Operating Systems: A Modern Perspective, Second
Edition, Gary Nutt, 2000, Addison-Wesley. (ISBN 0-201-61251-8)
UNIX System Programming, Second Edition, Keith Haviland, Dina
Gray, and Ben Salama, 1999, Addison-Wesley. (ISBN 0-201-87758-9)
Students should read ahead the chapters that are expected to be covered in
the class period. Students should always bring their textbook with them to
class, including lectures and exams.
Communication:
The primary means of transmitting class information to the students
will be through announcements during class time, announcements in the
Message of the Day, and web pages.
The best way for students to communicate with the teaching staff is to come
to scheduled office hours. If you cannot attend office hours in person,
phone calls can be accepted but students present in the office will get
priority. Email can also be used but a quick or detailed personal response
is unlikely as we get a lot of email and responding to email can be
very time consuming.
The best way for students to communicate with one another has yet to be
determined.
Details of all of the communication methods follow.
WWW:
Information about this class will be found on the class website.
The URL is
This page will contain links to the directory of class materials and
announcements, the message of the day, and other important
information.
Email:
Students should use the email addresses listed above. Note that we
get a lot of email. Do not expect a reply in minutes; one or
two days is more likely in most cases. If you have not heard back
within five days, please resend your message, if it is still
relevant.
MOTD:
A message of the day will be placed in the class file directory.
To automatically view this file on login, students should add the
command
The prerequisites for this course are CS 2413 - Data Structures and CS
2613 - Computer Organization (or ECE 3223). (If you have not taken these
courses, you will need instructor permission to take 3113.) You are
expected to have a working knowledge of C, including a familiarity with its
basic data types and control structures, and an understanding of basic
computer organization. This course will introduce students to operating
systems theory and cover the principles of systems programming. For topics
covered, see the schedule.
Computer Accounts and Software:
All students in this class should have a CS account. This will
be used for writing programs and sending and receiving materials
electronically. All code written for this course MUST run using the
compilers or interpreters that will be specified for the assignments. You
may do your development work on whatever system you choose but it is your
responsibility to ensure that your code runs on the school systems.
Requirements:
The graded assignments and their contribution to a student's grade are
given in the table below. (Subject to change.)
I/O and Devices
Processes
File System
IPC
First 1/3
Second 1/3
Last 1/3
10%
15%
15%
15%
15%
15%
15%
All exams in this course are to be done ALONE; the work submitted by
a student MUST be the student's own. Group work is required for the
projects. Students may work in groups of two or more. The more people in
the group, the harsher the grading will be.
All work in projects must properly cite sources. For example, if
you quote a source in your project, you must include the quotation
in quotation marks and clearly indicate the source of the quotation.
Assignments are due at the beginning of lecture (at 9:00) on the due
date. Late assignments will be penalized 20% per day late. (All parts of
days will be rounded up.) After five days, you will not be able to turn in
that assignment for credit. If you are worried about turning in the
assignment late and loosing points, turn in the assignment ahead of time.
You will be turning in electronic and paper copies of all assignments. It
is the electronic copy that must be turned in by class time on the day that
it is due. The paper copy is due twenty four hours after the electronic
copy. The paper copy may be submitted in class or turned in during office
hours or by slipping it under my office door.
All exams will be open book/open notes. NO electronic devices will
be permitted in the testing area.
Copying another's work, or possession of electronic computing or
communication devices in the testing area, is cheating and grounds for
penalties in accordance with school policies.
Accommodations:
Any student with a disability should contact the instructor so that
reasonable accommodations may be made for that student.