(Latest Revision -- August 7, 2007)

Course Description
for Operating Systems I: CS 3750

"An elephant is a mouse with an operating system."
TERM: Fall 2007

CLASS INFO FROM SCHEDULE: 
40447 CS 3750 001 Operating Systems I Lec 3.0 MW 12:20-13:18 P-102
40448 CS 3752 001 Operating Systems I Lab 0.0  F 12:20-13:18 P-102
INSTRUCTOR: John Sarraille, Professor of Computer Science

OFFICE: P-286, Professional Schools Building (aka: Demergasso-Bava Hall), Cal State Stanislaus

OFFICE HOURS: MWF, 13:30-15:30, or by appointment

(The first day of office hours is Wednesday, September 5, 2007 and the last day of office hours is Monday December 10, 2007.
There will be no office hours on days when classes do not meet.)

E-MAIL: john@ishi.csustan.edu

HOMEPAGE: http://www.cs.csustan.edu/~john/js.html

PREREQUISITES:

It is important that you be adequately prepared for taking this course, CS 3750. Check with me if you have not passed both: COURSE OBJECTIVES:

The main aim of this course is for you to develop an understanding of important concepts and techniques involved in the design, implementation, and use of computer operating systems.

Some specific goals are to learn about what an operating system does, about sequential processes, the control of concurrent processes, memory management, protection, security, network operating systems, and truly distributed operating systems.

Other aims of this course include developing programming skills and learning to program cooperating concurrent processes.

REQUIRED TEXT:

"Silberschatz": Operating Systems Concepts, Seventh Edition ; written by Abraham Silberschatz, Peter Galvin, and Greg Gagne ; published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ; ISBN 0-471-69466-5

(Before beginning each reading assignment please check this this errata sheet for the text.)

RECOMMENDED TEXT:

Andersen: Just Enough Unix, 5th edition ; written by Paul K. Andersen ; published by McGraw Hill, 2005 ; ISBN 0072952970 (an earlier edition of Anderson will do just as well.)

RECOMMENDED READING:

You will probably want a textbook on C++ as a reference while doing programming problems. Feel free to use any book on C++ that you like. Speak with me if using C++ is a problem for you.

COURSE COVERAGE:

We will read all of Silberschatz. Operating Systems is a big area, and you have to do a lot of reading to get an adequate background in the subject. In class we will discuss material from chapters 1-9, giving special attention to chapters 6-9, which deal with the areas of process control and memory management. Also we will discuss topics from chapters 16-18 and other chapters as time allows. The material on distributed systems has special relevance for the future of operating systems.

BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT CLASS SESSIONS:

For technical reasons, students in this class are required to sign up separately for CS 3750 (lecture) and CS 3752 (lab). One might conclude from looking at the CSU Stanislaus Schedule of Classes that the times allocated for lecture and lab are very separate and distinct. In fact the majority of our time together will be a rather well-mixed combination of lecture and lab activities.

There may be some activities that require us to meet in the CS department laboratory (P-288) The dates of such sessions, if any, will be announced later in class and inserted into the CS 3750 class schedule.

TESTS & GRADING:

The course has three main components: In determining your grade, normally your homework average will be given a weight of 15%, your average score on the concurrent programming assignments a weight of 25%, and your average on the tests a weight of 60%.

There will be: Generally homework will be a combination of problems from the textbook and assignments to write small essays. Tests will cover the reading and lectures.

By default, the three tests and the final are each worth 15% of your grade. If your score on the final is higher than your minimum test score, I will shift some of the weight from a minimum-score test to the final. On the other hand, if your score on the final is lower than your minimum quiz score it counts 15% of your grade.

An exception to the foregoing rules is that you are not allowed to pass the course if you fail any of the three main components.

MISSED EXAMS AND LATE ASSIGNMENTS:

I will give no early tests, late tests, or make-up tests.

Get started early on assignments. That way, if you run into difficulty, you can seek help in class and/or office hours in a timely fashion.

I cannot and will not accept late homework assignments.

I will assess a penalty of 10% credit per calendar day (including holidays and weekends) on late concurrent programming assignments.

I will not accept concurrent programming assignments late more than five days.

We can have class discussions about test dates and due dates. I may be willing to change some of these dates. If you want a change in the schedule, please bring this up (in class, preferably) as soon as possible, and not at the last minute. (It's usually a good idea for class members to try to work out some consensus before bringing the subject up with me.)

If you cannot finish an assignment on time, please turn in whatever you have done. It may be possible to get up to about half credit on an unfinished programming assignment, depending on the quality of the work and the circumstances.

To "survive" in a class like this, you may need to put aside "foolish pride," stubbornness, and/or shyness. If you find yourself unable to make progress on some aspect of an assignment, seek help from me promptly. You may speak to me after class or during my office hours. You may send me a message by e-mail. You are entitled to get help this way. Please don't subvert your chances of success by continuing to "spin your wheels" until it is too late.

PARTICIPATION:

I hope to be accessible and helpful to you during this course. I want you to get as much as possible out of it.

Remember, we are a team and you are a key player. Read everything I assign ASAP, and read with care. Read difficult material more than once! Attend all classes. Pay close attention. Take notes. Review your notes before each class. Get started on assignments early. Do a little each day, and bring your questions and problems concerning these assignments to class each day.

Finish assignments and reading on time. Do what you can to keep class discussion lively and to the point. Reply to questions. Ask questions and make remarks if you feel you have something to add, or if you feel something needs to be explained better.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN WORK:

Somtimes it can be difficult for the student to figure out the difference between 'cheating' and 'working smart.' Here is some guidance:

Assignments: When your purpose is to clarify the meaning of a question or to reach an understanding of program specifications, you may discuss homework and programming assignments with other people, including your classmates, as much as you like. You may also freely discuss the relative merits of various general approaches to designing and engineering solutions.

You are permitted to use algorithms or segments of code from
  1. any printed material available for student check-out in our library,
  2. our course text, or
  3. any programming textbooks to which you have access.
You are permitted to share such material, as described in 1-3 above, with other members of this class.

You may ask me for help and hints on assignments. I prefer that you ask questions in class, so that everyone has a chance to benefit from the discussion.

On the other hand, you may not give other members of this class programming code that you composed (made up). You may not discuss or give away any specifics of answers to homework problems.

You may not accept program code or accept help from any source that is not specifically listed above as permitted.

Tests: You must write your tests with no discussion or help from anyone. The one exception is that you are allowed to come forward and ask me to clarify the meaning of a test question, if you wish. It will be up to me to decide how to answer, or whether to answer at all. I will tell the class any new information that arises from such an exchange.

Penalties: If there is compelling evidence that an assignment or test was not done according to the above criteria, I will withhold credit.

NETWORK AVAILABILITY OF COURSE MATERIALS:

I will make course documents, assignments, supplements, and so on available on the world wide web. To access the on-line CS 3750 materials, you can open the URL:

http://www.cs.csustan.edu/~john/Classes/CS3750/

There is also a miscellaneous collection of information that you may want to use from time to time. It is located here:

http://www.cs.csustan.edu/~john/Classes/General_Info/

COMPUTER EQUIPMENT:

Each of you is supposed to have an account that gives you access to all the Computer Science Department Sun Ultra 10 and Sun Ultra 30 computers. The computers have a network file system, so you get the same home directory, regardless of which Sun Ultra you log on to.

If you don't seem to have access to the Ultra's, then let me know right away, preferably by filling out and submitting this form .

Otherwise send me an e-mail or give me a piece of paper containing the answers to the questions on the form .

Most students who take CS 3750 are already familiar with how to use the Sun Ultra's to develop C++ programs and how to e-mail me source code and test scripts. If you want to learn or brush-up on these skills, please login to one of the Ultra's and complete the "Hello World" tutorial. If you have any problems, let me know and I'll help you.

The Ultra's and other CS computers are located in the Computer Science Lab: P-288. P-288 is in the Professional Schools Building (aka: Demergasso-Bava Hall), in the extreme northwest corner of the north wing.

You will have to do some programming on the Ultra's using a pthreads package. When the time comes to start this work, I'll set you up with what you need.

Generally, CS Department workstations are available for access and use on a 24-hour basis. However campus computer labs do not remain open at all hours. Therefore sometimes network and modem connections are the only means available for connecting to a workstation. For more information about network and modem connections, see the sections below entitled "MODEM CONNECTIONS" and "INTERNET CONNECTIONS". Also see the course document entitled loginDirections .

P-288 will be open basically mid-morning until about 5:00 p.m.. During these times, you can be physically present in the CS Department Lab while using a department computer. This can be very beneficial because you then have the opportunity to work and communicate with fellow students and members of the staff and faculty.

Due to budgetary constraints beyond our control, the hours during which P-288 is open are subject to change on short notice. Please check the postings of the lab hours at the entrance to the lab, in the "message of the day" that is printed on your screen when you log on to your Sun Ultra account, or check on the web..

Incidentally, the CS Department often seeks volunteers and work-study students to help keep the lab open longer hours. For further information, ask our system administrator, Julie Gorman: P-288C , (209) 667-3273, julie@cs.csustan.edu .

While you are in the CS Lab, you will be able to access Sun Ultra workstations by logging in directly at the console, or by using remote login software (ssh) from some other kind of computer in the lab, such as an iMac or "Wintel".

Ssh makes it possible for many people to use a given workstation simultaneously. We will have a demonstration of how to get an ssh connection. (You can probably get help just by asking someone in the lab.) You can also access the Sun Ultra's via an ssh connection from most any computer on the campus local network, such as those in the labs: P-107, P-120, L-125 and L-145. Generally those labs are open during the same hours that the campus library is open. Please check postings at the labs or ask lab personnel in order to get further information about lab hours. Lab assistants (wearing red vests) should be able to show you how to ssh to a CS Department workstation.

INTERNET CONNECTIONS:

You may want to purchase Internet connectivity. This is not a requirement and not necessary for success, but it can be a great time-saver and a convenience once you have gotten past the hurdle of setting everything up.

There are several Internet service providers (ISP's) that serve this area. Chances are that members of the class can make good recommendations. We can devote some time to this topic in class.

One can find many ISP's by using the site: http://thelist.internet.com. ISP's also advertise in the yellow pages and in newspapers.

If you get an Internet connection, make sure you get remote login and file transfer software. This will allow you to log in from home to your computer account at the college and also transfer files back and forth. For more information about this, read the remote login and file transfer help sheet. For additional information, ask me or the CS Lab Administrator, Julie Gorman.