Operating Systems

At the end of the course, the students should be able to: 1. recognise operating system types and structure; 2. describe OS support for processes and threads; 3. recognise CPU scheduling, synchronisation, and deadlock; 4. resolve OS issues related to synchronisation and failure for distributed systems; 5. explain OS support for virtual memory, disk scheduling, I/O, and file systems; 6. identify security and protection issues in computer systems; and 7. use C and Unix commands, examine behaviour and performance of Linux, and develop various system programmes under Linux to make use of OS concepts related to process synchronisation, shared memory, mailboxes, file systems, etc.

Fundamentals of operating systems design and implementation. History and evolution of operating systems. Types of operating systems. Operating system structures. Process management: processes, threads. CPU scheduling, process synchronisation. Memory management and virtual memory. File systems; I/O systems. Security and protection. Distributed systems. Case studies. Lab work: Practical hands-on engagement to facilitate understanding of the material taught in the course. All the process, memory, file, and directory management issues will be demonstrated under the LINUX operating system. Also, UNIX commands will be briefly discussed. Alternatively, hands-on exposure may be through the use of operating systems developed for teaching, like TempOS, Nachos, Xinu, or MiniOS. Another possibility is through programming exercises that implement and simulate algorithms taught. Simulation of CPU scheduling algorithms, producer-consumer problem, memory allocation algorithms, file organisation techniques, deadlock algorithms, and disk scheduling algorithms.