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Thursday Oct 20, 2022 |
In this course, we will dive deep into the mechanisms by which computer systems manage and distribute resources using the services of an operating system. You will learn how programs are turned into system processes and then are scheduled to run on the CPU. We will explore topics related to memory and file-system management as well as security and privacy from the system's administrator point of view. Finally, in this class, you will have the opportunity to interact with a real-world, yet small-scale, operating system. You will implement several operating system features that will solidify the concepts that we discuss in class.
If you are wondering why you are required to take this class, please take a moment to read the [unofficial syllabus]({{ site.baseurl }}/docs/unofficial) where we try to convince you of the importance of knowing the concepts in this class.
At the start of this class, we assume that you are familiar with the C programming language and are well on your way to become an independent programmer. Officially, this means that you should have passed CSSE-132 and CSSE-220.
After completing this class, you should be able to:
- Leverage operating system services to create, manage, terminate, and schedule processes.
- Define the main memory abstraction and implement operating system features to achieve memory virtualization using paging.
- Describe different approaches to file-system organization and build a working system that can read, write, and manage files.
- Identify the need for synchronization in multi-threaded environments, and write code that properly uses synchronization primitives.
- Implement operating system features that satisfy a requirements specification using an appropriate programming language.
- Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces, version 1.00, Remzi H. Arpaci-Dusseau
and Andrea C. Apraci-Dusseau, August 2018.
- You can obtain a free copy of the textbook at: Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces
Unless otherwise specified, all Chapters and Sections listed on the schedule refer to the above textbook and chapters.
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Modern Operating Systems, 4th Edition, Andrew S. Tanenbaum, Herbert Bos, Pearson Education, 2015.
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Linux kernel development, Robert Love, Pearson Education, 2010.
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Operating System Concepts, 10th Edition, Abraham Silberschatz, Greg Gagne, and Peter B. Galvin, Wiley, 2018.
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C Programming Language, 2nd Edition, Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie, Prentice Hall, 1988.
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C: The Complete Reference, 4th Edition, Herbert Schildt, McGraw-Hill Osborne Media, 2000.
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Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment, 2nd Edition, W. Richard Stevens and Stephen A. Rago, Addison-Wesley Professional, 2008.
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Electronic course materials, including the schedule, may be accessed directly at the [course website]({{ site.baseurl }}).
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All grades and assignment feedback will be posted on [Gradescope]({{ site.gradescope_url }}).
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Posting questions, discussions, and answers to questions asked are best done on the course’s [Moodle forum]({{ site.moodle_url }}).
The deadlines of all homeworks, labs, and project milestones are listed on the [schedule]({{ site.baseurl }}/schedule/) page.
In general, you should plan ahead and submit assignments on time. This course has no ’late day’ policy and late assignments are generally worth 0 points unless you have made arrangements.
However, we understand that situations can arise. We handle all situations on a case-by-case basis. Here are some general guidelines:
- The usual extension is 24 hours upon request or for extreme circumstances 48 hours
- We expect to be notified as soon as is feasible. If you are very ill, we understand that that might be slightly after the assignment due date. For other situations, it’s usually possible to notify us in advance.
- We keep track of extensions per student and if you seem to be overusing the privilege we will stop allowing extensions.
- If the reason you are late is because you are having trouble completing the assignment (e.g. a bug you can’t fix or just difficulty understanding) get help from an instructor. Don’t assume that more time will fix the problem; plan to get help.
If circumstances have caused you to miss/fail several assignments OR if your current situation in OS seems overwhelming, you should contact your instructor right away. Sometimes it is possible to make up missed work for partial credit, these situations are always handled on a case-by-case basis.
The best chance of success is when these problems are addressed timely - but it never hurts to have a discussion, however unsalvageable the situation may feel. Please talk to your professor if you are having problems!
Homework assignments, including Labs, are listed on the class schedule. Homework assignments that require code solutions and submission instructions can be found [here]({{ site.baseurl }}/docs/submission_instructions/).
There are regular programming assignments, plus assorted quizzes and minor assignments (you can see the exact weight of everything in Moodle). These assignments are integral to your understanding of OS - missing any of them can make passing OS quite hard. All these assignments are done individually.
There are also challenge assignments. Challenge assignments generally involve trickier programming but explore more interesting topics. Despite the fact that they are harder, the challenge assignments are actually weighted less than regular assignments. If you're willing to accept a C in the course, you don't have to do any challenge assignments. BUT it's our hope everyone will attempt at least some of the challenge assignments, and those looking for an A will need to complete all of them. Challenge assignments can be done in groups of 2, or individually.
There will be 2 skill exams. Passing each exam is required to pass the course (unless otherwise specified, passing means getting 65% or better). Each exam will have a makeup and the higher of the two exam grades will be used. However, if you fail both the exam and the makeup, you fail the course.
| Item | Weight |
|---|---|
| Assignments/Labs | 40% |
| Challenge Assignments | 25% |
| Exams | 35% |
I generally follow the registrar's interpretation of letter grades, which you can find here under the grades description section.
Thankfully, Teaching Assistants will be helping us grade most of the homework in this class. On the schedule page, you should be able to see who will be grading a particular assignment. When you have a grading issue, please contact the grading TA first, particularly for issues like:
- The code you submitted works on your computer but not the TA's.
- The TA didn't notice but you actually did do the thing requested, it was just in a different place etc.
- You submitted the wrong files.
If you talk to the grading TA and you disagree with their analysis of your code or you feel the grading standards were unfair (or unfairly applied) please contact your instructor. We want to help you but everything goes smoother if logistical issues come to the TAs first.
We generally welcome and encourage collaboration on homework and laboratory assignments. However, it is in your best interest if you write your own code and appropriately acknowledge any sources of help you receive to complete your assignment. This will no doubt help you perform better on exams and design projects.
With code assignments - it is acceptable to discuss your solution with other students. It is acceptable to get some occasional help with a particular section or with debugging. It is not acceptable, nor in your best interest, to pair-program the assignment together (except for challenge assignments where pairing is allowed). It is not acceptable to co-write the assignment by discussing the solution line-by-line as you write it. It is definitely not acceptable to get code from someone else.
Students found to have cheated will be penalized up to -150% of the value of the assignment (yes, that’s a negative grade, beyond a simple 0). This is in addition to cheating being reported and added to your permanent file.
Students are expected to behave professionally. A lack of professional behavior in a student’s interactions within a team, with an instructor, teaching assistants or during in-class activities can result in a penalty grade. Depending on the nature and the egregiousness of the behavior, the penalty grade might be a reduction in letter grade or an F in the class.
We know that as students, you are dealing with a lot of stress, often a lack of sleep, and sometimes social isolation. It is easy to neglect your mental (and physical) health and lose yourself in the vortex of pressure. Spoken from experience, it is important for you to make time for yourself, both mentally and physically. Therefore, if at any point during the quarter, you feel that you are in need of help, please reach out to the office of health services or the student counseling center. Also, if you feel comfortable, you can reach out to me so I can help you devise a plan to tackle your coursework for CSSE 332.