6.828: Operating System Engineering - Fall 2003

General Information

Catalog description // Who should take 6.828 // Communication // Grading // Turn-in // Collaboration // Class meetings // Reading materials // Staff // TA office hours //

MIT catalog description

Prereq.: C, 6.033, and 6.170 (and, by implication, 6.004)
G (H)
3-6-3
6 EDP

6.828 studies fundamental design and implementation issues in the engineering of operating systems. Lectures are based on a study of UNIX and research papers. Topics in virtual memory; threads; context switches; kernels; interrupts; system calls; interprocess communication; coordination, and the interaction between software and hardware. Individual laboratory assignments teach students the development of a minimal operating system written in C, with minimal amount of x86 assembly. Knowledge of C programming expected

Students can use 6.828 to fulfill the engineering concentration requirements for Computer Systems.

Who should take 6.828?

6.828 is primarily intended for seniors and Meng students who want to learn about operating systems in detail. PhD students are also welcome, but note that 6.828 is not a "core" subject for the TQE.

Communication

For announcements and assignments, the Web is our authoritative form of communication. We expect students to check the 6.828 home page for both news and assignments at least once a week. If you hear a rumor, check it there. If you miss an announcement, it should be in the News Archive.

Grading policy

Grades in 6.828 will be based on the results of two quizzes (one during the term and one in final's week, 30% in total), lab exercises (50%), and home-work assignments and class participation (together 20%).

Turn-in policy

To turn-in the labs, send email to 6.828-handin@pdos.lcs.mit.edu with a URL pointing at your solutions. The email must be received by 11:59pm on the Thursday that the lab is due.

You are required to turn in each lab. Labs that are not turned in will receive an F. Labs that are turned in but score 0 points will receive a D. You have a total of 3 late days to use throughout the semester. There are no partial late days: an assignment that is only six hours late uses an entire late day. After you have used up your late days, each additional day late will incur a full letter grade penalty. Saturday and Sunday both count as days.

Collaboration

Our policy is simple, based on professional standards: On quizzes you should not collaborate. On all other assignments you are welcome to work with anyone else on ideas and understanding, but you should complete all assignments on your own, and you should carefully acknowledge all contributions of ideas by others, whether from classmates or from sources you have read.

Class meetings

Lectures will be held on Monday and Wednesday from 12:30pm to 2pm in 36-156.

Reading materials

Staff

Lectures
Frans Kaashoek   NE43-522   3-7149   kaashoek@mit.edu
 
Teaching assistants

Russ Cox   NE43-521A   3-5261   rsc@mit.edu
Bryan Ford   NE43-521A   3-5261   baford@mit.edu
 

Course mailing list: 6.828-staff@pdos.lcs.mit.edu
Use this mailing list to contact all the 6.828 staff.

TA office hours

Office hours will be held in the 5th floor lounge of CSAIL (nee LCS, NE43), Tuesdays 12pm-2pm and Thursdays 3pm-5pm. If the TAs are not in the lounge, come to room 521A (just off the lounge).

We're not good at using Zephyr and tend not to notice messages until it's way too late. Send email to 6.828-staff@pdos.lcs.mit.edu instead.

Questions or comments regarding 6.828? Send e-mail to the TAs at 6.828-staff@pdos.lcs.mit.edu.

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