DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
Wednesday 4:30 – 7:10 PM
Nguyen Engineering Building 1110
Description: With the growing
emphasis on timing guarantees, Real-Time technologies are increasingly marking
the design and operation of various computer and communication systems, in the
areas of embedded systems, avionics, command-and-control, multimedia
networking, e-commerce, sensor network technologies mobile computing, to name a
few. Recent initiatives to incorporate Real-Time extensions to general purpose
operating systems (Windows, Linux, Solaris) justify and strengthen its status as a major enabling
technology. In addition, Embedded
Computers are part of larger and special-purpose systems that interact with
the environment in real-time (e.g.,
sensor networks and cyber-physical systems).
As such, they typically
involve control and monitoring of critical functions, with real-time operation
requirements.
This
course is intended to provide the background and skills needed to design,
analyze, and develop real-time applications. Real-time scheduling theory and
its implications for design of real-time applications will receive special
emphasis. Through the paper presentations and discussions, the students will be
exposed to the latest research trends in the area. As such, the course is
particularly suitable for PhD students and advanced MS students.
Topics:
Prerequisites: Graduate-level Operating
Systems (CS 571) and at least undergraduate-level Data Structures/Algorithms
Courses. On the Operating Systems side, the students should be familiar with
basic concepts such as processes, scheduling, semaphores, interrupts, memory
management. If in doubt, please contact the instructor.
Grading:
Course Format: During the first part of the
course, the instructor will present the fundamentals of Real-Time Embedded
computing and main research problems in the area. The written examination will be given at the end of the first
part (there is no final exam). In the second part, the students will present
articles from recent conference proceedings and journals. A list of suggested
papers will be provided; however, the student suggestions are welcome. The
(in-class) paper presentations will include a critical evaluation and
discussion of the paper. The students will be required to read, and submit a
brief summary/evaluation of the papers presented in class.
Term Project: Each student is
expected to complete a term project and submit a research paper/report by the
end of the term. A list of potential projects will be provided; but the
students may define their own project as long as the project has sufficient
scope/complexity and the instructor's approval is obtained. PhD students are
encouraged to discuss with the instructor the possibility to choose a term
project topic related their research interests. A term project may be in any of
the following forms:
Books: The course material will be disseminated through the lectures
and accompanying slides. In addition, the articles from recent issues of
journals and conference proceedings will be made available in class. The
following books can be recommended for an in-depth study of some of the course
topics:
Office Hours: Monday 3:00 PM – 4:00
PM, Wednesday 7:20 PM – 8:20 PM, and by appointment.
Violations
of GMU Honor Code will result in an F.