Hardware and Operating Systems Flashcards

What is the purpose of the lsmod command?

Answer: Display currently loaded kernel modules

lsmod shows the status of all currently loaded kernel modules, including their size and usage count.

Which hardware component determines the maximum speed at which data can be transferred between the CPU and RAM?

Answer: The memory bus speed and RAM type

The memory bus speed and RAM type (e.g., DDR4-3200) determine the maximum bandwidth available between the CPU and system memory.

In Linux, what type of file is /dev/sda?

Answer: A block device file representing a storage device

/dev/sda is a block device file that represents the first SCSI/SATA disk; the kernel uses it to communicate with the storage device.

What is the purpose of cache memory (L1, L2, L3) in a CPU?

Answer: Store frequently accessed data closer to the CPU to reduce latency

CPU cache levels (L1, L2, L3) store frequently used data and instructions near the processor to avoid slower main memory accesses.

Which file would you read to find the Linux kernel version currently running on a system?

Answer: /proc/version

/proc/version contains the kernel version string, build date, and compiler information for the running kernel.

What is the typical role of the /sys filesystem (sysfs) in Linux?

Answer: Provide a virtual filesystem exposing kernel objects and device attributes

sysfs is a virtual filesystem mounted at /sys that exports kernel objects, their attributes, and their relationships to user space.

Which hardware interface standard is commonly used to connect modern internal SSDs at very high speeds?

Answer: NVMe over PCIe

NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) over PCIe provides very high throughput and low latency for SSDs, far exceeding SATA speeds.