This course will provide an introduction to operating system design and implementation. The operating system provides a well-known, convenient, and efficient interface between user programs and the bare hardware of the computer on which they run. The operating system is responsible for allowing resources (e.g., disks, networks, and processors) to be shared, providing common services needed by many different programs (e.g., file service, the ability to start or stop processes, and access to the printer), and protecting individual programs from one another.
The course will start with a brief historical perspective of the evolution of operating systems over the last fifty years, and then cover the major components of most operating systems. This discussion will cover the tradeoffs that can be made between performance and functionality during the design and implementation of an operating system. Particular emphasis will be given to three major OS subsystems: process management (processes, threads, CPU scheduling, synchronization, and deadlock), memory management (segmentation, paging, swapping), file systems, and operating system support for distributed systems.
Assignments: 3-4 labs in C/C++ and Java, 3 exams, 6 or more written homeworks plus inclass exercises.
This is an undergraduate-level course; it is meant for CS undergraduate students. The prerequisites for the course are CMPSCI 230 (Computer Systems Principles). Five college students and ECE majors may enroll in this course with the permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Prashant Shenoy
Teaching Assstant:
Class lectures: MW 8:30 to 9:45
Class Discussions: CMPSCI 142, F 1:25-2:15
Schedule #: (lectures), (dicsussions)
Credits: 4
Department of Computer Science,
Computer Science Building
University of Massachusetts
Amherst MA 01003-4610
Phone: (413) 577 0850, Fax: (413) 545 1249
Email: shenoy [at] cs.umass.edu
Office Hours: TuThu 9:45 to 10:45am, Room 336, or by
appt.