Spring 2005

COSC 374 -
Operating Systems

• Assignments, Projects, and Exams
• Readings
• Instructor and TA Information
• Description and Grading
• Policies
• Resources

• Homework 1
  Examining Process State in Unix
  Due in class January 25th, 2005.
• Homework 2
  Textbook problems due February 1:
  • Chapter 1: 2, 3, 6, 9, 10
  • Chapter 2: 3, 4, 5, 9
• Homework 3
  Textbook problems due February 10:
  • Chapter 3: 7, 10, 11 12
  • Chapter 4: 2, 4
• Project 1 - Part 1
  Writing a User Shell, Part 1
  Due before class, February 22nd
  

• Homework 4
  Textbook problems due March 1:
  • Chapter 5: 1, 2, 3
  • Chapter 6: 3, 4, 5, 9
• Project 1 - Part 2
  Writing a User Shell, Part 2
  Due before class, March 31st
  

• Homework 5
  Textbook problems due April 7th:
  • Chapter 8: 6, 10
  • Chapter 9: 2, 5, 8, 10
  • Chapter 10: 5, 9, 11

• Project 2
  Paging Algorithm Simulation
  Due before class April 21st.

Textbook

The textbook for this course will be "Operating Systems Concepts, 6th Edition, Windows XP Update". This is an older edition of the book, and there are a few copies in the bookstore. You can easily find it online, and it may be more inexpensive there. The links below should help you, but do not constitute any endorsement of a particular vendor.

• Amazon.com
• half.com

• Instructor: Clay Shields
  Office Hours: Wednesday, 1- 3 PM, or by appointment.
  Contact: Information here

• Description:
  This course studies the software systems that provide the interface between the computer system hardware resources and the users of the system. This interface is composed of a large collection of programs that provide simplified and uniform access to information storage (data and programs on tape, disk, and in memory), processing elements (CPUs and remote computers), input/output devices (telecommunications, keyboards, mice, video displays, printers, etc.), and data acquisition and equipment control devices. Topics include, processes and threads of execution, concurrent process synchronization, concurrent access to hardware resources, file systems, memory management and virtual memory, job scheduling, system modeling and performance evaluation, network communication and protocols, and computer and network security. A variety of example operating systems of different types will be examined and their characteristics compared. Prerequisites: COSC 175 and 251.


• Grading:
  
  • Homeworks: 20%
  • Programming exercises: 35%
  • Midterm exam: 20%
    March 3rd, 2005, in class
  • Final exam: 25%
    May 10th, 2005, 5 - 7 PM