Operating Systems

CSCI 5103   -   Fall 2021

Course Modality

This course will be taught in-person. However, if the Covid-19 situation worsens, a mid-semester pivot to another teaching modality (e.g., over Zoom) may occur, depending on what the University decides. This may result in changes to the information on these pages.

Lectures will be recorded by UNITE and made available online in real-time to all students, whether or not they are enrolled through UNITE. This is to help reduce the risk of in-class exposure to the virus and to allow students who test positive to continue taking the course remotely. However, in this mode, it may not be possible to interact with the instructor during lectures or participate in in-class discussions.

Canvas Coursepage

The Canvas coursepage for this course will be our primary channel for all communication and coordination of course activities and resources. The Canvas page will have lecture notes (pdf), quizzes, assignments, exams, work submission, grades and feedback, and calendar for activities.

Course Objectives

Students will learn foundations and principles of operating system designs. The topics to be covered include process management, scheduling, process coordination and synchronization, system deadlocks, memory management, virtual memory, virtual machines, Linux device driver programming, file systems, security and protection.  

Prerequisites

This course requires that students have systems programming knowledge from CSci 4061 or an equivalent course on systems progamming. Understanding of basic concepts from computer architecture is required. Knowledge of C programming language is required for programming assignments.
 

Lecture:

Tuesdays and Thursdays  1:00 - 2:15 pm  (Keller Hall 3-111)

Name:

Anand Tripathi

email:

tripathi  umn   edu

Location

Keller Hall 5-205

Phone:

612-625-9515

Consultation Hours:

Tuesdays and Thursdays:  3:30-4:30 pm;  Keller Hall 5-205

All consultation hours will conducted through Zoom: https://umn.zoom.us/j/99079002264

Through Canvas, you can sign-up for a 10 minute slot.

In-person meetings will be scheduled by appointment through email.

Name:

Yixuan Wang

email:

yixua003  umn  edu

Consultation Hours:

Mondays and Wednesdays: 3:30 - 4:30 pm

Location:

Consultation hours will be online through Zoom.

https://umn.zoom.us/j/98308401221

In-person meeting only if needed. In-person meetings will be scheduled by appointment through email.

Phone:

Title:

Modern Operating Systems (Fourth Edition)

Author:

Andrew Tanenbaum and Herbert Bos

Publisher:

Pearson

This text is:

Required

Title:

Linux Device Drivers

Author:

Jonathan Corbet, Alessandro Rubini, and Greg Kroah-Hartman

Web:

See Canvas page: Go to Linux-Device-Driver-Programming folder and you will find Linux-Device-Driver-Book.pdf.

This text is:

Required Reference Book (PDF of this book can be found on the web)

Title:

Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment: Second Edition 

Author:

Richard Stevens and Stephen Rago

Web:

(Click here online access on publisher site) This may not always give you full-view access

To access this book through U of M library, use the library link given below.

This text is:

Optional Reference Book

Resources and Facilities available through UNITE Distributed Learning

This is a UNITE course and the UNITE has generously made their streaming video of in-class lectures available in real-time to on-campus (non-UNITE) students who are unable to be present in the class-room during the lectures due to any circumstances. The recorded videos of the lectures will also be made available by UNITE to on-campus students.

Following is a message from the UNITE office:

With uncertainty regarding COVID for Fall 2021 - and in order to reduce the possibility of students exposed to COVID or those who test positive for COVID from attending class meetings and potentially exposing other students, faculty and staff - both Live Streaming Video and same-day Streaming Video Archives of class meetings are available to students registered in the on-campus section of this course for the length of the semester:

1.  Access the Live Streaming Videos through the UNITE Media Portal with your University of Minnesota Internet I.D. and password (this is what you use to access your University of Minnesota email account);
2. Access the Streaming Video Archives through the UNITE Media Portal or within the Canvas course site for this course, typically available within an hour after the end of each class meeting; 

The University of Minnesota holds the copyright to this media - your access is strictly limited to your enrollment in this course.  Accessing the media through either the UNITE Media Portal or within the Canvas course site obligates the student to the UNITE media agreement posted in both the UNITE Media Portal and the Canvas course site.  Violation of the agreement will result in immediate loss of access to ALL UNITE media, with escalation of incident to the CSE Dean's Office and the University Office of General Counsel.

DO NOT ask the instructor or teaching assistants for technical or troubleshooting assistance with these streaming video archives use the UNITE Troubleshooting FAQ or Submit a Trouble Report to UNITE link found on all pages within the UNITE Media Portal.

Online Canvas Quizzes, Assignments, Exams and Grading Policy

• There will be one midterm exam and one final exam in this course. The total weight of these two exams will be 25%.
• There will be 5 Online Canvas Quizzes, each quiz with about 5% weight, with total 25% weight towards the final grade points of 100.
• This course will have 6 assignments, with total 50% weight towards the final grade.
• Assignments & Exams page for specific weights for each of the assignments.

Your final grade will be determined based on the scale shown below.

Score Range  Grade / Individual 
[95 --100]   A
[90 -- 95)    A-
[85-- 90)    B+
[80 -- 85)    B
[75 -- 80)    B-
[70 -- 75)    C+
[65 -- 70)    C
[60 -- 65)    C-
[55 -- 60)    D+
[50 -- 55)    D
[00 -- 50)    F

COVID-19 Response Related Requirement -- Face Covering Policy

University of Minnesota requires that all community members wear a face covering indoor at all times when in any enclosed or indoor space on University campuses and properties (including leased facilities), regardless of vaccination status.  Some exceptions are noted at https://safe-campus.umn.edu/return-campus/face-coverings.

Students are required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 according to the rules established by the university. Resources are available for accessing vaccines.

All students are required to abide by the Face Covering policy while in the classroom during the lecture hours. A student not complying with the University policy would be requested to leave the classroom immediately.

Students are required to comply with this policy when visiting the instructor or the TA during their office-hours.

A student whose unique circumstances require an exception to this protocol, as indicated by a medical or similar subject matter professional, may request one. To do so, please contact the Disability Resource Center to seek the appropriate accommodation.

If a student's religious belief prevents them from wearing a face covering, they are urged to seek an accommodation through the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action.

Please stay home or at your residence if you experience symptoms of COVID-19 and consult with your healthcare provider about an appropriate course of action. An absence due to symptoms of COVID-19 is an excused absence, and I will work with you to find the best course of action for missed work and/or class experiences.

If you experience COVID-19 symptoms or symptoms of any potentially infectious respiratory illness (e.g., fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose), you should stay home or in your residence hall room and not come to class. Please consult with your healthcare provider about an appropriate course of action, and please consult the M-test program for COVID testing resources. Such an absence is an excused absence.

Please consider your other classmates and instructors if you feel unwell or if you have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19. The Minnesota Department of Health has essential information on what to do if you have been in close contact with someone who has been infected or if you are infected yourself, see https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/close.html.

Additional Guidelines

1.     Stable Seating: U of M encourages that the students sit in the same seat throughout the semester to enable contact tracing.

2.     No food and drinks consumption during the class lecture hour.

3.     Interaction: Other than the lectures, all interaction with the instructor and TA (e.g., office hours, after-class discussions, etc.) will be online only (over Zoom). Please avoid milling around in groups before/after class.

4.     Coursework submission: To minimize potential virus transmission via surface contact, there will be no exchange of any paper materials during the semester. All coursework (homework assignments and exams) will be submitted, graded, and returned online online only using Canvas.

5.     Online Access to Lectures if unable to attend in-person lectures: Please stay home or at your residence if you experience symptoms of COVID-19 and consult with your healthcare provider about an appropriate course of action. An absence due to symptoms of COVID-19 is an excused absence, and I will work with you to find the best course of action for missed work and/or class experiences.

Policies for Academic Integrity and Community Standards:

You must be fully cognizant of the following policies regarding academic integrity, community standards and scholastic dishonesty. Please see the website of the Office for Community Standards.

All students are expected to abide by the "Student Conduct Code". See Board of Regents Student Conduct Code 

Please be cognizant of the following documents related to policies on scholastic dishonesty.

All cases of scholastic dishonesty will be reported to the Office for Community Standards.
Please see the following important documents related to academic integrity and scholastic dishonesty:

1. Departmental Academic Conduct Policy for Students in Computer Science classes
2. Frequently Asked Questions on Academic Conduct
3. Office for Student Community Standards FAQ
4. Board of Regents Student Conduct Code  Students are expected to abide by the "Student Conduct Code"

You are expected to do your own academic work and cite sources as necessary. Failing to do so is scholastic dishonesty. Scholastic dishonesty means plagiarizing; cheating on assignments or examinations; engaging in unauthorized collaboration on academic work; taking, acquiring, or using test materials without faculty permission; submitting false or incomplete records of academic achievement; acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement; altering, forging, or misusing a University academic record; or fabricating or falsifying data, research procedures, or data analysis. (Student Conduct Code: http://regents.umn.edu/sites/default/files/policies/Student_Conduct_Code.pdf) If it is determined that a student has cheated, he or she may be given an "F" or an "N" for the course, and may face additional sanctions from the University. .

Cheating and other forms of scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated.  Such activities include:

• Consulting and seeking help from others (students or non-students) on assignments and exams when asked to do an assignment problem individually.
• Consulting and seeking help from others not in your group (students or non-students) on assignments when asked to do an assignment problem in a designated group.
• Cheating on exams. Consulting others or using any material which is not permitted on the exam.
• Copying material from some source, such as the Internet or books, and presenting it as you own solution or design when asked to solve a problem yourself.
• Attempt to change an already graded assignment and asking for re-grading of that material.
• Attempts to fabricate the submission date/time of a late assignment to make it appear like an on-time submission.
• Stealing some other student's solution or program.
• Submitting solutions prepared by the TAs and the instructors during the prior years of the course offering.
• Obtaining information through the Internet and submitting it as your own work on an assignment.
• Purchasing a solution for your assignment from someone.
• All group programming assignments must be done collaboratively, and each group member must be fully involved in all aspects of designing and programming.
• You are responsible for protecting your assignment files, program code, and data on your personal computer or account.
• Giving access to your personal computer or account to another student thereby enabling the student to access to your assignment and work.
• Helping or abetting another student in cheating or scholastic misconduct.

You must be fully cognizant of the CSE Lab Acceptable Use Policy.  All CSE public labs users should be familiar with the full content of this document. However, in the interests of brevity, here are the basic ideas:

• Do not use your account for illegal, unethical, or unauthorized purposes.
• Protect your data with the correct file permissions, and respect others' privacy.
• Do not share your account and passwords with anybody
• Contact the system administrators if you have questions, comments, or concerns about CSE's public computing labs.
• Only use resources that have been deliberately allocated to you, i.e., do not try to circumvent security or administrative measures on the systems.
• Become familiar with the system and avail yourself of all the resources for which you have authorization.

Any case of cheating or scholastic misconduct will result in an F or N GRADE . Additionally, the matter would be forwarded to the Office for Community Standards.

Makeup Work and Legitimate Absences

Students will not be penalized for absence during the semester due to unavoidable or legitimate circumstances. Such circumstances include verified illness, participation in intercollegiate athletic events, subpoenas, jury duty, military service, bereavement, and religious observances. Such circumstances do not include voting in local, state, or national elections. For complete information, please see:

https://policy.umn.edu/education/makeupwork

Appropriate Use of Classnotes and Course Materials

Taking notes is a means of recording information but more importantly of personally absorbing and integrating the educational experience. However, broadly disseminating class notes beyond the classroom community or accepting compensation for taking and distributing classroom notes undermines instructor interests in their intellectual work product while not substantially furthering instructor and student interests in effective learning. Such actions violate shared norms and standards of the academic community. For additional information, please see: https://policy.umn.edu/education/syllabusrequirements-appa.

Disability Arrangements

The University of Minnesota is committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities for all students. Disability Resource Center (DRC) is the campus office that collaborates with students who have disabilities to provide and/or arrange reasonable accommodations. If you have, or think you may have, a disability (e.g., mental health, attentional, learning, chronic health, sensory, or physical), please contact DRC at 612-626-1333 to arrange a confidential discussion regarding equitable access and reasonable accommodations. If you are registered with DRC and have a current letter requesting reasonable accommodations, please contact your instructor as early in the semester as possible to discuss how the accommodations will be applied in the course.

For more information, please see the Disability Resource Center website, https://disability.umn.edu/

Sexual Harassment

"Sexual harassment" means unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and/or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work or academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or academic environment in any University activity or program. Such behavior is not acceptable in the University setting. For additional information, please consult Board of Regents Policy:

https://regents.umn.edu/sites/regents.umn.edu/files/2020-08/policy_sexual_harassment_sexual_assault_stalking_and_relationship_violence.pdf

Mental Health and Stress Management

As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance and may reduce your ability to participate in daily activities. University of Minnesota services are available to assist you. You can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus via the Student Mental Health Website: http://www.mentalhealth.umn.edu.

Academic Freedom and Responsibility

Academic freedom is a cornerstone of the University. Within the scope and content of the course as defined by the instructor, it includes the freedom to discuss relevant matters in the classroom. Along with this freedom comes responsibility. Students are encouraged to develop the capacity for critical judgment and to engage in a sustained and independent search for truth. Students are free to take reasoned exception to the views offered in any course of study and to reserve judgment about matters of opinion, but they are responsible for learning the content of any course of study for which they are enrolled.*

Reports of concerns about academic freedom are taken seriously, and there are individuals and offices available for help. Contact the instructor, the Department Chair, your adviser, the associate dean of the college, or the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs in the Office of the Provost.

* Language adapted from the American Association of University Professors "Joint Statement on Rights and Freedoms of Students".