3 Review(s)

Distributed Operating Systems is the expanded and greatly awaited second part to Andrew S. Tanenbaum’s classic book Modern Operating Systems and is a one stop guide to everything anyone needs to know about how modern operating systems work. Summary Of The Book Published in the year 2002, this book is a guide on how modern distributed operating systems work. Considering how pervasive and quickly expanding these systems are in the modern world, Distributed Operating Systems is a must have for anyone who wants to thoroughly understand the ins and outs of operating systems. Distributed Operating Systems is the sequel to Tanenbaum’s highly acclaimed Modern Operating Systems. It goes through much of the material covered in the first book while expanding and building on it. Topics such as File Systems, Communication, Processes and Synchronization are all revisited while newer topics such as Fault-Tolerant Distributed systems, Distributed Shared Memory, Real-Time Distributed systems and ATM networks are covered in detail. Given the extremely pragmatic nature of the book, it is only natural that case studies are also included – there are four such studies based on OSF/DCE, Amoeba, Chorus and Mach. The systematic nature which this book employs in analysing distributed operating systems makes it ideal for all kinds academicians who deal with such systems, be it computer scientists or engineers. The chapter-wise summaries and bibliographies provided make this book an asset to the discerning lecturer and student. Each chapter is organized like a disciplined assault on ignorance of distributed systems - it not only looks at the blood and guts facts but also looks at how they play out in popular technologies. Tanenbaum is noted for his easy and lucid style of writing which lends itself very easily to any reader. This coupled with the impressive range of application oriented topics covered make this book a bestseller in its field. It has received largely positive reviews and has been called a modern classic in the field. About Andrew S. Tanenbaum Andrew S. Tanenbaum is an American Computer Scientist and Computer Science professor at Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. He is noted for a number of books including Modern Operating Systems, Distributed Operating Systems, Computer Networks, Distributed Systems: Principles And Paradigms, Operating Systems: Design And Implementation and Structured Computer Organization. Tanenbaum is equally well known as an academician and has acted as a guide for several noted Ph.D students such as Leendert van Doorn, Henri Bal, Sape Mullender, Frans Kaashoek and Robbert van Renesse. He has also won numerous awards and has received honorary doctorates for his impressive contributions to the field.