Operating Systems I
CS 3013 A-Term 1999

Introduction (week 1),
- Motivation, History, Concepts, Structure
Processes (week 2-3),
- Introduction, Scheduling, Synchronization and IPC
Memory Management (week 4-6)
- Swapping, Virtual Memory, Paging Algorithms, Segmentation
Misc (as time allows)
- Threads, Deadlock Detection

The reading material for the various chapters are as follows:

Chapter 1
- Sections 1.1 - 1.5
Chapter 2
- All Sections
Chapter 3
- Sections 3.1 - 3.6
Chapter 4 (Processes)
- Sections 4.1 - 4.4 and Section 4.7
Chapter 5 (Scheduling)
- Sections 5.1 - 5.5
Chapter 4 (Threads)
- Sections 4.5
Chapter 4 (IPC)
- Sections 4.6
Chapter 6 (Synchronization)
- Sections 6.1 - 6.7 and Section 6.10
Chapter 8 (Memory Management)
- Sections 8.1 - 8.6 and Section 8.8
Chapter 9 (Virtual Memory)
- Sections 9.1 - 9.10

You might check out the assignment timeline to help you plan for doing homeworks, projects and exams.

Slides

Slides from the in-class lectures will be available shortly after they are presented, depending upon how things go. Here is what we have so far:

Admin stuff in PDF Format and MS Powerpoint Format
Introduction in PDF Format and MS Powerpoint Format
Processes in PDF Format and MS Powerpoint Format
Scheduling in PDF Format and MS Powerpoint Format
Synchronization in PDF Format and MS Powerpoint Format
Inter-Process Communication in PDF Format and MS Powerpoint Format
Parallel Systems and Threads in PDF Format and MS Powerpoint Format
Memory Management in PDF Format and MS Powerpoint Format
Virtual Memory in PDF Format and MS Powerpoint Format
Sockets in PDF Format and MS Powerpoint Format

There are 3 short homework assignments. Homeworks are to be turned in individually. Discussion of problems among students is encouraged, but when it comes to ultimately solving the problem, your answers must be your own.

Homework and due-dates will be placed here as they are defined. Here is what we have so far:

Homework 1, (Thursday, September 9th) Solution
Homework 2, (Friday, September 17th) Solution
Homework 3, (Thursday, October 7th) Solution

Projects

The projects (I often call them labs) are the programming assignments you will have for the course. I encourage you to work in groups of two for the projects. I'd prefer to limit the groups to only 2, but if you really want a larger group, come talk to me. Working in groups will give you valuable ``real-world'' experience as well as provide you with a ``built-in'' source for help. Do remember, however, that all exams will be taken alone. Make sure each group member understands the programs completely!

Project 0: Unix Dabbling, (Monday, August 30) (Solution)
Project 1: The Java Shell, (Tuesday, September 7th)
Project 2: Micro Pong, (Monday, September 20th) (Solution)
Project 3: Electronic Handball, (Saturday, October 2nd) (Solution, use tar xvf to extract)
Project 4: Threaded Electronic Handball Server, (Thursday, October 14th)

With the exception of project 0, you will need to turn in your assignments on-line. Check here for information on how to turn in your assignments.

Samples

In this section are any code samples discussed in class, practice exams or any other demonstration-type class materials. Samples will be updated soon after the discussion in class begins.

Final exam stuff:

Here is the simple "Up Yours" client-server example that shows the use of threads as in Project 4. They use the same socket libraries as the client-server sample from Project 3:

server.c - the "Up Yours" server.
client.c - the "Up Yours" client.
server.h - the "Up Yours" header file.
Makefile - the Makefile to build the client and server.

Here are the demos that have separate add and subtract threads that access a global variable:

add1.c - add and subtract to an unprotected variable.
add2.c - add and subtract to an variable protected by a mutex.
Makefile - the Makefile to build the add programs.

Misc:

get-opt.c - code that parses command line arguments (fairly) painlessly.

Here is the simple "Bite Me" client-server example that shows the use of the socket wrappers used in Project 3:

server.c - the "Bite Me" server.
client.c - the "Bite Me" client.
server.h - the "Bite Me" header file.
sock.c - the socket wrapper code.
sock.h - the socket wrapper header file.
Makefile - the Makefile to build the client and server.

Mid-term stuff:

Here are some sample semaphore and shared memory programs:

critical.c - critical section without using semaphores example.
critical-sem.c - critical section using semaphores example.
ipckill - nifty utility to help clean up resources.

Here are some samples showing the use of software signals:

signal.c - simple use of a Unix signal handler.
signal2.c - another simple use of a Unix signal handler.
signal3.c - still another simple use of a Unix signal handler.
signal-usr.c - using user-defined signals
signal-alarm.c - using signal to catch alarms.
signal-child.c - using signal for parent-child communication.

Here are some sample curses programs:

bounce.c - a sample program showing a curses "ball" bouncing around a box.
walk.c - a sample program showing how to make a person "walk" around a box.
get-key.c - a sample program showing how to capture keyboard input.

Here are some sample Java programs:

Exec.java - Shows how the exec() call works.
PropertiesDemo.java - Shows how to get and set system propeties.
ReadStdIn.java - Shows how to read from the keyboard.
StringDemo.java - Shows a demo of some string manipulation routines.

Here are some sample programs concerning Process stuff :

fork.c - Simple use of the fork() call
execl.c - Simple use of the execl() call

Here are some code samples of the SOS:

dispatcher.c - the dispatcher code
system.h - the global system header file
timer.c - the procedure called when a timer interrupt occurs
use-proc-table.c - code showing two-processor solution to access processor table.
obj-module.c - basic object module for a program.

Here are some code samples from Linux:

sched.c - the "dispatcher" in Linux.
sched.h - the system header file in Linux
linux-pcb.h - specific fields of the Linux process control block (pcb)

OS Hotlinks

Linux

Linux is a completely free Unix operating system. Linux runs primarily on 386/486/Pentium PC's, but has been ported to various other architectures. If you like Unix, want to learn more about system administration and have access to a PC, I recommend checking it out. Read a short info sheet or a more detailed info sheet for more information.

I, Cringely

A weekly column by Robert X. Cringely that provides a humorous but profound look at the world of Information Technology.
"What makes Cringely such an interesting writer is the way he combines a solid understanding of technology, the ability to explain it simply, and an irreverence for those who, at the highest levels, hawk it" IEEE Spectrum, May 1997.

Nachos

Your text book mentions the Nachos System in the Appendix (pages 699-714). Although this system is too advanced for an intro course on operating systems, keen students may like to look further into the Nachos software.

Misc

You might also want to check out "The Cathedral or the Bazaar", an interesting look at open source software development.

Some useful course material (e.g. slides, notes, Java simulations, etc.) includes:

You can also have a look at the Yahoo! Operating Systems pages and related WWW pages:

Or perhaps you would like to know more about some of the companies involved in commercial Operating Systems:

Mark L. Claypool (claypool@cs.wpi.edu)

Operating Systems I CS 3013 A-Term 1999

Index

Misc

Operating Systems I
CS 3013 A-Term 1999