Operating Systems and Systems Programming (DAT320)

The course gives an introduction to operating systems, how to implement them, and how to program against them efficiently, with particular focus on thread programming and synchronization between threads within a program.


Course description for study year 2024-2025. Please note that changes may occur.

Facts

Course code

DAT320

Version

1

Credits (ECTS)

10

Semester tution start

Autumn

Number of semesters

1

Exam semester

Autumn

Language of instruction

English

Offered by
Time table

View course schedule

Content

The course gives an introduction to operating system architectures and mechanisms for resource management in computer systems. Specific topics covered: Virtualization: the process abstraction, processor scheduling, memory management, address spaces, address translation, caching and virtual memory. Concurrency: threads, concurrency, parallelism, synchronized access to shared data, locks, condition variables, semaphores and channel-based synchronization. Persistence and Networking: File systems, networking programming, distributed systems, network file system. Operating System security.

The course includes programming assignments covering the main concepts of the course, such as memory management, scheduling, concurrency, parallelism and synchronization techniques, and tools to analyze and debug various aspects of such applications. The programming language used in this course is primarily Go (golang) along with some C and Python.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

  • How operating system work
  • How to protect the operating systems from malicious software

Skills:

  • Be capable of programming against the operating system API
  • Be capable of programming parts of an operating system
  • Be capable of implementing simple mechanisms for resource management
  • Know how to program with threads
  • Know how to exploit virtualization for resource management

General compentancy:

  • Know important general principles for resource management for computer systems.

Required prerequisite knowledge

DAT120 Introduction to Programming

Recommended prerequisites

DAT310 Web Programming, ELE130 Applied Mathematics and Physics in Programming of Robots

Exam

Form of assessment Weight Duration Marks Aid
Written exam 1/1 4 Hours Letter grades Approved, basic calculator

Coursework requirements

Laboratory work

Approval requires submitting your solution to our system for automated evaluation, followed by in-lab approval. All programming assignments must be passed to sit for the exam.

If a student fails to pass all the mandatory programming assignments, then the student must redo all assignments again the next time the subject is taught.

Completion of mandatory lab assignments are to be made at the times and in the groups that are assigned. Absence due to illness or for other reasons must be communicated as soon as possible to the laboratory personnel. One cannot expect that provisions for completion of the lab assignments at other times are made unless prior arrangements with the laboratory personnel have been agreed upon.

Failure to complete the assignments on time or not having them approved will result in being barred from sitting for the exam.

Course teacher(s)

Course coordinator:

Nejm Saadallah

Course teacher:

Nejm Saadallah

Head of Department:

Tom Ryen

Method of work

6 hours lectures and 4 hours of guided lab exercises. Lab exercises requires additional non-guided work effort.

Overlapping courses

Course Reduction (SP)
Operating Systems (BID200_1) 5

Open for

Computer Science - Bachelor in Engineering
Admission to Single Courses at the Faculty of Science and Technology
Exchange programme at Faculty of Science and Technology

Course assessment

There must be an early dialogue between the course supervisor, the student union representative and the students. The purpose is feedback from the students for changes and adjustments in the course for the current semester.In addition, a digital subject evaluation must be carried out at least every three years. Its purpose is to gather the students experiences with the course.

Literature

The syllabus can be found in Leganto