This course focuses on the programming facilities, mechanisms, and abstractions supported by modern operating systems and related low-level libraries and software. In short, we'll be looking at what sorts of things can be done via services provided by operating systems and how to go about doing them in a robust and efficient manner.
To a lesser extent, and only to the degree necessary to enable us to go about our programming tasks effectively, we'll also explore how certain abstractions presented by the operating system work "under-the-hood". For instance, when looking at how to perform low-level I/O it helps to understand some of the relevant data structures used by the operating system to fully appreciate how much time is spent, say, "opening" a file.
Define the concept and role of a process in a modern operating system
Describe the key abstractions an operating system provides to running processes
Describe the function, usage, and operation of system calls related to process management, memory management and I/O
Explain exceptional control flow, including:
Describe the essential operation of a modern MMU from a programmer's standpoint, including:
Explain the operation of various memory allocation methods, including:
Describe, utilize, and implement a dynamic memory allocation API.
Describe and utilize the system-level I/O API of a modern operating system, including:
Describe and utilize a low-level socket based networking API. This should include:
Describe, design and utilize concurrent programming APIs, including:
The following textbook is required for this course:
The following are recommended (i.e., not strictly required) texts. The first is highly recommended if you've never worked with the C programming language before, and the second is useful if you'd like more in-depth information on material covered by the primary course text (and in lecture).
Your grade will be computed as follows:
And here's the grade scale:
Most of the assignments in this class will require you to read and write a substantial amount of code in C and/or assembly. All programming assignments will be submitted electronically, with specific directions included in the assignment writeup.
There are 5 grace days for the semester, across all labs.
Once the grace days are used up, each day an assignment is late will incur a 10% penalty. If an assignment is more than 5 days late, it will not be accepted for a score.
There will be two exams. The midterm exam date will be published on the course calendar and the final exam date/time will be set by the official IIT final exam schedule.
You are welcome to discuss assignments with classmates, but all final work must be your own. Academic dishonesty of any kind may result in a 0 on the assignment, a reduction in final grade, and/or referral to the Dean.
The IIT code of Academic Honesty may be found in the undergraduate handbook.
Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with documented disabilities. In order to receive accommodations, students must obtain a letter of accommodation from the Center for Disability Resources. The Center for Disability Resources (CDR) is located in Life Sciences Room 218, telephone 312 567.5744 or disabilities@iit.edu.
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Illinois Tech encourages anyone experiencing sexual harassment or sexual misconduct to speak with the Office of Title IX Compliance for information on support options and the resolution process.
You can report sexual harassment electronically at iit.edu/incidentreport, which may be completed anonymously. You may additionally report by contacting the Title IX Coordinator, Virginia Foster at foster@iit.edu or the Deputy Title IX Coordinator at eespeland@iit.edu.
For confidential support, you may reach Illinois Tech’s Confidential Advisor at (773) 907-1062. You can also contact a licensed practitioner in Illinois Tech’s Student Health and Wellness Center at student.health@iit.edu or (312)567-7550
For a comprehensive list of resources regarding counseling services, medical assistance, legal assistance and visa and immigration services, you can visit the Office of Title IX Compliance website at https://www.iit.edu/title-ix/resources.
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