Windows and linux

1. Discover how to manage/allocate virtual memory

The size of virtual memory can sometimes be adjusted by a computer user to improve system performance. Using an operating system of your choice, discover if you can change the size of virtual memory, how to do so, and the minimum and maximum recommended sizes of virtual memory. Write a brief summary including what virtual memory is and how it is utilized by your operating system, what operating system was utilized for this hand-on exercise; providing a screen capture of the virtual memory settings, and the steps required to retrieve the desired information. (Important! Do not change the size of your virtual memory settings unless you know what you are doing. This exercise is for research purposes only.)

2.    Discover and Practice how to manage process running in a Linux environment.  For this assignment you will need to obtain a copy of a Linux distribution.  There are several popular distributions that are freely available from sites such as Linux.com.  Your objective is to:

A. Determine the processes that are running,

B. How to start a new process and assign it a priority,

C. How to change the priority of a process that is currently running.

Students need to include screen shots of their systems in respect to A, B and C and include a brief summary for each task.

Also, discuss the scheduling algorithm used in the Linux operating system.  In a separate section, do some research on the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system, specifically on:

A. How to determine the processes that are running,

B. How to start a new process and assign it a priority, 

C. How to change the priority of a process that is currently running.  Provide a 2 to 3 paragraph summary of you findings, including a few illustrations if they provide added value to your summarization. Also discuss the scheduling algorithm used in the Windows operating system. 

3.

Research the file management capabilities of both the Windows and Android operating system. In a three to four page paper:

A. Discuss the merits of each file management system,

B. Methods available for file manipulation, 

C. How user-defined permissions are implemented and can be examined.

4. Evaluate a given security policy and practice (hands-on) implementing the needed administrative security controls.

For this written assignment assume the following security policy has just been adopted by your company and you as the network administrator are responsible for implementing the “mechanism” to enforce this policy.

Policy Statement: Passwords are the most frequently utilized form of authentication for accessing a computing resource. Due to the widespread use of weak passwords, the proliferation of automated password-cracking programs, and the activity of malicious attackers, they are very often also the weakest link in securing data. Password use must therefore adhere to the following policy statement:

All passwords mush be strong passwords and follow the standards below.

• Be at least ten characters in length
• Contain at least one lowercase character
• Contain at least one number
• Contain at least one special character
• Contain at least one uppercase character
• Cannot contain your first name, last name, or username
• Cannot match your last three passwords.
• Must be changed every 90 days

 To maximize your learning with this written assignment, it is recommended that you research how passwords standards can be enforced (your choice of the target OS) and that you attempt to implement this policy on a non-production system – preferably one that you have implemented for use in this course. 

 In a two page (maximum) paper, delineate the process you would adopt, specific to your chosen OS platform, to enable enforcement of the password policy.  Include screen shots of scripts and/ or application settings that you utilized to accomplish this assignment.