Goals of this courseSummaryPrerequisitesStyleGradingParticipation: 5%Homeworks and Cell-Phone Quizzes: 10%Midterm Exam: 20%Final Exam: 30%Programming Assignments: 35%LatenessAdministrative CruftExcused absencesReligious observancesHonor codeWhat constitutes cheating?What constitutes legal collaboration?CMSC 412: Operating SystemsNeil SpringFall 2008Instructor Neil SpringE-mail nspring@cs (include “412” in your subject line)Class TuTh 3:30-4:45 CSIC 1122Office hours TBA AVW 4133TA Aaron Schulman: schulman@cs (include “412” in your subject line)Web http://www.cs.umd.edu/class/fall2008/cmsc412/Textbook Silbershatz, Galvin & Gagne, Operating System Concepts, 8th ed.1 Goals of this courseAt the end of this class, you should be able to write a device driver, modify an operating system, understand howoperating systems help or interfere with applications, write concurrent programs without deadlock, and know what’smissing when you program for little devices.Few of these goals are directly addressed by the course exercises (we likely won’t be modifying linux or writingdevice drivers) but these are the goals I plan to use to decide what material to cover.2 SummaryThe course will cover the following core topics:Processes What makes a process, how are they run concurrently, how to create them and communicate between them.Threads What makes a thread, libraries.Scheduling How to keep interactive applications responsive and background applications make forward progress.Synchronization and Deadlock Locks on shared data, and preventing cooperative processes from getting stuck.Memory and Virtual Memory Swapping, paging, segmentation, allocating memory, copy-on-write, etc.File System Interface and Implementation the function calls, mounting file systems, organizing blocks on disk,allocation, recovery.Disk and Storage Systems disk scheduling, RAID, tape hierarchies.I/O Systems programmed and interrupt-driven I/O.And given time, the following additional topics:1Protection capabilities, defining access control.Distributed Coordination Events, atomicity, deadlock in distributed systems where messages can be lost.Linux how each of the features we learned about are implemented in Linux.Security Basic crypto, authentication.Distributed Systems Distributed communication primitives.Distributed File Systems Global naming of files.iPhone Application Sandbox Depending on the state of Apple’s NDA, there’s a different model in securing applica-tions for the same user written by developers of limited trust on a device with lots of personal information. (notin the textbook, obviously.)This structure is intended to follow the textbook. I will make exceptions to the order to support the programmingassignments as needed.3 PrerequisitesExperience in CMSC417 (networks) may help you.CMSC311 or ENEE350 – Computer Organization.CMSC330 – Programming Languages.You must know what a function pointer is and how it is used. Find a book on C today if you do not.You should understand basic issues of concurrency. That includes the interactions between non-blocking sockets,user-level and kernel-level threads, locking, etc. Too many students seem to think that forking a thread will solve asimple problem without creating many more.4 StyleI don’t use lecture slides. I expect to be interupted. I will assume you know more than you do; it is your job to payattention, and make me clarify when I’ve left you behind.5 Grading5.1 Participation: 5%In a class so large, I can’t expect each of you to speak; participation here is a negative grade, if I think you’re doingpoorly and it’s your own fault for not being engaged with the material, you won’t get the participation bump.5.2 Homeworks and Cell-Phone Quizzes: 10%A few assignments to take home and complete will be graded. Quizzes given when cell phones ring are included here.Quizzes given in class when cell phones ring will also be graded here. You will dread the cell phone quiz if youallow yourself to fall behind.25.3 Midterm Exam: 20%5.4 Final Exam: 30%The midterm and final exams will mix multiple choice, simple matching, short answer and long answer questions. Themidterm will consume a lecture slot, the final during finals week as scheduled by the university. The exams will belonger than will allow all of you to finish the entire exam. You will have to learn and study before the exam.5.5 Programming Assignments: 35%The programming assignments in this class will use GeekOS. The TA and I are working to permit running the as-signment within the QEMU emulator, which has the advantage of being available for the mac. The assignments aredifficult.6 LatenessAll programming assignments can be turned in electronically. I will permit one programming assignment to be turnedin after the weekend (when due Friday, it can be turned in on Monday). I expect any data loss due to dogs, roommates,lightning strikes or FBI confiscating your machine can be dealt with over a weekend.7 Administrative CruftI dislike this section greatly, but codifying each of these policies is important for keeping myself sane and making clearwhat my expectations are. I’d much prefer a section that said “treat me with respect and I’ll do the same for you;” thissection is intended mostly for those who would hope to game the system. Note that I copied verbatim some of thesepassages; I hope you appreciate irony.7.1 Excused absencesStudents claiming a excused absence must apply in writing and furnish documentary support (such as from a healthcare professional who treated the student) for any assertion that the absence qualifies as an excused absence. Thesupport should explicitly indicate the dates or times the student was incapacitated due to illness. Self-documentationof illness is not itself sufficient support to excuse the absence. An instructor is not under obligation to offer a substituteassignment or to give a student a make-up assessment unless the failure to perform was due to an excused absence.An excused absence for an individual typically does not translate into an extension for team deliverables on a project.7.2 Religious observancesI have made an effort to avoid deadlines 9/29-10/1 and 10/8-10/9. Please inform me in advance of religious observancesthat will interfere with your ability to complete assignments on time.7.3 Honor codeThe University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by theStudent Honor Council. This Code sets
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