CENTRAL MODULE OF AN OPERATING SYSTEM

The central module of an operating system (OS) is the Kernel. It is the part of the operating system that loads first, and it remains in main memory. It is necessary for the kernel to be very small while still providing all the essential services needed by other parts of the OS because it stays in the memory. To prevent kernel code from being overwritten by programs or other parts of the operating system it is loaded into a protected area of memory. The presence of an operating system kernel is not a necessity to run a computer. Directly loading and executing the programs on the "bare metal" machine is possible, provided that the program authors are willing to do without any OS support or hardware abstraction. Many video game consoles and embedded systems still constitute the “bare metal” approach. But in general, newer systems use kernels and operating systems.