Datasheet

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCING WINDOWS VISTA

Executive Services

Executive Services is a set of separate components that complete the underpinnings of the Vista

kernel mode. Each Executive Service controls a specific function. The following is a brief overview

of each of those functions.

I/O Manager

I/O Manager handles all communication between your applications and your hard disk. Addition-

ally, it manages drivers for different file formats (FAT, NTFS) and keeps the Vista kernel informed

of the hard drive’s status. I/O Manager also manages network cards and modems. In short, this

manager controls any device that delivers data to or from the computer. Its components are illus-

trated in Figure 1.3.

Figure 1.3

I/O Manager is built

to simultaneously

control multiple

devices and drivers.

I/O Manager is divided into the following sections:

Cache Manager Monitors your use of disk cache and disk pages.

File systems Manages the file systems you have installed on your computer.

Network drivers Controls your network cards and network protocols.

Device drivers Manages the hardware you have in your computer. This includes everything

from your hard drives and modem to your keyboard and mouse.

Object Manager

Object Manager manages all the system objects that Vista uses. An object is a piece of data the oper-

ating system uses to create system events. Objects are acted on by processes. Every object has a handle

(yes, that’s the technical term) that a process connects to in order to complete its job. The Object Man-

ager is extensible, meaning that it can be expanded and added to as new object types are developed.

Security Reference Monitor

Security Reference Monitor is the “watchdog” for Vista. Security Reference Monitor assigns secu-

rity tokens and authenticates users each time they execute a task.

Process Manager

Process Manager is the complement to Object Manager. Process Manager manages the creation and

deletion of processes. A process is a set of threads combined with a memory address and the neces-

sary objects needed to complete a system task. The Process Manager works in conjunction with the

Security Reference Monitor to ensure that every process is assigned a security token.

File systems

Network drivers

Device drivers

Cache Manager

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