Operating Systems Course Research Articles

An operating systems course with projects in java

This paper describes a set of five programming projects in an undergraduate Operating Systems course. The problems are designed to reinforce the fundamental concepts that are discussed in most operating systems textbooks. Students are required to write programs that will simulate the behavior of the process management, process synchronization, memory management, and storage management components of an operating system.

A browser-based operating systems project

This paper presents one educator's experience with a browser-based project for an upper-level/graduate Operating Systems course. The author explains the project goals, why the browser in general and JavaScriptin particular are so well suited for this task, challenges andtheir solutions, the incremental assignments that ultimately result in a fairly complex OS simulation by the end of the semester, the response to the project, and some ideas about where to go next.

Is transactional programming actually easier?

Chip multi-processors (CMPs) have become ubiquitous, while tools that ease concurrent programming have not. The promise of increased performance for all applications through ever more parallel hardware requires good tools for concurrent programming, especially for average programmers. Transactional memory (TM) has enjoyed recent interest as a tool that can help programmers program concurrently. The transactional memory (TM) research community is heavily invested in the claim that programming with transactional memory is easier than alternatives (like locks), but evidence for or against the veracity of this claim is scant. In this paper, we describe a user-study in which 237 undergraduate students in an operating systems course implement the same programs using coarse and fine-grain locks, monitors, and transactions. We surveyed the students after the assignment, and examined their code to determine the types and frequency of programming errors for each synchronization technique. Inexperienced programmers found baroque syntax a barrier to entry for transactional programming. On average, subjective evaluation showed that students found transactions harder to use than coarse-grain locks, but slightly easier to use than fine-grained locks. Detailed examination of synchronization errors in the students' code tells a rather different story. Overwhelmingly, the number and types of programming errors the students made was much lower for transactions than for locks. On a similar programming problem, over 70% of students made errors with fine-grained locking, while less than 10% made errors with transactions.

An instructional approach to drive computer science courses through virtual learning environments

Nowadays, many universities have adopted Virtual Learning Environments for delivering and distributing educational resources. In the context of Computer Science (CS) courses, the use of these environments addresses several issues ranging from the application of instructional strategies to the selection of the most adequate learning platform. In this work, we propose an instructional approach to drive CS courses through virtual learning environments. The concept of driving a CS course adds a pedagogical value to the classical approach delivering educational resources. This pedagogical value is supported by applying instructional methods based on pedagogical patterns to design specific components of CS courses. The use of these pedagogical patterns helps to guide the deployment of Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) in CS courses enabling a connection between the course requirements and the VLE features. We have evaluated the proposed approach using an example of VLE called Poliformat. The evaluation focuses on the platform role as the road to drive Operating System courses during the 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 academic years. The evaluation results have contributed to a better understanding of how virtual learning environments can be used in CS courses and they confirm the benefits of applying instructional based approaches.

How Anomalous Is Belady's Anomaly?

An international association advancing the multidisciplinary study of informing systems. Founded in 1998, the Informing Science Institute (ISI) is a global community of academics shaping the future of informing science.

A three pronged approach to teaching undergraduate operating systems

This paper describes an approach to teaching an undergraduate operating systems course that relies on three aspects. First, a standard textbook is used for the basic theoretical material. Second, programming projects are used to reinforce some of the material covered from the textbook. Lastly, simulators are used to illustrate other material. A key to the approach is to use experimentation by the student to enhance understanding and prepare them for research. Although no formal evaluation has been done, students seem to enjoy using the simulators and student performance on exams has increased since the simulators were introduced.

Cooperative learning in operating systems laboratory

In this paper, we describe the use of cooperative learning (with jigsaw) in lab sessions in an operating systems course.

An experimental laboratory environment for teaching embedded operating systems

This paper describes Marquette University's efforts to build an experimental embedded systems laboratory for hands-on projects in an operating systems course. Our prototype laboratory is now serving as the basis for a coherent sequence of class projects threaded throughout courses in hardware systems, operating systems, networking, and embedded systems. We describe the major components of our Embedded XINU laboratory environment, the operating systems course, and related improvements in other core courses of our curriculum.

Implementation of threads as an operating systems project

In this paper the author describes a two-part programming assignment that has been used in an undergraduate operating systems course. The assignment is to write a user-level thread library, similar to the POSIX pthreads library, for a Unix or linux system.

Using iPodLinux in an introductory OS course

This paper describes a proof of concept for introducing iPods and iPodLinux into a one-semester introductory undergraduate operating systems course. iPodLinux is a version of the Linux operating system modified to run on iPods. We added a project to our course in which the students modified the iPodLinux kernel, and we supplemented lectures by discussing specifics of the Linux implementation as they relate to general operating systems concepts. We feel the course was much improved by these additions, with no substantive omission of regular material. Student response was very enthusiastic, and we feel the new material enhanced their course experience by providing a component that was empowering and helped to further improve their knowledge and skills.

Linking Theory, Practice and System-Level Perception: Using a PBL Approach in an Operating Systems Course

An international association advancing the multidisciplinary study of informing systems. Founded in 1998, the Informing Science Institute (ISI) is a global community of academics shaping the future of informing science.

Teaching operating systems with ruby

Dynamic languages have regained enormous popularity in recent years. One of the principal dynamic programming languages, Ruby, has been used as the language for assignment work and the presentation of concepts in an introductory Operating Systems course. This was a strange choice for a systems course but there were several good reasons for the choice including the ease with which Ruby provides access to Unix commands and system calls. After some initial problems, the change has been very successful and demonstrates that even in the core courses of a Computer Science curriculum dynamic programming languages have benefits.

A thread implementation project supporting an operating systems course

This paper describes an assignment for an operating systems course in which students implement a simple threading support library. This project provides practical experience with scheduling and dis...

Enhancing operating system course using a comprehensive project

This paper describes the characteristics and implementation of a Multiprogramming Batch Operating System (MOS) project. An earlier paper [1] has described problems encountered by student groups dur...

Webgene$_{\rm OS}$: A Generative and Web-Based Learning Architecture to Teach Operating Systems in Undergraduate Courses

Operating systems is a fundamental topic underlying many modern disciplines, including computing, telematics, and control engineering. Moreover, operating systems is one of the core courses considered under the most important curricula recommendations. The learning process in this area involves both a theoretical and a practical part that students have to learn and put into practice. To reinforce operating systems fundamentals, simulation tools and instructional operating systems have been proposed. However, few of these tools address a learning approach that permits one to work with real operating systems while supporting an active learning methodology that integrates theory and practice. This paper applies generative learning methods and Web-based applications to operating systems courses. WebgeneOS is presented as an experimental learning system that leads students through a more active participation in the learning process. WebgeneOS combines the universal connectivity of Web technologies with the educational theory provided by the generative learning methods. The system allows students to send their system programs using Web forms, execute them in a native operating system, and receive their results and feedback information through Web browsers. The benefits of WebgeneOS were evaluated by comparing students' grades. The evaluation involved students attending operating systems courses during the 2002-2003, 2003-2004, and 2004-2005 academic years. Students using WebgeneOS improved their grades by about 13%. Moreover, the system offered a well-balanced formation between the theoretical and the practical learning outcomes. Overall, this paper made evident that Web technologies and generative learning methods help students in their learning process

The effectiveness of animations in an undergraduate operating systems course

This project studied the instructional effectiveness of using animations to teach thirty-two learning objectives in an undergraduate operating systems course. The animations were created using Macromedia Flash™ and were employed as primary pedagogical tools during classroom instruction. Furthermore, a website for each animation was constructed to allow student accessibility to the animations outside the classroom. Statistical analysis using a paired t-test indicated that inclusion of animations in an undergraduate operating systems course yielded significant overall student achievement gains as measured by pretest and posttest scores. The inclusion of animations also was determined to be effective for approximately one-half of the thirty-two learning objectives when considered individually.

Experiences teaching operating systems using virtual platforms and Linux

Operating system courses teach students much more when they provide hands-on kernel-level project experience with a real operating system. However, enabling a large class of students to do kernel development can be difficult. To address this problem, we created a virtual kernel development environment in which operating systems can be developed, debugged, and rebooted in a shared computer facility without affecting other users. Using virtual machines and remote display technology, our virtual kernel development laboratory enables even distance learning students at remote locations to participate in kernel development projects with on-campus students. We have successfully deployed and used our virtual kernel development environment together with the open-source Linux kernel to provide kernel-level project experiences for over nine hundred students in the introductory operating system course at Columbia University.

Teaching operating systems

An operating system (OS) is a program that manages computer hardware. And although today's commercial-off-the-shelf desktop operating systems appear to be an integral part of PCs and workstation to many users, a fundamental understanding of the algorithms, principles, heuristics, and optimizations used is crucial for creating efficient application software. Furthermore, many of the principles in OS courses are relevant to large system applications like databases and web servers.Within this paper, we present our approach towards teaching OS concepts based on the Windows family of operating systems. In contrast to many stable Unix-based curricula, a Windows-based OS curriculum has to take into account the OS as a moving target. And although Windows source code has been made available to academic institutions, managing complexity is among the biggest challenges when teaching OS concepts based on Windows.Teaching experiences reported within this paper have lead to development of the "Curriculum Resource Kit (CRK)", an entire Windows-based OS curriculum that is freely available for download.

A novel approach for computer security education using Minix instructional operating system

To address national needs for computer security education, many universities have incorporated computer and security courses into their undergraduate and graduate curricula. In these courses, students learn how to design, implement, analyze, test, and operate a system or a network to achieve security. Pedagogical research has shown that effective laboratory exercises are critically important to the success of these types of courses. However, such effective laboratories do not exist in computer security education. Intrigued by the successful practice in operating system and network courses education, we adopted a similar practice, i.e., building our laboratories based on an instructional operating system. We use Minix operating system as the lab basis, and in each lab we require students to add a different security mechanism to the system. Benefited from the instructional operating system, we design our lab exercises in a way such that students can focus on one or a few specific security concepts while doing each exercise. The similar approach has proved to be effective in teaching operating system and network courses, but it has not yet been used in teaching computer security courses.

Advanced non-distributed operating systems course

The use of Non-Distributed Operating Systems is very common and old. Many researchers feel that this field of research is outmoded, and therefore put their efforts into Distributed Operating Systems. Advanced Operating Systems courses generally include an overview of the topical issues of research in the Operating System field. Many instructors prefer using Distributed Operating Systems subjects in order to give their students the contemporary research atmosphere. This encourages graduate students to research Distributed Operating Systems topics. We suggest that Non-Distributed Operating Systems is still an important field worthy of being expanded in graduate courses. An example for such a course is given. This course has been successfully taught in Bar-Ilan University during 2004.