CS 4410 Syllabus

Topics

We will cover the key components of operating systems and some of the techniques used to build them, including

• the hardware / software interface
• synchronization using monitors and semaphores
• memory management
• file systems
• networking
• security

Summer course

Summer courses are great! We"ll have a small class, so interaction is highly encouraged. I"ll try to get to know you all. It"s also nice because you probably have fewer things to focus on than during the semester.

However, keep in mind that summer courses are particularly intense; we will cover the same material in six weeks that is typically covered in 14. It is very important that you keep up with the material and with the problem sets.

Websites and information

• Lecture notes and office hours are on the course website:
  http://www.cs.cornell.edu/courses/cs4410/2018su

• We will be using Piazza for all course announcements. Please enroll yourself.

• We will be using CMS for assignment submissions and grades.

References

There is no required textbook. The textbooks "Operating Systems: Principals and Practice" by Anderson and Dahlin and "Operating System Concepts" by Silberschatz, Galdin, and Gagne are both good references for this material.

These textbooks do not cover networking; "Computer Networks" by Tanenbaum and Wetherall is a good reference for the section on networking.

I will follow roughly the same outline as the last time I taught the course, summer 2017. You may also find the slides from the spring 2018 offering useful.

Exams and assignments

The course grade will be based on the homeworks (~45%), quizzes (~25%), final exam (~30%), and class participation (at the margin).

• Assignments will be due on CMS every Monday before class

• We will have small quizzes every Monday in class

• There will be an in-class final on the last day of class

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is important for two reasons. The first is that the course is designed to help you learn the material. If you don't do the work you won't learn the material. The second is that we grade you; this would be meaningless if the work we grade is not yours.

You are encouraged to work together to figure out solutions to the problem sets. However, the work you submit should be your own. Be sure to put away your laptops and solution sets while working with other students.