their advantages and disadvantages?
- Analyze the file systems supported by the operating system. Use file system performance tests to assess the available file systems.
- What is the relationship between scheduled process context switching and I/O interrupt handling? Analyze the use of device interrupts in the operating system and compare them to other possible approaches to input/output.
- Security
- What formal security model does the system support? Analyze the system to determine what support it provides for implementing security models and assess the relevant tools and services made available to administrators.
- Recommend techniques and best practices to further support security of the operating system.
- Overall Evaluation: Using the defined requirements, analyses, and assessments, develop a comprehensive detailed technology
recommendation. Include an integrated assessment of the operating system’s capability to support organizational needs and technical requirements.
Milestones
Milestone One: Situation Analysis
In Module Two, you will conduct a situational analysis. You will write a short paper that describes the business-related challenges faced by the organization. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric.
Milestone Two: Analytical Organizational Profile
In Module Three, you will conduct an analytical organizational profile. Your work will be completed in the Milestone Two Template document. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.
Milestone Three: Full Organizational Profile
In Module Seven, you will complete a full organizational profile. Your work will be completed in the Milestone Three Template document. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Three Rubric.
Final Submission: Technical Evaluation of an Operating System
In Module Nine, you will consider the questions below and make revisions to the document you submitted for Milestone Three. With your Milestone Three document in front of you, consider the following and make revisions as necessary:
- Have you incorporated all of the feedback and suggestions you received from your instructor?
- Does your submission address all of the critical elements outlined above?
- Does the operating system you selected match the specific requirements your organization identified?
- Do you have title and references pages?
- Is your submission at least 15 pages of content not including title and reference pages?
- Have you supported each of your positions with a credible source?
- Have you properly cited your sources and made proper attribution for any copyrighted graphics or photos?
- Does your submission make a clearly stated recommendation for an operating system?
Your final submission should be a polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final project. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded using the Final Project Rubric (below).
What to Submit
Your report should be 15 pages double-spaced paper or the completed template provided in Milestone Three, professionally written, with necessary citations in APA format and any accompanying visuals or additional artifacts submitted as part of an appendix section.
2-3 Final Project: Milestone One: Situation Analysis
SNHU
IT 600
2-3 Final Project: Milestone One: Situation Analysis
A Description of the Business-Related Challenges Faced by The Organization
Due to its single-purpose operating system (TSI OS) constraints in its back-office operations, Top Secret, Inc. (TSI) confronts major business issues. A major issue is multiprogramming and multiprocessing. TSI OS does not support numerous programs or processors on a device. This reduces the company's back-office efficiency, which requires pre-emptive multitasking and advanced scheduling. TSI uses old hardware because to the lack of multicore CPUs, increasing prices and decreasing performance.
The lack of multithreading in TSI OS is another major issue. Due to this constraint, multithreading-heavy back-office applications function poorly, disrupting TSI's operations. TSI has had to use open-source software modifications, which are resource-intensive and unreliable, compounding the problems caused by its operating system's lack of native multithreading capabilities.
Virtual memory limits are another issue. Due to memory shortages, TSI OS fails frequently without paging. TSI's back-office servers experience outages, which reduces productivity and may compromise data integrity. A poor memory management system causes system disruptions and user displeasure (Meldayani, 2023). To ensure ongoing client service and reduce operational disruptions, TSI must address this issue to maintain a stable and reliable server architecture.
Security matters too. Login authentication, file system security, and network security are missing from TSI OS. Since back office TSI OS servers can be easily accessed, this is risky. TSI also faces device driver issues. Custom device driver development for many devices is unfeasible, causing compatibility concerns and inefficiency. Without fault tolerance owing to RAID card device driver coding, TSI risks data loss.
An Example of a Case Study That Discusses Similar Challenges Faced By Organizations With Constraints Related To The Lack Of Features Listed In Table 1
Company X, a mid-sized manufacturing concern, initially used a proprietary, single-purpose operating system for its industrial gear. Like TSI, Company X struggled with their operating system. The lack of multiprogramming prevented important programs from running simultaneously, causing production bottlenecks and inefficiencies. Due to multiprocessing support issues, the company's server infrastructure was underutilized, increasing operational costs.
Company X also had multithreading issues. Multiple threads were needed for quality control operations to fulfil production requirements. Lack of multithreading caused delays and missed deadlines. The organization had to consider expensive hardware upgrades and custom software development. These projects stretched the company's budget and resources, hurting its market competitiveness. The organization prioritized finding a multithreading solution to improve operational efficiency without significant expenses or disruptions.
Company X also faced virtual memory issues. System crashes caused by memory mismanagement disrupted manufacturing and caused downtime. These persistent concerns slowed productivity and cost money by stopping production lines and delaying client deliveries. System instability also affected personnel morale and consumer satisfaction (Matharu, 2023). To address these concerns, Company X overhauled its IT infrastructure, investing in modern memory management technologies and instituting strict monitoring systems to detect and resolve memory issues. This strategy adjustment ensured smooth operations, improved product quality, and protected the company's brand.
Security was another Company X priority. Without strong operating system security, the corporation risked illegal access to crucial industrial data and intellectual property. This required increased security and monitoring. Company X used firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and encryption to solve these weaknesses. Preventive security audits and penetration testing identified and fixed vulnerabilities (Ghanem & Chen, 2019). Employee training programs enhance cybersecurity knowledge and best practices across the firm. These actions helped Company X protect its assets and preserve customer and stakeholder trust in a digital and networked business environment.
Device drivers had similar issues as TSI. As industrial machinery became more complicated, custom device driver development became untenable. Device driver development delays and compatibility issues slowed production. Managing more drivers for different equipment drained resources and hampered system integration. OS changes necessitated regular driver updates, compounding the issue. This issue led to the development of standardized driver frameworks for hardware compatibility. This change sought to expedite development, improve reliability, and optimize manufacturing by decreasing driver-related bottleneck downtime.
Failure to tolerate faults compounded Company X's problems. As the organization relies on individual storage disks, hardware failures could threaten data integrity. This lack of redundancy increased data loss risk and slowed the company's recovery from unexpected technical issues. Without a reliable backup system, Company X risked security breaches and regulatory non-compliance because crucial data could be compromised. Company X needed a thorough data backup and recovery strategy, RAID configurations, and redundant storage solutions to protect their critical company data.
References
Ghanem, M. C., & Chen, T. M. (2019). Reinforcement Learning for Efficient Network Penetration Testing. Information, 11(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/info11010006
Matharu, G. (2023, September 15). Title: “The Ripple Effect: How Employee Satisfaction Affects Big IT Companies.” Medium. https://medium.com/@singh70981/title-the-ripple-effect-how-employee-satisfaction-affects-big-it-companies-7559c2d796c7
Meldayani, C. (2023, June 25). Memory Management Techniques in Modern Operating Systems. Medium. https://medium.com/@chesiameldayani310/memory-management-techniques-in-modern-operating-systems-8574593acf0b
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3-3 Final Project: Milestone Two: Analytical Organizational Profile
Quaneisha Leonard
SNHU
IT 600
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GPOS Feature |
Profile Criteria |
Student Analysis |
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Multiprogramming |
Tech Description |
Multiprogramming is a feature that allows multiple programs to run simultaneously on a computer system. It is achieved by allocating the CPU's time among multiple processes |
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Business Requirement |
The absence of multiprogramming in TSI's OS restricts the ability to run multiple back-office applications concurrently. This impacts efficiency and leads to increased operational costs |
|
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Multiprocessing |
Tech Description |
Multiprocessing involves the use of multiple processors or cores to perform tasks in parallel. It enhances the system's ability to handle multitasking and improves overall performance |
|
Business Requirement |
TSI's OS lacks multiprocessing support, leading to underutilized server infrastructure and increased operational costs. This feature is crucial for efficient resource allocation. |
|
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Multithreading |
Tech Description |
Multithreading allows multiple threads within a process to execute concurrently. It is essential for handling tasks that require parallel execution |
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Business Requirement |
TSI's OS's lack of multithreading negatively affects the performance of multithreading-heavy back-office applications, causing delays and disruptions. This impacts operational efficiency and competitiveness |
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Virtual Memory |
Tech Description |
Virtual memory is a memory management technique that uses disk space to extend physical RAM. It prevents system crashes due to memory shortages |
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Business Requirement |
TSI's OS experiences frequent failures without paging, resulting in server outages and reduced productivity. Addressing this issue is crucial to maintaining a stable and reliable server architecture. |
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System Call Interface |
Tech Description |
The system call interface provides an interface for applications to request services from the operating system. It allows programs to interact with the kernel. |
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Business Requirement |
While not mentioned specifically in the text, the absence of a system call interface would greatly impact the ability of applications and processes to interact with the OS, affecting the overall functionality and efficiency of the system |
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Security |
Tech Description |
Security features include login authentication, file system security, and network security. These features protect the system from unauthorized access and data breaches. |
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Business Requirement |
TSI's OS lacks these security features, posing a risk to data and system integrity. Unauthorized access to back-office servers is a significant security concern that needs to be addressed. |
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Device Drivers |
Tech Description |
Device drivers are software that allows the operating system to communicate with hardware devices. They are essential for hardware compatibility |
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Business Requirement |
TSI's challenge with custom device driver development for various devices impacts compatibility and system efficiency. Without proper device drivers, data loss risks increase, and reliability is compromised. |
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Fault Tolerance |
Tech Description |
Fault tolerance involves the system's ability to continue operating in the presence of hardware or software failures without data loss. |
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Business Requirement |
The lack of fault tolerance, as in the case of TSI, increases the risk of data loss during hardware failures. To maintain data integrity and business continuity, TSI needs a reliable backup and recovery strategy. |
At least one full paragraph for each of the GPOs. Add APA references.