Course content

Themes include processor architecture, operating system concepts, kernel, system calls, processes and threads, process communication, concurrency and synchronisation, scheduling, virtual memory, paging and segmentation, page replacement algorithms, design and implementation, file system implementation, input/output, deadlocks, virtualisation, object safety, malware and memory security, low-level/system programming.

Learning outcome

KNOWLEDGE

The candidate:

• can account for how layering/abstraction is used within computer architecture and operating systems to create simplified and tidy interfaces
• can account for how operating systems control the computer's physical and logical resources in terms of optimal utilisation
• can account for how the security mechanisms work and are implemented in modern operating systems and explain the most important safety goals of an OS

SKILLS

The candidate:

• can benefit from their theoretical knowledge of the topic in relevant practical problem solving.
• can utilise the opportunities modern operating systems (and associated standard libraries) offer to parallelise and synchronise computer programs both using processes and threads
• can assess the performance of computer programs, especially in terms of parallelism, caching and virtualisation
• can troubleshoot and debug the execution of computer programs
• can explain in detail how data is stored on a physical storage medium in the most commonly used file systems
• can read and write programs in the subject's programming language
• can solve common, smaller programming tasks

GENERAL COMPETENCE

The candidate understands the basic behavior of computers and operating systems, including the topic of the topic and key issues

Learning methods and activities

Lectures and exercises.

Compulsory assignments

• Approved exercises

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

Object oriented programming or Programming 1 and 2.

Course materials

Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces. Remzi H. Arpaci-Dusseau and Andrea C. Arpaci-Dusseau (online at ostep.org)

Credit reductions