CS 690 HOME PAGE – FALL 2008

 

Instructor: Dr. Mary Ellen Weisskopf

Office:  Technology Hall, N300A

Email: weisskop@cs.uah.edu  

Phone number: (256) 824-6306

Class Meets:  TR  05:30PM 06:50PM    TH N326

Final Exam: Dec 4, 6:30 – 9:00 pm

Office Hours:  TR 3:00 – 5:00, W 2:00 – 3:30  (or by appointment)

Syllabus and Schedule(subject to change)

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Catalog Description: Review of multiprogramming operating systems including process management and virtual memory. Operating systems for shared and distributed memory multiprocessors and distributed systems. Topics include distributed file systems, concurrency, and distributed process coordination. Introduction to network communication issues, and special purpose systems such as real time systems, transaction processing systems, and client-server technology.

Prerequisites: CS 490 (Introduction to Operating Systems) and CS 413 (Introduction to Computer Architecture), or equivalent courses. Students who take 490 and 413 as part of the breadth requirements must make a grade of B or better.  Prerequisites are strictly enforced.

Prerequisites by Topic:

1.       Mastery of a high-level structured or object-oriented language such as C, C++, or Java and knowledge of basic data structures (stacks, queues, linked lists, trees) and their implementation.

2.       A basic understanding of computer architecture.

3.       Specific knowledge of the following undergraduate Operating Systems concepts.

 

Textbooks: 

1.       Distributed Systems – Principles and Paradigms, second edition, Andrew S. Tanenbaum and Maarten Van Steen, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007.

2.       Some undergraduate textbook, for example: Operating Systems Internals and Design Principals, William Stallings, Prentice Hall; Operating Systems Concepts, Silbershatz, Galvin, and Gagne, Wiley Publishing, Modern Operating Systems, Andrew Tanenbaum, Prentice Hall. (You may share a book with a friend. The important thing is to have access to SOME undergraduate textbook for reference and assignments.)

I will supplement the texts from other sources, primarily current and classic papers from the literature.

 

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Announcements  Check here for announcements, information about assignments, schedule changes, and other relevant information.

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Reading List  Technical papers that may be read and/or discussed in class. When a paper is assigned instead of a chapter in the text, I will tell you which sections to emphasize.

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Study Aids    About a week before each test I will publish a list of study questions. They are just guidelines. Actual test questions will probably be different, so memorizing answers isn’t the best way to prepare. The important thing is to understand the concepts presented in the questions.  If you do this, you’ll be able to answer similar questions on the same material.  Use common sense.  If a question mentions something that we didn’t cover in class, skip it – I will not test you on topics that we didn’t discuss.

1.                   Hints For Studying And Test Preparation

2.                   Assessment Standards – Explanation of grading

3.                   Sample Test – shows the kinds of question formats you can expect to see on the test

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Lecture Notes

Lecture notes are provided as a courtesy to students and as a guideline for the instructor.  They are not intended to be a substitute for the assigned reading or for class attendance.  Notes may not provide complete coverage of the material. The instructor reserves the right to hold you responsible for topics that are discussed in class, even if they are not mentioned in the on-line notes.