School of Computer Science

Module 06-26953 (2019)

Operating Systems

Level 3/H

Eike Ritter Semester 1 20 credits
Co-ordinator: Eike Ritter
Reviewer: Robert Hendley

The Module Description is a strict subset of this Syllabus Page.

Outline

This module gives a practical insight into modern operating system, reinforcing the theory (eg architecture, scheduling, memory management, synchronisation) through practical exercises (eg building suitable kernel modules).


Aims

The aims of this module are to:

  • Describe the role of an operating system.
  • Show how resource management is done in an 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 mobile systems.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

  1. describe the role of an OS and understand prevalent OS architectures
  2. describe suitable strategies for process management for given scenarios
  3. comprehend and write kernel-level code
  4. 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

Restrictions

  • Note 1 Students on Joint Honours programmes with Arts subjects should note that good programming skills are required to take this module.

Taught with

  • 06-26952 - Operating Systems (Extended)

Teaching methods

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

Contact Hours:

56


Assessment

Sessional: 1.5 hr Examination (80%) Continuous Assessment (20%)

Supplementary (where allowed): 1.5 hr Examination (100%)


Detailed Syllabus

  1. Role of an operating system
  2. Processes
  3. Scheduling
  4. Memory Management
  5. File Systems
  6. Linux Kernel Programming

Programmes containing this module