Operating System Concepts

1. Explain the fundamental concepts and components of operating systems.
2. Describe process management, scheduling algorithms, and memory management techniques.
3. Analyze the challenges of concurrent processes and their solutions.
4. Implement debugging strategies for operating system-related issues.
5. Evaluate different file system structures and I/O device management techniques.
6. Apply protection and security mechanisms to operating system resources.

13 weeks, about 28 hours in total. Yours will differ.

1. Week 1MODULE 1: BASIC CONCEPTS IN OPERATING SYSTEMS

   • Unit 1: Operating Systems Functions and Services · 2 hours

     Read the introduction to operating systems, focusing on the definitions and functions of an OS.. Identify the different types of operating systems (single-user, multi-user, network OS).. Describe the layered structure of an OS and its role as an intermediary between the user and hardware..

2. Week 2MODULE 1: BASIC CONCEPTS IN OPERATING SYSTEMS

   • Unit 1: Operating Systems Functions and Services · 2 hours

     Explain the functions of the operating system shell and kernel.. Describe the services provided by the operating system, including user interface, program execution, I/O operations, and file-system manipulation.. Differentiate between CLI and GUI user interfaces..

3. Week 3MODULE 1: BASIC CONCEPTS IN OPERATING SYSTEMS

   • Unit 1: Operating Systems Functions and Services · 2 hours

     Define system calls and their role as an interface between a running program and the operating system.. Explain the different types of system calls (process control, file management, device management, information maintenance, communication).. Provide examples of system calls for each type..

4. Week 4MODULE 1: BASIC CONCEPTS IN OPERATING SYSTEMS

   • Unit 2: Process Concepts · 2 hours

     Define process and process concept.. Describe the different process states (new, running, waiting, ready, terminated).. Explain the process scheduling and the role of the process scheduler..

5. Week 5MODULE 1: BASIC CONCEPTS IN OPERATING SYSTEMS

   • Unit 2: Process Concepts · 2 hours

     Describe the Process Control Block (PCB) and its components (process ID, process state, program counter, CPU registers, etc.).. Explain the context switch mechanism and its importance in multitasking.. Understand the functions of CREATE, DESTROY, BLOCK, PRE-EMPT, WAKE UP, and START PROCESS..

6. Week 6MODULE 1: BASIC CONCEPTS IN OPERATING SYSTEMS

   • Unit 3: Process Creation · 2 hours

     Explain how processes are created and terminated.. Describe cooperating processes and the reasons for allowing process cooperation.. Discuss issues for cooperating processes, including race condition, critical regions, and mutual exclusion..

7. Week 7MODULE 2: SCHEDULING, THREADS AND SYNCHRONIZATION

   • Unit 1: Dispatching · 2 hours

     Distinguish between different types of scheduling (long-term, medium-term, short-term, I/O scheduling).. Differentiate between preemptive and non-preemptive scheduling policies.. Explain the First-Come, First-Served (FCFS) scheduling algorithm and its advantages and disadvantages..

8. Week 8MODULE 2: SCHEDULING, THREADS AND SYNCHRONIZATION

   • Unit 1: Dispatching · 2 hours

     Explain the Shortest Job First (SJF) scheduling algorithm and its advantages and disadvantages.. Describe the Round Robin (RR) scheduling algorithm and its effectiveness in time-sharing environments.. Understand the Shortest Remaining Time (SRT) and Highest Response Ratio Next (HRRN) scheduling algorithms..

9. Week 9MODULE 2: SCHEDULING, THREADS AND SYNCHRONIZATION

   • Unit 2: Threads · 2 hours

     Explain the Multilevel Feedback Queue (MFQ) scheduling scheme and its adaptability.. Distinguish between a process and a thread.. Know the characteristics and benefits of threads..

10. Week 10MODULE 2: SCHEDULING, THREADS AND SYNCHRONIZATION

    • Unit 3: Synchronization · 2 hours

      Distinguish between Thread Control Block (TCB) and Process Control Block (PCB).. Understand multithreading and race condition.. Understand the mechanisms to support concurrency: semaphores, and monitors..

11. Week 11MODULE 2: SCHEDULING, THREADS AND SYNCHRONIZATION

    • Unit 3: Synchronization · 2 hours

      Apply mutual exclusion to solve real life semaphores problem.. Know the concepts and general structure of monitor.. Know the limitation of monitors..

12. Week 12MODULE 3: COMMUNICATION, DEADLOCKS AND INTERRUPTS

    • Unit 1: Messages · 2 hours

      Review Inter-Process Communication (IPC) and its importance.. Differentiate between direct and indirect communication.. Understand synchronization in message passing..

    • Unit 2: Deadlocks · 2 hours

      Understand the conditions for deadlock (mutual exclusion, hold and wait, no preemption, circular wait).. Know the approaches to dealing with deadlock: prevention, avoidance, and detection.. Know a Classical example for deadlock.

13. Week 13MODULE 3: COMMUNICATION, DEADLOCKS AND INTERRUPTS

    • Unit 3: Interrupts · 2 hours

      Understand the Instruction Cycle with Interrupts.. How Interrupts improve CPU usage.. Classes of Interrupts.