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263-3800-00L 7 Credits MSC , WBZ D-INFK
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Advanced Operating Systems

Lecturers & Examiners: Prof. Dr. Timothy Roscoe, Dr. David Alan Cock
VVZ CR 4.17

Last Updated: 2026-02-05 16:07:52

Abstract

This course is intended to give students a thorough understanding of design and implementation issues for modern operating systems, with a particular emphasis on the challenges of modern hardware features. We will cover key design issues in implementing an operating system, such as memory management, scheduling, protection, inter-process communication, device drivers, and file systems.

Objective

The goals of the course are, firstly, to give students: 1. A broader perspective on OS design than that provided by knowledge of Unix or Windows, building on the material in a standard undergraduate operating systems class 2. Practical experience in dealing directly with the concurrency, resource management, and abstraction problems confronting OS designers and implementers 3. A glimpse into future directions for the evolution of OS and computer hardware design

Content

The course is based on practical implementation work, in C and assembly language, and requires solid knowledge of both. The work is mostly carried out in teams of 3-4, using real hardware, and is a mixture of team milestones and individual projects which fit together into a complete system at the end. Emphasis is also placed on a final report which details the complete finished artifact, evaluates its performance, and discusses the choices the team made while building it.

Resources

Learning Materials (Links)

General Information

Language
English
Levels
MSC , WBZ
Frequency
Yearly recurring

Examination

Type
graded semester performance
The final assessment will be a combination of project milestone grades, final project report grade, and grades derived from tests run on the final code submission.Last cancellation/deregistration date for this graded semester performance: about 3 weeks into the course! Please note that after that date no deregistration will be accepted and a "no show" will appear on your transcript

Course Components

Type Title Time & Place Hours
lecture Advanced Operating Systems
  • Thu 14:15-16:00 (CAB G 51)
  • 03.06 Date 09:15-13:00 (HG E 23)
2 h weekly
exercise Advanced Operating Systems
  • Fri 10:15-12:00 (CAB H 56)
  • Fri 10:15-12:00 (CAB H 57)
2 h weekly
independent project Advanced Operating Systems
Project Work, no fixed presence required.
No time listed 2 h weekly

Offered In