This course introduces students to the next step in operating system design (after CS 241 or equivalent). Students will understand the main operating system functions in class and analyze their implementation through a series of machine problems that require modifications to operating system code. Students will also be exposed to the concepts of virtual machines and issues of distribution such distributed files systems and map-reduce operators for distributed computation. The course will conclude with a series of advanced topics.
Please contact the instructor if you have questions regarding the material or concerns about whether your background is suitable for the course.
Course Text:
Optional Reading:
You may find the Linux Kernel Development book to be helpful when completing yours MPs.
The following table outlines the schedule for the course. We will update it as the quarter progresses.
| Date | Lecture | Readings | Homework | MP | C4 Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/22 | Course Intro (slides) | CH 1, CH 2 | Reading Papers | ||
| 8/24 | Basic Concepts and Systems Programming (slides) | CH 4, CH 13 CH 36 | |||
| 8/29 | MP0 Walkthrough, Q&A (Jinghao and Ruowen) | MP-0 Out | UNIX | ||
| 8/31 | The Kernel Abstraction (slides), | CH 6, | |||
| 9/5 | Interrupts (slides), The Programming Interface (slides) | CH 5, CH 14 | HW-0 Out | Linux APIs | |
| 9/7 | Concurrency & Threads (slides) | CH 26, CH 27 | MP-1 Out | ||
| 9/12 | MP1 Walkthrough, Q&A (slides) (Jiyuan) | HW 0: Due | MP 0: Due | Upcalls | |
| 9/14 | Synchronization I (slides) | CH 28, CH 29 | |||
| 9/19 | Synchronization II (slides) | CH 30, CH 31 | Heisenbugs | ||
| 9/21 | Scheduling (slides) | CH 7, CH 8 | |||
| 9/26 | Learning the Kernel by Tracing -- Never use `printk()` for debugging again (almost) by YiFei Zhu (Google) (slides) | CH 9, CH 10 | MP-2 Out | Scheduling bugs | |
| 9/28 | Linux Scheduler by Pratik Sampat (slides) | CH 15, CH 16, CH 17 | MP 1: Due | ||
| 10/3 | Memory Management I (slides) | CH 18 CH 19, CH 20 | |||
| 10/5 | MP2 Walkthrough, Q&A (slides) (Ruowen) | Transactional memory | |||
| 10/10 | Memory Management II (slides) | CH 21, CH 22, CH 23 | Huge pages | ||
| 10/12 | Memory Management III (slides) | ||||
| 10/17 | Midterm Review, Q&A (slides) (Tianyin) | Mesa monitors | |||
| 10/19 | Midterm Exam (solution) | MP 2: Due | |||
| 10/24 | Midterm exam walkover (Siyuan) | Disco | |||
| 10/26 | MP3 Walkthrough, Q&A (slides) (Siyuan) | MP 3: Out | |||
| 10/31 | Virtualization I (slides) (Jiyuan) | Appendix B | Firecracker | ||
| 11/2 | Linux eBPF: Superpower or liability? by Jinghao (slides) | ||||
| 11/7 | No class on election day. | FFS | |||
| 11/9 | Virtualization II (slides) | MP 4: Out | |||
| 11/14 | MP4 Walkthrough, Q&A (Ruowen and Jinghao) | CH 37, CH 39, CH 44 | LFS | ||
| 11/16 | Disks and Files (slides) | MP 3: Due | |||
| Fall Break | Fall Break | Food. Lots of it. | Sleep. Lots of it. | ||
| 11/28 | File System I (slides) | CH 40, CH 41 | GFS | ||
| 11/31 | File System II (slides) | CH 42, CH 43 | |||
| 12/5 | Final Review, Q&A (slides) | MP 4: Due | |||
| 12/11-12 | Final Exam | Take home |
The course will involve 5 machine problems, several homeworks, a midterm, and a final. Unless otherwise noted by the instructor, all work in this course is to be completed independently. If you are ever uncertain of how to complete an assignment, you can go to office hours or engage in high-level discussions about the problem with your classmates on the Piazza boards.
Grades will be assigned as follows:
The expectations for the course are that students will attend every class, do any readings assigned for class, and actively and constructively participate in class discussions. Class participation will be a measure of contributing to the discourse both in class, through discussion and questions, and outside of class through contributing and responding to the Piazza forum.
Out of respect for your classmates, I ask that you turn off all laptops, tablets, and phone screens for the duration of each class!
More information about course requirements will be made available leading up to the start of classes
This course will include topics related computer security and privacy. As part of this investigation we may cover technologies whose abuse could infringe on the rights of others. As computer scientists, we rely on the ethical use of these technologies. Unethical use includes circumvention of an existing security or privacy mechanisms for any purpose, or the dissemination, promotion, or exploitation of vulnerabilities of these services. Any activity outside the letter or spirit of these guidelines will be reported to the proper authorities and may result in dismissal from the class and possibly more severe academic and legal sanctions.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Student Code should also be considered as a part of this syllabus. Students should pay particular attention to Article 1, Part 4: Academic Integrity. Read the Code at the following URL: http://studentcode.illinois.edu/.
Academic dishonesty may result in a failing grade. Every student is expected to review and abide by the Academic Integrity Policy: http://studentcode.illinois.edu/. Ignorance is not an excuse for any academic dishonesty. It is your responsibility to read this policy to avoid any misunderstanding. Do not hesitate to ask the instructor(s) if you are ever in doubt about what constitutes plagiarism, cheating, or any other breach of academic integrity.
To obtain disability-related academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact the course instructor and the as soon as possible. To insure that disability-related concerns are properly addressed from the beginning, students with disabilities who require assistance to participate in this class should contact Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) and see the instructor as soon as possible. If you need accommodations for any sort of disability, please speak to me after class, or make an appointment to see me, or see me during my office hours. DRES provides students with academic accommodations, access, and support services. To contact DRES you may visit 1207 S. Oak St., Champaign, call 333-4603 (V/TDD), or e-mail a message to disability@uiuc.edu. Please refer to http://www.disability.illinois.edu/.
Emergency response recommendations can be found at the following website: http://police.illinois.edu/emergency-preparedness/. I encourage you to review this website and the campus building floor plans website within the first 10 days of class: http://police.illinois.edu/emergency-preparedness/building-emergency-action-plans/.
Any student who has suppressed their directory information pursuant to Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) should self-identify to the instructor to ensure protection of the privacy of their attendance in this course. See http://registrar.illinois.edu/ferpa for more information on FERPA.
All members of the Illinois Computer Science department -- faculty, staff, and students -- are expected to adhere to the CS Values and Code of Conduct. The CS CARES Committee is available to serve as a resource to help people who are concerned about or experience a potential violation of the Code. If you experience such issues, please contact the CS CARES Committee. I am also available for issues related to this class.
The course is designed by Professor Adam Bates who taught it during 2017--2019.