CS 3841 - Design of Operating Systems

3 lecture hours 2 lab hours 4 credits

Course Description
This course introduces the design and implementation of modern operating systems, as well as the implementation of C programs in a hosted environment. Topics covered include the multiprocess programming, multithreaded programming, synchronization and scheduling, deadlock detection and avoidance, memory management, file systems, and input/output systems. Laboratory projects provide experience in using operating system facilities available on a Linux virtual machine. (prereq: CE 2812, CS 2852)

Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

understand the core concepts and terminology associated with operating systems
communicate effectively using proper grammar and technical writing in lab reports and assignments
develop and implement programs in C in a hosted environment
develop and use dynamic memory in a software application
develop and manage concurrency and synchronization in a software application
analyze scheduling problems for performance criteria
use files in a C based systems in multiple fashions
properly comment source code for effective communication

Prerequisites by Topic

Proficiency in programming in C, including standard C library functions (character processing, string processing, memory functions, mathmatical functions)
Familiarity with digital logic design, memory organization, processor registers, and interrupt handling mechanisms
Familiarity with basic data structures, such as arrays, lists, queues, and stacks
Ability to construct basic data structures, including linked list and queues, in Java
Familiarity with configuration management tools and disciplined software development.
Ability to debug C source code using an IDE.

Course Topics

C Compilation Model and building C Code
Operating Systems Introduction
Operating Systems Structure and Components
Virtual machines
OS Processes
Interprocess communications (Shared memory, pipes, sockets, RPC)
Example OS implementations of major constructs (task switching, synchronization, etc.)
Threading
Signal handling
Scheduling and Scheduling Algorithms
Synchronization and Critical Sections
Deadlocks and deadlock prevention
Virtual Memory and paging
File Systems implementation
Physical Devices and hard drive implementation
Exam Review
In Class Exams

Laboratory Topics

Introduction to UNIX system calls, debugging, and developing hosted applications (1 week)
Construction of a fundamental data structure in C using dynamic memory (1 week)
Construction of UNIX software using high level file system access (fopen, fread, fwrite, etc.) and integrating data structures (1 week)
Construction of a software application using multiple processes and interprocess communications (1 week)
Construction of a multithreaded software application with appropriate thread synchronization (2 weeks)
Design and implementation of a memory debugging system (1 week)
Design and implementation of a dynamic memory manager (2 weeks)

Coordinator
Walter Schilling

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