<operating system> (DOS) The name of a number of operating
systems which include facilities for storing files on disk.
Such a system must handle physical disk I/O, the mapping of
file names to disk addresses and protection of files from
unauthorised access (in a multi-user system).
A DOS should present a uniform interface to different storage
device such as floppy disks, hard disks and magnetic
tape drives. It may also provide some kind of locking to
prevent unintentional simultaneous access by two processes to
the same file (or record).
(1998-07-08)
Nearby terms:
diskless workstation « disk mirroring « Disk Operating System « disk operating system » disks » disk striping » Dislang
