An operating system manages the peripheral devices connected to a computer.
State two tasks carried out by the peripheral management function of an operating system.
Mark scheme
Award one mark for any of the following up to a maximum of two marks:
- Receives input from/sends output to peripheral devices (1)
- Communicates with/controls a peripheral using its device driver, including installing the driver for a new device (1)
- Manages the print queue/buffer so that print jobs are sent to the printer in turn (1)
- Reports the status of a device/a device error to the user, e.g. out of paper (1)
Allow answers that name a specific peripheral, as long as they also say what the operating system does with it, e.g. 'it controls the printer using its driver'.
Do not accept 'manages peripherals'/'controls the hardware' on its own, as this repeats the question.
Do not accept 'managing files' or 'managing users' (file management and user management are other functions of an operating system).
Example answers and how they were marked
It uses device drivers to control each peripheral and it reports a printer error such as out of paper to the user.
Why: Communicating with a peripheral using its device driver (1) and reporting a device error to the user (1) are two different peripheral management tasks.
It manages the print queue.
Why: Managing the print queue is one named peripheral management task (1); no second task is given.
It manages peripherals and it manages users.
Why: 'Manages peripherals' repeats the question and earns nothing; 'manages users' is user management, not peripheral management.