IGNOU MCS-203 Operating Systems - IGNOU Solved Assignment (Latest)

IGNOU MCS-203 (January 2026 – July 2026) Assignment Questions

Question 1:

Consider the following jobs.

a) Using the FCFS method, compute the completion times of the above jobs, average turn around time and average waiting time.
b) Using the SRTF (Shortest Remaining Time first) method, compute the completion times of the above jobs, the average turn around time and the average waiting time. Note that SRTF is SJF with preemption. (Hint: Completion time – arrival time = turnaround time).
c) Using the Round Robin method (with Quantum = 2), compute the completion times of the above jobs and the average waiting time.

Question 2:

a. Explain the Banker’s problem. Consider the following snapshot of a system:

Answer the following questions using Banker’s algorithm:

i. What is the content of the matrix need?
ii. Is the system in a safe state?
iii. If a request from P1 arrives for (0, 4, 2, 0), can the request be granted immediately?

b. Consider the following page-reference string:

1, 2, 3, 4, 2, 1, 3, 4, 6, 2, 1, 2, 3, 7, 6, 3, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4

How many page faults would occur for following replacement algorithms assuming one, two, three, four, five, six or seven frames? Remember that all frames are initially empty, so your first unique pages will all cost one fault each.

i. LRU replacement.
ii. FIFO replacement.
iii. Optimal replacement.

Question 3:
a. Multiprocessor systems aim to improve both throughput and application speedup, yet these objectives often conflict with each other. Critically analyze how processor scheduling policies and task allocation strategies in multiprocessor operating systems attempt to balance this trade-off. Illustrate your answer with suitable scenarios where prioritizing one objective adversely affects the other.

b. Different multiprocessor interconnection architectures (bus-oriented, crossbar, hypercube, and multistage switch-based systems) exhibit varying scalability and contention characteristics. Compare these architectures from the perspective of scalability, cost, fault tolerance, and communication overhead, and justify which architecture would be most suitable for large-scale parallel applications.

Question 4:

a. Modern operating systems increasingly rely on virtual memory techniques to balance performance and resource utilization. Using Windows 10 and Linux as reference case studies, examine how
demand paging, working sets, page caching, and memory compression contribute to efficient memory management. Evaluate the trade-offs involved when physical memory is constrained, and discuss how these strategies influence application performance.

b. File system design plays a crucial role in data integrity, performance, and security. Drawing from the case studies on Windows (NTFS) and Linux file systems, discuss how directory organization, file metadata handling, access control, and storage management differ in philosophy and implementation. Assess how these differences affect scalability, fault tolerance, and system administration in enterprise environments.

IGNOU MCS-203 (January 2025 – July 2025) Assignment Questions

Question 1: Consider the following jobs.

a) Using the SRTF method, compute the completion times of the above jobs, average turn around time and average waiting time.

b) Using the SJF (Shortest Job First) method, compute the completion times of the above jobs, the average turn around time and the average waiting time.

c) Using the Round Robin method (with Quantum = 2), compute the completion times of the above jobs and the average waiting time.

Question 2: Discuss the different techniques for I/O management in an operating system. Explain how buffering, spooling, and caching improve I/O performance. Give examples to illustrate their practical applications.

Question 3: Describe the structure of a disk in an operating system and explain the concept of disk scheduling. Compare the FCFS, SSTF, and SCAN scheduling algorithms. Provide an example to demonstrate the working of these algorithms.

Question 4: Compare and contrast contiguous and non-contiguous memory allocation methods. Explain the First-Fit, Best-Fit, and Worst-Fit algorithms for memory allocation with examples. Which method is more efficient and why?

Question 5: Consider the following page-reference string:
1, 3, 4, 2, 7 , 8, 6, 2, 3,9, 6, 4, 2, 1, 3, 5, 9, 10, 4, 1, 5, 3, 4

How many page faults would occur for following replacement algorithms assuming four frames? Remember that all frames are initially empty, so your first unique pages will all cost one fault each.

i. FIFO replacement.
ii. LRU replacement.
iii. Optimal replacement.

Question 6: Differentiate between processes and threads. Explain the advantages of multithreading in an operating system. Propose a threading algorithm using a producer-consumer problem and explain how synchronization is achieved using semaphores.

Question 7: Explain the concept of virtual memory and its importance in modern operating systems. Describe the working of demand paging and how page faults are handled. Provide an example to demonstrate the process.

Question 8: Describe the architecture of a mobile operating system such as Android or iOS. Discuss the key features, differences from desktop operating systems, and challenges associated with mobile OS development.