Carleton University School of Computer Science
Last updated: February 25, 2021
COMP 3000 (WINTER 2021) OPERATING SYSTEMS
GENERAL INFORMATION
Class time: 13:05 – 14:25, Tuesdays and Thursdays (online) Instructor: Lianying Zhao (firstname.lastname@scs.carleton.ca) Location: Refer to the public class schedule
Office hours (online):
Instructor: Thu. 15:00 – 16:00 (or by appointment)
Josh Babu George (joshbabugeorge@cmail.carleton.ca):
Ming Lei (minglei@cmail.carleton.ca):
Srivathsan Morkonda Gnanasekaran (srivathsanmorkonda@cmail.carleton.ca): Mon. 16:00-17:00
Mon. 9:30 – 10:30 Mon. 14:45 – 15:45
Nilofar Mansourzadeh (nilofarmansourzadeh@cmail.carleton.ca): William Findlay (williamfindlay@cmail.carleton.ca):
Nicolas Lalonde (nicolaslalonde@cmail.carleton.ca):
Kevin Sullivan (KevinRSullivan@cmail.carleton.ca):
Jake Bauer (jakebauer@cmail.carleton.ca): Frederik Gao (frederickgao@cmail.carleton.ca): Yixiang Huang (yixianghuang@cmail.carleton.ca):
Tutorials (online):
B1: 10:05 – 11:25, Thursdays B2: 16:05 – 17:25, Tuesdays B3: 18:05 – 19:25, Wednesdays B4: 13:05 – 14:25, Mondays
Tue. 9:30 – 10:30 Wed. 10:00 – 11:00 Wed. 14:30 – 15:30 Wed. 16:00 – 17:00 Thu. 16:00 – 17:00 Fri. 11:35 – 12:35 Fri. 14:00 – 15:00
Course Website: Please use cuLearn as the primary source of information, where important instructions can be found that must be followed, e.g., a mandatory online discussion service will be set up and used throughout the course.
Preclusions: SYSC 3001, SYSC 4001
Prerequisites: COMP 2401, and one of COMP 2402, SYSC 2100. Note: this means a strong C programming background is required
Important dates and deadlines can be found here, including class suspension for fall and winter break.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Operating system implementation course stressing fundamental issues in design and how they relate to modern computer architectures. Assignments involve the modification and extension of a multitasking operating system.
LEARNING OUTCOME
By the end of this course, students should:
• Have a strong conceptual model of how an operating system works that can facilitate software development/debugging and answer questions pertaining to an operating system’s everyday use.
• Be able to write/modify C code that uses low-level Linux services and implement simple Linux kernel extensions (modules).
• Understand the basic use and architecture of virtual-machine based and container based cloud architectures.
Note that in order to achieve these objectives students should have come into this course with a strong background in C programming and general application development.
GRADING SCHEME
4%: Lecture participation
18%: Tutorial participation (9 in total)
18%: Assignments (4 in total)
25% Midterm exam (in class, open book) February 25th 35%: Final Exam (during the final exam period, open book) Tentative due dates will be made available in cuLearn.
TEXTBOOK
The course will be using the textbook Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces. The chapters of this textbook are available for free online; you can also buy a full epub, PDF, or paper copy if you wish.
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This course focuses much more on reading code rather than writing code. Thus, John Aycock’s book, Reading and Modifying Code, is worth reading to better understand how reading code differs from writing code.
TOPICS COVERED
Tentative lecture schedule (subject to change):
– Introduction to Operating Systems
– Further into the Abstractions
– Facilities for Users/Programmers
– File Systems and Storage Management
– Inter-Process Communication and Concurrency
– I/O Management and Kernel Modules
– Memory Management
– Containerization and Virtualization
– Security Considerations
IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS
Assignments/tutorials submissions are handled electronically (i.e., through cuLearn) and there is no “grace period” with respect to a deadline – an assignment submitted even one minute after the deadline is late and will not be accepted by the system. Technical problems do not exempt you from this requirement, so if you wait until the last minute and then have issues with your connection, you will still receive a mark of zero. Consequently, you are advised to attempt to submit your work at least one hour in advance of the due date and time.
Format errors, missing files, and other technical/non-technical upload issues will not constitute the justification for another attempt. Only what has been uploaded by the due date and time will be graded. Consequently, after you upload your submission to cuLearn you should re-download it immediately and ensure that all needed files are there in the right format.
AUTHORIZED AND UNAUTHORIZED COLLABORATION
Collaboration on all work is allowed except for the midterm and the final exams. Collaboration, however, should be clearly acknowledged.
For assignments, while you may get help from others and even collaboratively solve technical problems, the code and answers submitted should all be your own work. For example, you may not divide an assignment into parts, give a part to another student or
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anyone else to solve, and then submit that work as your own. You have to have participated in the creation of every part of your submitted work. An easy way to make sure this happens is never share files regarding coursework or copy and paste answers into email. Instead, meet together to work on an assignment and then separate to write up your own solutions.
Similarity between submitted assignments that has not been appropriately documented will be treated as plagiarism – the same as copying on a midterm or a final – and will be submitted to the Dean for disciplinary action.
Sharing assignment or exam specifications or posting them online (to sites like Chegg, CourseHero, OneClass, etc.) is considered academic misconduct. You are never permitted to post, share, or upload course materials without explicit permission from your
instructor. Academic integrity offences are reported to the office of the Dean of Science. Penalties for such offences can be found on the ODS webpage: https://science.carleton.ca/academic-integrity/.
POLICIES AND RESOURCES
Undergraduate Academic Advisor. The Undergraduate Advisor for the School of Computer Science is available in Room 5302C HP; by telephone at 520-2600, ext. 4364; or by email at undergraduate_advisor@scs.carleton.ca. The undergraduate advisor can assist with information about prerequisites and preclusions, course substitutions/equivalencies, understanding your academic audit and the remaining requirements for graduation. The undergraduate advisor will also refer students to appropriate resources such as the Science Student Success Centre, Learning Support Services and Writing Tutorial Services.
SCS Computer Laboratory. SCS students can access one of the designated labs for your course. The lab schedule can be found at: https://carleton.ca/scs/tech-support/computer- laboratories/. All SCS computer lab and technical support information can be found at: https://carleton.ca/scs/technical-support/. Technical support is available in room HP5161 Monday to Friday from 9:00 until 17:00 or by emailing support@scs.carleton.ca.
Pregnancy Obligation. Please contact your instructor with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. For more details, visit Equity Services.
Religious Obligation. Please contact your instructor with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. For more details, visit Equity Services.
Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities If you have a documented disability requiring academic accommodations in this course, please contact the Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities (PMC) at 613-520-6608
or pmc@carleton.ca for a formal evaluation or contact your PMC coordinator to send your
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instructor your Letter of Accommodation at the beginning of the term. You must also contact the PMC no later than two weeks before the first in-class scheduled test or exam requiring accommodation (if applicable). After requesting accommodation from PMC, meet with your instructor as soon as possible to ensure accommodation arrangements are made. For more details, visit the Paul Menton Centre website.
Survivors of Sexual Violence. As a community, Carleton University is committed to maintaining a positive learning, working and living environment where sexual violence will not be tolerated, and survivors are supported through academic accommodations as per Carleton’s Sexual Violence Policy. For more information about the services available at the university and to obtain information about sexual violence and/or support, visit:
carleton.ca/sexual-violence-support
Accommodation for Student Activities. Carleton University recognizes the substantial benefits, both to the individual student and for the university, that result from a student participating in activities beyond the classroom experience. Reasonable accommodation must be provided to students who compete or perform at the national or international level. Please contact your instructor with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. For more details, see the policy.
Student Academic Integrity Policy. Every student should be familiar with the Carleton University student academic integrity policy. A student found in violation of academic integrity standards may be awarded penalties which range from a reprimand to receiving a grade of F in the course or even being expelled from the program or University. Examples of punishable offences include: plagiarism and unauthorized co-operation or collaboration. Information on this policy may be found here.
Plagiarism. As defined by Senate, “plagiarism is presenting, whether intentional or not, the ideas, expression of ideas or work of others as one’s own”. Such reported offences will be reviewed by the office of the Dean of Science. “Penalties for violations of Carleton’s Policy on Academic Integrity will normally be applied as follows: First offence, first-year students (< 4.0 credits completed): No credit for assessment(s) in question, or a final grade reduction of one full letter grade (e.g., A- becomes B-), whichever is a greater reduction. First offence (anyone else): A grade of F in the course. Second offence (anyone): A grade of F in the course and a one-term suspension from studies. Third offence: Expulsion from the
University. Note: While these are the standard penalties, more severe penalties may be applied when warranted."
Unauthorized Co-operation or Collaboration. Senate policy states that "to ensure fairness and equity in assessment of term work, students shall not co-operate or collaborate in the completion of an academic assignment, in whole or in part, when the instructor has indicated that the assignment is to be completed on an individual basis". Please refer to the course outline statement or the instructor concerning this issue.
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