Understanding MS-DOS

By: Arya Brijith, International Center for AI and Cyber Security Research and Innovations (CCRI), Asia University, Taiwan,sia University, Taiwan, arya.brijithk@gmail.com

Abstract

This article explores the world of MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System), a ground-breaking operating system that was essential to the development of personal computing.

Introduction

A malicious assault known as a denial-of-service (DoS) occurs when an attacker sends a system, network, or website an excessive volume of traffic, making it unavailable to authorized users. This is accomplished by finding weak points in the resources of the target and using them to overwhelm and incapacitate them. DoS attacks can be carried out in several ways, such as by flooding the network with requests or by taking advantage of flaws in hardware or software. For organizations, governments, or people that depend on constant access to their internet services, these may have dire repercussions. Countermeasures are used to lessen the effects of such assaults, such as firewalls and specialist software.

MS-DOS

MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) was an operating system created by Microsoft for desktop computers that were compatible with IBM. Throughout the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s, MS-DOS was the main operating system used on PCs.

When MS-DOS was introduced in 1981, users could communicate with their computer via a command-line interface. This meant that instead of using a graphical user interface (GUI) like we are used to today, users had to input commands to carry out operations. For instance, a user would need to type a specific command on a command prompt to copy a file.

The development of personal computing was greatly aided by MS-DOS, which also served as the foundation for later iterations of Microsoft’s operating systems, such as Windows. MS-DOS was an important platform in the early days of the PC industry since many early software programs and games were made to run on it.

Although more recent operating systems have essentially taken its place, MS-DOS has an important position in computer history and was instrumental in making Microsoft a prominent force in the software sector.

Challenges

  • Scalability of ML-Based IDS in Large Scale Networks- An individual ML-based IDS often keeps track of network traffic on a link-local IPv6 network to look for DoS and DDoS assaults that use NDP. But as subnetworks grow, so do the alerts that each subnet’s own IDS emit on a regular basis. As a result, there is a growing demand for solutions that do not bombard human operators with too many alarms.[1]
  • Efficient Analysis of Flow-based network traffic- Understanding how data moves across a network, often in terms of packets or flows of information, is necessary for analysing flow-based networks. It takes a lot of time.
  • Managing memory- For MS-DOS users, controlling system memory was a challenging chore. Applications on the system could only utilize a certain amount of memory, therefore users frequently had to manually modify settings to improve memory utilization. This could be particularly difficult while running memory-demanding programs or games.
  • Limited file system support- Early versions of MS-DOS included restrictions on file names and extensions, such as the 8.3 file naming convention (eight characters for the name, three for the extension). This complicated file organization and maintenance compared to modern file systems.
  • Vulnerabilities in security- When MS-DOS was created, security issues were not as common as they are now. As a result, it was more prone to security flaws, necessitating greater security measures on the part of users.

Conclusion

The digital revolution was sparked by MS-DOS, which played a key role in early computers and had a command-line interface. Although it presented difficulties with memory management and security, its legacy lives on in the development of intuitive, safe, and effective operating systems. MS-DOS is still a shining example of innovation, influencing how we use technology today.

References

  1. Tayyab, M., Belaton, B., & Anbar, M. (2020). ICMPv6-based DoS and DDoS attacks detection using machine learning techniques, open challenges, and blockchain applicability: a review. IEEE Access8, 170529-170547.
  2. Zhijun, W., Wenjing, L., Liang, L., & Meng, Y. (2020). Low-rate DoS attacks, detection, defense, and challenges: A survey. IEEE access8, 43920-43943.
  3. Adams, T. L., & Zimmerman, R. E. (1989). An analysis of 8086 instruction set usage in MS DOS programs. ACM SIGARCH Computer Architecture News17(2), 152-160.
  4. Poonia, V., Goyal, M. K., Gupta, B. B., Gupta, A. K., Jha, S., & Das, J. (2021). Drought occurrence in different river basins of India and blockchain technology based framework for disaster management. Journal of Cleaner Production312, 127737.
  5. Gupta, B. B., & Sheng, Q. Z. (Eds.). (2019). Machine learning for computer and cyber security: principle, algorithms, and practices. CRC Press.
  6. Singh, A., & Gupta, B. B. (2022). Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and defense mechanisms in various web-enabled computing platforms: issues, challenges, and future research directions. International Journal on Semantic Web and Information Systems (IJSWIS)18(1), 1-43.
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Cite As

Brijith A. (2023) Understanding MS-DOS, Insights2Techinfo, pp.1

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