CS 620

Schedule

This is a tentative schedule for the course. It is subject to change during the semester.

When you use a computer, you are using the operating system on the computer. Without the operating system, the computer is just a machine; it is the operating system that transforms the computer from an on/off automaton to an intelligent system. The OS is a VERY complex program written in a high-level language, usually C. How does the OS differ from your user program? What does the OS do? How does it transform a machine to an intelligent system that can communicate with you? How does the OS execute your programs for you? These are some of the questions addressed in this class.

The class will focus on the basic concepts that underlie all operating systems. I'll cover the design of the OS. The OS is a complicated software with thousands of lines of code, so the design is not simple. Part of the complexity comes from the evolution of the OS - it is usually not possible to write the OS from scratch. When hardware evolves, one just has to build on the existing OS infrastructure.

This is not a programming class - you will not learn new C programming here. The majority of assignments are written and may relate to the material covered in class. You are expected to know C programming, since there are 2 or 3 programming assignments.

Topics to be covered:

• Overview
• Process Management
• Synchronization
• Deadlocks
• Memory Management
• File and Storage Management

Exam Schedule

• Midterm exam:
• Final Comprehensive Exam: Tuesday, December 11th, 10:30-12:30, Kingsbury N113 (classroom), all class notes and all the text chapters covered in class.

Return to the CS 620 Home Page