Module 06-23635 (2011)

• describe the role of an operating system
• show how resource management is done in an OS
• explain the fundamentals of system-level programming in C/C++ (e.g. pointers, structures, and the build process)
• evaluate security mechanisms in OS
• explore, through theory and practical exercises, techniques of memory management, scheduling, synchronisation, inter-process communication, file-systems and hardware I/O
• explore trends in virtualisation, emulation and the increasing use of sophisticated OS in embedded/mobile systems
• explore very low level aspects of the computer

• describe the general role of an OS and understand prevalent OS architectures
• for a given set of problems, conduct a suitable decomposition into processes and threads
• comprehend, write, build, and package system- and kernel-level code written in C/C++
• demonstrate an understanding of the process of kernel development, such as kernel compilation and module development
• devise appropriate security mechanisms in a given situation and demonstrate an understanding of the role an operating system can and should play in establishing security
• demonstrate an understanding of how the computer may be controlled at the lowest level (e.g. in assembly and via low-level kernel manipulation)

3 hours of lectures per week, 2 hours of lab work per week

1. Role of Operating System
2. Processes
3. Scheduling
4. Memory Management
5. File Systems
6. Pointers
7. Libraries in C
8. C++
9. Linux Kernel Programming
10. Operating Systems for Embedded Systems