Core200 LevelSecond SemesterComputer Systems
CSC206
Operating Systems
Course Description
Operating Systems explains how a computer runs many programs at once, safely and (mostly) fairly. The course covers processes, memory management, and file systems through the lens of the trade-offs an operating system designer has to make.
Learning Outcomes
- Explain process and thread management and the scheduling trade-offs involved.
- Describe memory management techniques including paging and virtual memory.
- Explain file system organization and basic I/O management.
- Reason about concurrency hazards and basic synchronization techniques.
Weekly Topics
Examines os fundamentals & history from a practical angle, using a case drawn from real systems to motivate the concepts.
Builds directly on the previous week to extend processes & threads, with an emphasis on where the earlier techniques stop working.
Combines a short lecture on cpu scheduling with an in-class exercise students carry into the week's assignment.
Focuses on common mistakes and misconceptions around synchronization, using student work from the previous assignment as material.
Introduces deadlocks and immediately puts it to use in a small design or implementation task.
Situates memory management within the broader arc of the course, showing how it connects to what comes next.
Uses a guest dataset or scenario to explore mid-semester review in a setting closer to professional practice.
Introduces virtual memory through short lectures and worked examples, building the vocabulary the rest of the course relies on.
Works through file systems in a lab-driven session, with guided exercises students complete and discuss in small groups.
Covers i/o systems in depth, connecting the underlying theory to a concrete example the class builds together.
Examines security & protection basics from a practical angle, using a case drawn from real systems to motivate the concepts.
Builds directly on the previous week to extend systems project, with an emphasis on where the earlier techniques stop working.
Combines a short lecture on revision with an in-class exercise students carry into the week's assignment.
Assessment
Assignments — 20%
Practical Work — 25%
Mid-Semester — 20%
Final Examination — 35%
Prerequisite Map
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