15-213: Introduction to Computer SystemsRandal E. Bryant(*) and David R. O’Hallaron(**)(*) Computer Science(**) Computer Science and Electrical and Computer EngineeringCarnegie Mellon UniversityFall 20061 OrganizationInstructors:Randal E. Bryant David R. O’[email protected] [email protected] 4305, x8-8821 WeH 8125, x8-8199Tue, 11-12noon Wed, 2:30-4pmTAs:Ashwin Bharambe Michael Brotzman Tudor DumitrasSection E Section D Section Bashu@cs mbrotzma@andrew tdumitra@eceWeH 8218, x8-7555 Wean Cluster CIC 2225EThu, 4:45-5:45pm Thu, 7-8pm Wed, 12-1pmDonnie H. Kim Amit ManjhiSection A Section Cdhjkim@cs manjhi@csCIC 2224A WeH 8303, x8-2993Fri, 4-5pm Tue, 5-6pmPlease see the class Web page for up-to-date office hours.Course Assistants:Cindy Chemsak, NSH 4303, x8-7884, [email protected] Grandillo, WeH 8018, x8-7550, [email protected]:Wed and Fri, 1:00–2:20pm, Wean Hall 75001Recitations:A Mon 10:30–11:20 WeH 5310 Donnie KimB Mon 11:30–12:20 WeH 5310 Tudor DumitraC Mon 12:30–1:20 WeH 5310 Amit ManjhiD Mon 1:30–2:20 WeH 5310 Michael BrotzmanE Mon 2:30–3:20 WeH 5310 Ashwin BharambeClass Web Page: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/˜213Class Message Board: http://autolab.cs.cmu.eduNote: This is the only message board your instructors will be monitoring. We will not be using the Andrewor Blackboard message boards for this class.2 ObjectivesOur aim in CS 213 is to help you become a better programmer by teaching you the basic concepts underlyingall computer systems. We want you to learn what really happens when your programs run, so that whenthings go wrong (as they always do) you will have the intellectual tools to solve the problem.Why do you need to understand computer systems if you do all of your programming in high level lan-guages? In most of computer science, we’re pushed to make abstractions and stay within their frameworks.But, any abstraction ignores effects that can become critical. As an analogy, Newtonian mechanics ignoresrelativistic effects. The Newtonian abstraction is completely appropriate for bodies moving at less than 0.1c,but higher speeds require working at a greater level of detail.Oversimplifying matters somewhat, our 21x sequence works as follows: 211 is based on a simplified modelof program execution. 212 builds further layers of abstraction. 213 introduces greater detail about systembehavior and operation. This greater detail is needed for optimizing program performance, for workingwithin the finite memory and word size constraints of computers, and for systems-level programming.The following “realities” are some of the major areas where the abstractions we teach in 211/212 breakdown:1. Int’s are not integers, Float’s are not reals. Our finite representations of numbers have significantlimitations, and because of these limitations we sometimes have to think in terms of bit-level repre-sentations.2. You’ve got to know assembly language. Even if you never write programs in assembly, The behavior ofa program cannot be understood sometimes purely based on the abstraction of a high-level language.Further, understanding the effects of bugs requires familiarity with the machine-level model.3. Memory matters. Computer memory is not unbounded. It must be allocated and managed. Memoryreferencing errors are especially pernicious. An erroneous updating of one object can cause a changein some logically unrelated object. Also, the combination of caching and virtual memory provides thefunctionality of a uniform unbounded address space, but not the performance.24. There is more to performance than asymptotic complexity. Constant factors also matter. There aresystematic ways to evaluate and improve program performance5. Computers do more than execute instructions. They also need to get data in and out and they interactwith other systems over networks.By the end of the course you will understand these “realities” in some detail. As a result, you will beprepared to take any of the upper level systems classes at Carnegie Mellon (both CS and ECE). Even moreimportant, you will have learned skills and knowledge that will help you throughout your career.3 TextbookThe primary textbook for the course isRandal E. Bryant and David R. O’Hallaron, Computer Systems: A Programmer’s Perspective,Prentice Hall, 2003.In addition, we require you to have the following reference book on the C programming language:Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie, The C Programming Language, Second Edition,Prentice Hall, 1988.This the classic K & R book, the standard against which all reference manuals are compared. It is an essentialpart of every computer scientist’s library.4 Course OrganizationYour participation in the course will involve five forms of activity:1. Attending the lectures.2. Preparing for and participating in the recitations.3. Laboratory assignments.4. Reading the text.5. ExamsAttendance will not be taken at the lectures or recitation sections. You will be considered responsible for allmaterial presented at the lectures and recitations.Lectures will cover higher-level concepts. Recitations will be more applied, covering important “how-to’s”,especially in using tools that will help you do the labs. In addition, the recitations will help clarify lecturetopics and describe exam coverage.3The textbook contains both practice problems within the chapter text and homework problems at the end ofeach chapter. The intention is that you work on the practice problems right as you are reading the book.The answers to these problems are at the end of each chapter. Our experience has been that trying out theconcepts on simple examples helps make the ideas more concrete. In addition, the schedule (at the end ofthis document and on the class web page) shows specific homework problems with each lecture topic. Theintention is that you try these out and discuss them in the next recitation. You will find that you will getmuch more out of recitation if you have done some advance preparation.The only graded assignments in this class will be a set of seven labs. Some of these are fairly short, requiringjust one week, while others are more ambitious, requiring several weeks.5 Getting HelpFor urgent communication with the teaching staff, it is best to send electronic mail (preferred) or to phone.If you want to talk to a staff member in person, remember that our posted office hours are merely nominaltimes when we guarantee that we will be in our offices. You are always
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