George Mason University
Department of Computer Science

Description: This course covers the principles of operating systems theory and practice. Fundamental concepts such as processes, synchronization, scheduling, memory management, file systems and security will be presented.

Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in CS 310 and CS 367. The students should be fluent in C programming language in order to complete the course work, which includes substantial programming projects. Prerequisites will be strictly enforced.

Meeting Times and Location: Tuesday/Thursday 1:30 - 2:45 PM, Engineering Building Rm. 1103.

Course Outcomes: Upon completion of this course, the students should be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge about the role and purpose of the operating systems
• Be able to explain the features of operating systems found in different types of computer systems (e.g., mainframe systems, personal computers, multiprocessor systems, handheld systems)
• Demonstrate basic knowledge about the evolution of operating system concepts from early batch systems to today's sophisticated multiuser/multiprocessor systems
• Demonstrate knowledge about different approaches to operating system design and the involved trade-offs
• Be able to explain the main performance evaluation criteria for computer systems and how the operating system design can have an impact on these
• Show an understanding of the need for the concurrent operation of multiple tasks (processes/threads) and an ability to solve basic process synchronization problems that arise from concurrent operation settings
• Demonstrate the knowledge about process scheduling, basic memory management and file system management techniques and their impact on the overall performance
• Demonstrate the basic knowledge about distributed systems and how the ever increasing networking features have affected (and are affecting) operating system design
• Be able to implement a suite of basic algorithms proposed for the main OS services such as memory management and process scheduling

Readings:
Required Textbook: Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz, Galvin and Gagne (9th Edition, John Wiley & Sons 2012, ISBN 978-1-118-06333-0).
Recommended Textbooks:
Operating Systems - Principles and Practice (2nd Edition, Recursive Books 2014, ISBN 978-0-9856735-2-9) by Anderson and Dahlin
Modern Operating Systems (4th edition, Pearson 2015, ISBN: 0-13-359162-X) by A. S. Tanenbaum

Instructor Office Hours: Tuesday 3:00 - 4:00 PM and by appointment (Office: Engineering Building, Rm. 5308)

Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA): Chaitanya Yavvari (cyavvari@masonlive.gmu.edu)
GTA Office Hours: Tuesday 11 AM - 1 PM; Thursday 4 - 6 PM (ENGR 4456)

• Introduction
• Processes
• Threads
• Process Communication and Synchronization
• CPU Scheduling
• Memory Management
• File, I/O, and Storage Systems
• Protection and Security
• Virtual Machines
• Distributed Systems

Grading: Grading components will be as follows.

• Homeworks and Quizzes: 15%
• Programming Projects: 30%
• Midterm Exams: (15% + 15%)
• Final Exam: 25%

The students must achieve a total score of at least 90 (out of 100) to be considered for an A. No early midterm/final exams will be given and make-up exams are strongly discouraged.  A student should present an official and verifiable excuse to miss a midterm/final exam (such as a doctor's note). A total score less than 50 or a final exam score less than 40 will result in F.

All exams are closed book. The final exam will be cumulative; that is, it will include all topics discussed during the term. Unlike the midterm and final exams, the timing of the quizzes will not be announced in advance.

Late homework/assignment submissions will be marked down 15% for each day. The students are responsible for keeping back-ups of their work while they are working on an assignment.

All students must abide by the GMU Honor Code and CS Department's Honor Code and Academic Integrity Policies during the semester. The students are supposed to work individually on the assignments. Collaboration will be allowed only for the group assignments, within each group. We reserve the right to use automated tools such as MOSS to detect plagiarism. Violations of the Honor Code will result in an F. Those violations will be also reported to the GMU Honor Council.

Class Home Page: Throughout the term, all course material (announcements, slides, handouts, etc.) will be available on the GMU Blackboard system

Computer Accounts: All students should have accounts on the VSE Unix cluster (aka zeus.vse.gmu.edu). Instructions and related links can be found here. Your programs will be tested and graded on the zeus server.

Classroom Behavior: During the lectures, the students should avoid behavior that may distract others, including chatting, sleeping, playing games. The use of electronic devices (including laptops, tablets, cell phones, smartphones, etc.) is not allowed in this class. If you feel that your learning will be hampered by not having access to your tablet/laptop computer for note-taking or other course-related purpose, you should speak to the instructor at the beginning of the term.

Disability Statement: If you have a learning or physical difference that may affect your academic work, you will need to furnish appropriate documentation to GMU Disability Resource Center. If you qualify for accommodation, the DRC staff will give you a form detailing appropriate accommodations for your instructor. If you have such a condition, you must talk to the instructor during the first week of the term about the issue.