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Operating Systems

Course Description

This course provides a comprehensive exploration into the design, functionality, and management of operating systems, which are crucial for the operation of computer systems. Students will gain a deep understanding of both theoretical and practical aspects of operating systems, including process management, memory management, file systems, and the Linux operating system. Through lectures, hands-on labs, and projects, students will learn how operating systems work, how they interact with hardware and software, and how to effectively manage operating system resources.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Understand the fundamental components of operating systems and their interactions.
  • Select and apply policies for process management, memory management, and deadlock management.
  • Comprehend the basics of file, device, and disk storage management.
  • Gain practical experience with the Linux operating system, including basic commands, process management, and system calls.

Prerequisites

  • Fundamentals of Computer Systems
  • Introduction to Programming

Course Outline

Week 1: Introduction to Operating Systems

Outline:

  • Overview of operating system concepts, components, and operations.
  • Protection and security in operating systems.
  • Computing environments and the abstract view of operating systems.

Key Learning Outcomes:

  • Understand the role and purpose of operating systems.
  • Recognize the components and operations of operating systems.
  • Identify the needs for protection and security in computing environments.

Week 2: Operating System Architecture

Outline:

  • Computer system architecture: Single-processor and multiprocessor systems.
  • Types of operating systems: Batch, multi-programmed, time-shared, real-time, distributed.

Key Learning Outcomes:

  • Understand different computer system architectures.
  • Differentiate between various types of operating systems and their applications.

Week 3: Process Management

Outline:

  • Process concept, operations on processes, cooperating processes, inter-process communication, threads.
  • Introduction to Linux OS and basic commands.

Key Learning Outcomes:

  • Understand the concept and management of processes in operating systems.
  • Gain initial practical experience with Linux OS commands.

Week 4: Process Synchronization

Outline:

  • Critical-section problem, synchronization hardware, semaphores, classical problems of synchronization.
  • Basic Linux process management commands and system calls.

Key Learning Outcomes:

  • Comprehend process synchronization and the solutions to critical-section problems.
  • Apply Linux commands for process management.

Week 5: CPU Scheduling

Outline:

  • Scheduling criteria, scheduling algorithms, multilevel queue scheduling, multilevel feedback queue scheduling.

Key Learning Outcomes:

  • Understand the principles of CPU scheduling.
  • Evaluate different CPU scheduling algorithms.

Week 6: Deadlock

Outline:

  • Deadlock characterization, prevention, avoidance, detection, and recovery.
  • Introduction to Banker’s algorithm.

Key Learning Outcomes:

  • Understand deadlocks and methods to handle them.
  • Apply Banker’s algorithm for deadlock avoidance.

Week 7: Memory Management

Outline:

  • Contiguous memory allocation, fragmentation, paging, segmentation.
  • Introduction to virtual memory concepts.

Key Learning Outcomes:

  • Comprehend the strategies for memory management.
  • Understand the concepts of paging and segmentation.

Week 8: Virtual Memory

Outline:

  • Demand paging, page replacement algorithms, allocation of frames, thrashing.

Key Learning Outcomes:

  • Understand the workings of virtual memory.
  • Evaluate page replacement algorithms.

Week 9: File System Interface

Outline:

  • Concepts of file-system interface, access methods, directory and disk structure.

Key Learning Outcomes:

  • Understand file system interfaces and access methods.
  • Recognize directory and disk structures.

Week 10: File System Implementation

Outline:

  • File-system structure, implementation, directory implementation, allocation methods, free-space management.

Key Learning Outcomes:

  • Comprehend the implementation of file systems.
  • Understand allocation methods and free-space management techniques.

Week 11: Secondary Storage Management

Outline:

  • Mass-storage structure, disk structure, disk scheduling algorithms, disk management, RAID structure.

Key Learning Outcomes:

  • Understand the principles of secondary storage management.
  • Evaluate different disk scheduling algorithms.

Week 12: Devices and I/O Systems

Outline:

  • Types of devices, channels and control units, multiple paths, block multiplexing.

Key Learning Outcomes:

  • Comprehend the management of devices and I/O systems.
  • Understand the concepts of channels, control units, and block multiplexing.

Week 13: Advanced Linux System Management

Outline:

  • Memory management commands and system calls in Linux.
  • File management commands and system calls in Linux.

Key Learning Outcomes:

  • Gain advanced skills in Linux system management.
  • Apply Linux commands for memory and file management.

Week 14: Case Studies and Real-world Applications

Outline:

  • Analysis of real-world operating system case studies.
  • Discussion on the application of operating system concepts in practical scenarios.

Key Learning Outcomes:

  • Analyze real-world operating system configurations and management strategies.
  • Apply theoretical concepts to practical operating system challenges.

Week 15: Review and Final Project

Outline:

  • Review of key concepts covered in the course.
  • Completion and presentation of the term project focusing on operating system management and application.

Key Learning Outcomes:

  • Consolidate knowledge gained throughout the course.
  • Demonstrate practical skills in operating system management through a comprehensive term project.

Grading

  • Class participation: 10%
  • Assignments: 40%
  • Term project: 50%

Textbook and References

While there is no required textbook for this class, the following book is recommended for additional material:

Operating Systems: Principles and Practice (2nd Edition), by Thomas Anderson and Michael Dahlin.

Additional references include works by Silberschatz, Galvin, Greg, Sumitabha Das, W. Richard Stevens Stephen A. Rago, Milan Milenkovic, A. S. Tanenbaum, Kenneth H. Rosen, and Dhanjay M. Dhamdhere, providing a broad and deep understanding of operating systems.