Assume you are a consultant for a local business that has asked you to propose an enterprise-wide upgrade solution that includes operating systems, mass storage, virtualization and security. The company currently has a mix of operating systems, including several legacy machines. The company does not currently use virtual machines but is strongly considering them. The company’s core business is software testing but it is considering offering a storage solution.
Your proposal should address the following concerns and questions presented by stakeholders.
Are there benefits in upgrading their corporate Operating Systems from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10?
Is there a way to prevent deadlocks from occurring? If they cannot be prevented, is it possible to recover from deadlocks?
Considering the Windows and Linux operating systems, which OS would be preferred for NAS and why?
Enterprise-wide Upgrade Solution
Introduction
Providing critical cybersecurity training to an organization’s workforce is an essential factor in maintaining external hardiness for any organization. Additionally, organizations that have their business primarily online need to invest heavily in operating systems, softwares and hardwares that meet the modern days security challenges to ensure minimum disruption in business. Incidences of illegal access of computer system data, networks, devices and application are increasingly on the rise, and businesses have been identified to be the primary targets by hackers. The targetted data may include among other things, personal and financial information, names, addresses, social security numbers, birth dates, medical data, and bank routing numbers. Researchers in the Ponemon Institute outline that the phenomenon is on the rise in the US, as of 2017, there were recorded 130 successful breachers per major company which indicated a 27% rise, that saw companies cumulatively lose a total of 16.8 billion dollars (Marcus, 2018). As such, data breaches have become inevitable and corporations, companies and organizations need to institute measures that seek to protect and mitigate them from such risks.
From the organizational level, instituting proper cybersecurity protocols becomes an important factor that aims to reduce surface attacks for most organizations by providing security protocols and infrastructure to limit or mitigate against risk. It considers the fact that an organization in the 21st century is increasingly adopting use of computing devices for its services and with increased number of computer devices attacks become more prone and inevitable. Cybersecurity awareness topic usually expand beyond the virtual world to physical security provisions that are necessary for the perpetual existence of organization. The software and hardware components upgrade as well as training of the workforce becomes essential part in upgrading an organization’s capacity to fight of cyber security threats. For this reason it becomes important to shift from windows 8.1 to the more adept and modern Windows 10, as well as, establishing a virtual office as well as cyber security protocols.
Advantages of Upgrade of Corporate Operating System from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10
Migrating an organization’s operating system to newer Windows 10 OS, for example, is important as it boost organizational capacity to perform and secure its data and network. IN an organization that already uses Windows 8, Windows 10 OS provides a unoversal experience. It delivers a comprehensive application platform, a general security model and one deployment and management approach to create a universal feeling across al devices in an organization. Categorically, research indicates that migration to a newer OS gives organization the much needed security updates and support that old operating systems are increasingly losing (Booth, 2019). The five major advantages of moving from an old windows OS like 8.1 to 10 include
1. Improved security: Arguably the most important aspevct is the fact that Windows 10 was rated as the most secure OS to date (Booth, 2019). Improved security features have made it easier for businesses to have their data, devices and users protected 24/7 physically and virtually. Windows 10 security is great as it accommodates virtualization of the office and processes allowing organizations to accommodate more functionalities as such increasing productivity.
2. Interactiveness: aspects such as cortana, have been curated to perform within a business model and they have become handy in tracking teams, sending email and texts, creating schedules and reminders, as well as, creating and managing lists.
3. Increased speed: Windows 10 has an advanced start time speed when compared to previous OS versions.
4. Scalability at reduced cost: Windows 10 has minimized the need for time-consuming and costly wide-and-reload approach to OS deployment. With an OS that has greater compatibility with all existing applications in Windows 8, it also includes new tools for compatibility testing creating avenues for dynamic provisions for use by businesses. Booth (2019) outlines that microsoft identified the OS to run on over 1.5 million business PC since its release making it the most used by businesses. Scaling of business technology to an affordable cost is crucial. It also allows small and medium size businesses to access enterprise-grade security features and productivity tools at an affordable cost.
5. Enhanced Usability: microsoft combines the best usability features in Windows 7and 8.1 to create an improved operating system. Windows 10 is designed with the options of activating and using touch screen features. It also has a familiar interface that will allow modern apps as well as those which enhance existing productivity to run on desktop and a variety of devices.
Comparatively, when Windows 10 is reviewed against Linux OS, Linux offers greater speed and security while Windows 10 offers greater ease of use. Linux is employed for use by many corporations as servers and OS for security purposes while Windows is mostly employed by businesses for productivity. Linux being a free to use platform is less costly but it requires greater user training. Research indicates that while “Linux’s license cost is zero, but we do have infrastructure cost, software support cost and IT staffing cost for both Windows and Linux.” (Software Testing Help, 2022).
Virtual Office Application on Windows 10 OS
Windows 10 has the option for organizatiosn to move to the cloud through their Microsoft 365 premium offerings. This comes in handy in this hybrid work era, where working from home or mobile is encouraged for cost cutting. Cloud computing allows the computing power of a single machine to be utilized across a wider network of virtual machines, by allowing the hardware to run across multiple OS or multiple sessions within the same operating system (Yoo, 2011). This is defined as virtualization, which is a common attribute that defines clouding services. Cloud computing also aggregates demand. Aggregation of demand manifests when several end-users utilize the same equipment that, in turn, leads to higher utilization of the underlying systems, platforms, or hardware. Yoo (2011) identifies that a reduction in variability resulting from aggregation allows maximum utilization of services than a single organization could achieve on their own.
The most common cloud computing services delivered work out tasks performed by Operating Systems, physical hardware, and applications. Providers of cloud services segregate the parts into three categories; Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and Platform as a Service (PaaS). Yoo (2011) identifies that this taxonomical categorization helps identify some of the three more common characteristics that define organizations in need of cloud computing services. This is because they help identify the common attributes of cloud that attract different organizations into the service. It becomes necessary to define the importance of cloud computing to understand the general characteristics or organization in need of the service.
For virtualization, cyber security is paramount. An example of an organizational system where cybersecurity training is necessary is in organization that have implemented systems such as the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies. High security features in Windows 10 make this system even more applicable, especially in times of global pandemic where social distancing is encouraged. In this regard, employees will need to be informed on how to maintain encryption on their devices, how to use their personal devices to navigate through sensitive work and personal data and overall form a working program on keeping data from personal life and work separate (Rajendra, 2014). Cybersecurity is a responsibility for all within the organization, it helps get everyone on the same page and also becomes critical in perpetuating organizational risk mitigation. Good training program needs to be concise, action oriented and memorable for the employee. Risk assessment is an important critical step before accentuating training. It provides organization with accurate information on risk levels and become critical in creating a working training schedule. The next step involved is to provide interactive training courses and regular training programs to emphasize the various aspect necessary cybersecurity. Testing employee knowledge is also important in assessing how they have gathered the information available and how they seek to make improvements. Above all consistence is key in creating a working cyber training environment.
Cloud computing cater for greater scalability. Scalability signifies the ability of a system to handle a growing amount of work and application. In regards to microservices, the architectural style allows one to structure an application as a collection of services that are highly and readily maintainable and testable. These are services that are loosely coupled, independently deployable, and can be organized within the context of the business capabilities. Attributes to any application are in its ability to be scalable. Scalability translates to performance especially when there is a large growth recorded within the service. It can be expressed by end-user latency (Parr, 2014). This becomes very important especially when there are a variety of users or great traffic dependent on the services of an application, or a web program.
Vertical scalability or scaling upward is more manageable, as it can be attained by moving the application or program to bigger virtual machines deployed in the cloud, Cloud services are defined as IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS, where cloud can be used as infrastructure, program, or as a software service (Mishory, 2013). Clouds allow the provision to add expansion units which can always be extended by the use of more server space to accommodate the traffic as well as application of current infrastructure services. This ability to add or scale upwards is defined as scaling upwards and becomes important, especially when using the cloud as infrastructure as it allows more and more users to utilize the same virtual services. The use of cloud allows for economies of scale. inefficient servers do not allow for virtual machines, efficient servers that are flexible and easily accessible remotely, and by use of mainframes.
Deadlock Handling in OS
In an operating system, a deadlock may occur when a process or a thread enters a state of waiting. This is more importantly seen when a needed resource is held or prevented from moving by a waiting process which on most occasions is hoarding resources simultaneously waiting while requesting for additional resources in order to execute a certain function. The deadlock manifests as a result of holding or resources by low priority processes while starving operating and high priority processes with the resources necessary to accomplish or execute priority actions (Silberschatz, Gagne & Galvin, 2011). Process A and B may be in deadlock as each of them needs a certain resource 2 to complete their execution but neither of them is willing to relinquish their resources, and in most cases, the resource held may not be of priority to either process but a required resource to start execution of a task.
Deadlock Prevention and Avoidance
Deadlock in OS can be prevented by preventing at least one of the four required conditions. Violation of any of the four necessary conditions at any time and deadlock can never occur in the system. These conditions include:-
1. Removal of mutual exclusion: here at least one resource in the system should be shareable. It is important to note that not all resources can be sharable as some are mutually exclusive to a function.
2. Removal of hold and wait: Hold and wait of resources in the system leads to a deadlock. Not holding and/ or waiting on resources in the system will result in the prevention of deadlock. To prevent the manifestation of “hold and wait” processes need to be evaluated and prevented from holding one resource while simultaneously waiting for one or more shared resources. Suppose a process requires 10 resources in order for execution to start.
The process will require all ten of the needed resources necessary before the execution of the process starts (Silberschatz, Gagne & Galvin, 2011). Processes that have achieved necessary resources for execution of a process, and continue to hold these resources, and keep requesting additional resources will be required to relieve the acquired resources first before it embarks on acquiring more (Silberschatz, Gagne & Galvin, 2011). Here the process is essentially requiring and requesting all resources at one time. Waiting for time out is a characteristic of this condition and may lead to drawbacks.
A drawback will be caused due to the accumulation of resources on a redundant process which will mean resource application is low, as such there will be a higher chance for deadlock. Holding and waiting on resources is wasteful of system resources. As such, priority should be given to processes, and the process should be evaluated whether it needed one resource earlier on for execution and does not need some other resource until later on in the process.
Priority should be placed on what resource comes earlier on, a process should not request all resources at the same time, and finally, the system should require that all processes holding resources must release them before requesting new resources and then try to reacquire the released resources along with the new ones in a refreshed and single new request. The downside of the above methods is that it leads to starvation in the case that the process requires one or more popular resources.
3. No preempting: implies not forcefully taking of resources from a process. In this case, for a deadlock to be prevented there is a need to forcefully withdraw a resource from a process. This is encouraged in a waiting process and not from an active process. The technique is usually encouraged for system or higher priority processes (Silberschatz, Gagne & Galvin, 2011). The resource is normally preempted from a low priority process and given to a system process in a move defined as preemption.
4. Removal of Circular wait: In circular wait, processes are waiting in a circle as a cycle is created wherein the process P1 is waiting for the resource from another process P2 to complete and process P2 is waiting on R3 to complete and R3 is waiting on resources in P1 to complete so as for an execution to be made. There manifest a circular wait and the removal of a circular wait becomes imminent (Silberschatz, Gagne & Galvin, 2011). Assigning a number to each resource and ensuring that the processes can request a resource based on an increasing/ decreasing order strictly.
Deadlock Detection and Recovery
Detection and recovery take two approaches. The Optimistic and Pesimmistic approaches. Categorically these two approaches work to either roll back or halt a process to a priori “safe state” or to its initial value prior to any executable process.
1. Optimistic approach
Includes the preemption of resources and processes. Preempting some resources from the process and giving these resources to other processes until the deadlock cycle is broken. (1. Normal processes have been halted and they become rolled back to the previous “safe state”- only a specific number of process/es are selected as a victim for a finite time 2. Total rollback implies abortion to the initial point) (3. Starvation- the process is selected and preempted from resources. It does not complete its execution, the same process will not be selected as a victim again and again or for some finite number of times in which rollback is made)
2. Pessimistic approach
Process termination. Here the system is forced to abort all deadlock recovery or abort one process at a time and decide next to abort after deadlock detection (overhead associated with calling detection again and again). Categorically, the system may conduct:
● Priority to termination
● Priority of process
● How long has the process has computed
● How much longer a process will compute before completion
● How many & what type of resources process has been used
● How many resources the process will need to use to complete its execution
References
Booth, K. (2019). TOP 5 BENEFITS OF MIGRATING TO MICROSOFT’S WINDOW 10. Retrieved 12 January 2022, from https://www.epcgroup.net/top-5-benefits-of-migrating-to-microsofts-window-10/.
Marcus, D. J (2018) “The Data Breach Dilemma: Proactive Solutions for Protecting Consumers’ Personal Information.” Duke Law Journal, vol. 68, no. 3, pp. 556–593. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=133418287&site=ehost-live&scope=site (references)
Mishory, J. (2012). Panel Prohibits DOD To Use NSA Cloud Database Without CIO Certification. Inside The Army, 24(27), p13. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/24834720
Parr, D. (2014). Securing the Cloud. Journal Of Information Warfare, Peregrine Technical Solutions, 13(2), 56-69. doi: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/26487122
Rajendra, R. (2014). Employee-Owned Devices, Social Media, and the NLRA. ABA Journal of Labor & Employment Law, 30(1), 47-71. Retrieved January 10, 2022 from http://www.jstor.org.sbcc.idm.oclc.org/stable/43489456
Silberschatz A, Gagne G, & Galvin, P.B (2011) “Operating System Concepts, Ninth Edition “, Chapter 7. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Software Testing Help. (2022). Linux vs Windows Difference: Which Is The Best Operating System?. Retrieved 12 January 2022, from https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/linux-vs-windows/.
Yoo, C. (2011). Cloud Computing: Architectural and Policy Implications. Review Of Industrial Organization, 38(4), 405-421. doi: 10.1007/s11151-011-9295-7
