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Curriculum - COMP342 - Operating Systems
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Short Description
COMP342 is about operating systems considered from both users' and designers' perspectives.
Assumed knowledge
- Moderate level of mathematical sophistication; the unit does not rely upon highly sophisticated mathematics, but does expect mathematical thinking. (MATH237)
- Good programming skills including experience in C or C++ (ideally C). (COMP225)
- Basic knowledge of computer architecture and hardware including the concepts of interrupts, hardware clock, and timing signals. (Note that the INFO230 prerequisite does not do this very well.) (COMP226 or INFO230)
- Operational understanding of the Unix operating system having used it for practical work in prior units. (COMP225)
Learning outcomes
- Systems programming skills under Unix.
- Basic systems administration skills under Unix.
- A detailed understanding of how an operating system functions, in particular of the passing of control among functions as a result of interrupts.
- Conceptualisation of multi-threaded programs (students are used to thinking in a single line of control, and this is one of the biggest changes in their way of thinking).
Comments to: Steve Cassidy