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Course Info

Overview Sections Schedule Office Hours Blackboard/Piazza Grading Accommodations Zeus Server Honor Code

GMU Policies

Privacy Inclusion Disability Services Title IX

Contact Info

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Course Overview

Instructor: Dr. Kevin Andrea
Course: CS 571
Credits: 3
Repetition: May not be repeated for credit. May be repeated with permission of the CS Department for any unsatisfactory grades (C+ or below) or if needed to. Satisfactory Grades are B- and above. (see AP. 1.3.4 in the Catalog)
Modality: In-Person Lecture (Online Lectures only in Snow Days or Campus Shutdowns)

Course Description:

CS 571 provides an introduction to the principles of operating systems theory and practice. Fundamental concepts such as processes, synchronization, scheduling, memory management, file systems, distributed systems, and security will be presented.

This course will prepare you for further courses in the Systems and Networking area, to include CS 635 (Foundations of Parallel Computation), CS 672 (Computer System Performance Evaluation), and CS 675 (Distributed Systems), among others.

Textbook

In this class, the main resource for the material will be the lectures and slides delivered by the instructor. There are many, many different ways to approach these topics, and each operating system (and each different version or that code) may support completely different implementations. The lectures are the primary resource for the course.

Required Textbook: "Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces" (Online Book, Arpaci-Dusseau Books) by R.H. Arpaci-Dusseau and A.C. Arpaci-Dusseau.

Recommended Textbook: "The C Programming Language", 2nd ed. by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie, Prentice Hall, 1988.

Additional Resources: The following older textbooks also are good resources. These are not required, but if you would like additional references that cover the same topics, a recent edition of any of the following books will present in-depth discussions on the core topics.

Recommended Prerequisites

These are recommended prerequisites for this course. This course assumes you are comfortable with programming in C as a strong requirement. All programming assignments will be programmed in C and you will need to be able to read and assess existing C code as the starting point for your programming assignments.

Topics for this Semester Will Include:

Sections

All sections are taught in-person.

Section Time Location
001 Th 4:30pm - 7:10pm Art and Design Building (AB) 2003

Schedule

Planned Schedule: https://cs.gmu.edu/~kandrea/F23/CS571_Schedule_F23.html

Timeline Version of Schedule: https://cs.gmu.edu/~kandrea/F23/CS571_Timeline_F23.html

Office Hours

Office Hours Policies

Office Hours Locations and Maps

Professor's Office Hours (For Lecture Topics, Homework and Exam Assistance and Grading)

Professor Times Map
Prof. Andrea Thursdays from 3:00pm - 4:00pm Map Link: Buchanan Hall D217C in the CS Office on the Second Floor.

GTA Office Hours (For Programming Assignment Assistance and Grading)

GTA Times Map
Mohammad Shaik Shareef 4:00pm - 5:00pm Engineering 4456
Trent Zakielarz 4:00pm - 5:00pm Buchanan Hall D215/D217 (Desk D10)

Blackboard and Piazza

Blackboard

Blackboard Link: https://mymasonportal.gmu.edu

CS 571 Blackboard Page

Piazza

This term we will be using the Piazza discussion board for programming assignment discussions only.

Piazza Link: To Be Announced

Piazza Policies

Grading

The course will have two midterms and a final. Much of the work during the semester will be completing programming assignments, as well as regular homework activities.

In general, all grades should be available about two weeks after submission.

Semester Grades

Category Grade % Notes
Programming Assignments 30% PA0 - PA2 are each weighted differently
Homeworks 15% Approximately 6 homework assignments
Midterms 15% Each
(30% Total)		 No Replacement Policies
Final 25% Cumulative

Grading Scale

For Graduate Courses, a B- or higher is a Satisfactory Grade.

If you earn below a B-, you will need to repeat the course.

Grade Cut-Off Grade Cut-Off
A ≥ 90% B ≥ 75%
C ≥ 65% F < 65%

Grade Contesting

Grading Policies

Programming Assignment Policies

Accommodations

Disability Services provides a variety of Academic Accommodations that include Extended Time of Homeworks and Exams, Extended Programming Assignment time, Reduced Distraction Environments for Exams, Additional Breaks during Tests, and other forms of support to help ensure fair access to the lectures and materials.

Disability Services will also work with students with temporary needs, such as following an accident or other short-term injury. This is important, because the Accommodations will be provided for all of your classes and provide for the necessary time for your recovery as well.

Disability Accommodations Policies

Computer Accounts

This is a Systems Programming class. Unlike a general-purpose C courses for any computer system, this course is based on building programs for a specific system. For CS 571, that system is an emulated server that is running Zeus.

Zeus is a Linux computer running Red Hat Enterprise Linux and is administerd by the College of Engineering and Computing for our use. Some of our programs will involve libraries that have been pre-built on Zeus, and some programs will use system specific features that may only build properly on Zeus.

Connecting to Zeus

Zeus Policies

Honor Code

The honor code at George Mason is an important part of our academic culture. A degree from this institution should be a direct measure of your own progress and abilities, and as such at all times we must ensure that all work that should be your own is your own.

We take the honor code quite seriously. Any attempts at copying or sharing code, algorithms, or other violations of the honor code simply will not be tolerated.

As seductively simple as it may seem to just copy and paste work from a friend or online source, remember that it is just as easy to compare your work electronically, and discover the similarities. We use automated software to flag suspicious cases, and then review them by hand to find the cases that must be submitted to the Office of Academic Integrity. Repeat to yourself: it's not worth trying to cheat. We will catch it, and sadly but surely, we will turn it in.

The penalty for cheating will always be far worse than a zero grade, to ensure it's not worth taking the chance.

Honor Code Policies

Honor Code Responsibilities

Honor Code Links and Specifics

Privacy

All course materials posted to Blackboard or other course site are private; by federal law, any materials that identify specific students (via their name, voice, or image) must not be shared with anyone not enrolled in this class.

To protect your privacy, we also cannot list your GMU email address on any public forum or provide it to any other students. You may, of course, give your email address to any other students.

Video recordings of class meetings that are shared only with the instructors and students officially enrolled in a class do not violate FERPA or any other privacy expectation.

Personal Privacy Statements

Inclusion

Every student in this class is exactly where they belong and it is our honor to welcome each of you to join us in learning throughout this semester. Every student in this class, regardless of background, sex, gender, race, ethnicity, class, political affiliation, physical or mental ability, veteran status, nationality, or any other identity category, is an equal member of our class.

You have the right to be called by whatever name you wish, to be referred to by whatever pronoun you identify, and to adjust these at any point.

If you feel uncomfortable in any aspect of our instruction that results in any barrier to your inclusion in this course, please contact your professor directly.

Disability Services

Students with a disability or other condition (documented with GMU's Office of Disability Services) that may impact academic performance should speak with the professor as soon as possible to discuss appropriate accommodations.

If you are in a situation that even temporarily affects your ability to learn or work, such as with a broken limb or other such injury, contact the Office of Disability Services to get accommodations.

We are quite happy to assist as is appropriate, but it must be documented ahead of time by ODS.

Policies

Sexual Harassment and Interpersonal Violence Policies

As a faculty member and designated "Responsible Employee," I am required to report all disclosures of sexual assault, interpersonal violence, and stalking to Mason's Title IX Coordinator per university policy 1412.

If you wish to speak with someone confidentially, please contact:

Email Address and Required Subject Information

Prof. Andrea Email: kandrea @ gmu.edu

Put [CS 571] at the front of your subject so we can filter it into the right folder.

Example Subject:

Email Policies