Course Description

Course Title: Advanced Operating Systems Course Code: 10M11CI212

L-T-P Scheme: 3-0-0 Credits: 3

Objective:
The course will start with the study of various modules of an operating system and system calls
related to files, processes, signals, semaphores etc. In this course, we will study advanced topics in
computer operating systems with a special emphasis on distributed computing, and the services
provided by distributed operating systems using case studies. Important topics include naming,
security, remote procedure call, networks, concurrency, transactions, parallel computing, shared
memory, message passing, and sockets.

Learning Outcomes:
On completing this course the students should have acquired the following capabilities:
 An appreciation of the role of an operating system.
 Become aware of the issues in the management of resources like processor, memory and
input-output.
 Should be able to write system programs for implementing general file system utilities, to
read internal data structures of operating systems, for input/output redirection & for
implementing pipe.
 Should be able to implement their own shell.
 Should be able to implement applications based on IPC mechanisms and distributed
computing concepts.
 Obtain an insight into the design of an operating system.

Course Content:

1. Overview: Definition, objectives and structure of an operating system, kernel and shell, user and
kernel mode of operation, system calls, concept of multiprogramming.
2. File Systems and Management: File concept, user and system programmer view of
file systems, system calls for files, different modules of a file system, disk
organization, disk-space allocation methods, directory structures, mounting,
network file system. Case study of FAT, EXT2FS etc.
3. Process Management & Inter Process Communication: Process concepts, process
creation and execution, threads, scheduling concepts, types of schedulers,
scheduling algorithms, need for communication between processes, modes of communication,
pipes, shared files, shared memory, message based IPC, signals as IPC, TCP & UDP Sockets,
remote procedure calls, Case study of Encrypted file system.
4. Memory Management: Memory management techniques – partitioning,
swapping, segmentation, paging, paged segmentation, comparison of
techniques, techniques for supporting the execution of large programs -
overlays, dynamic linking and loading, virtual memory- concepts,
implementation by demand paging.
5. Resource Sharing and Management: Shared resources, resource allocation and scheduling,
resource graph models, deadlocks, deadlock detection, deadlock avoidance, deadlock prevention
algorithms, mutual exclusion, semaphores, wait and signal procedures.
6. Distributed computing: Introduction to distributed computing, Communication and
Synchronization: Clock synchronization, Local and Global states. Inherent limitations of distributed
operating systems. Event ordering. Timestamps, Concurrency control algorithms: Distributed
mutual exclusion. Token and non-token based algorithms. Comparative performance analysis.
Concurrency control.
7. Input/Output: Input/Output devices, device controllers, interrupt handlers,
device drivers and terminal drivers.
8. OS and Security: Security breaches, types of attacks, attack prevention methods, security policy
and access control, OS design considerations for security, access, policy and access control, OS
design considerations for security, access control lists and OS support, internet and general network
security.
9. Design Studies: Unix, Linux, Windows and other contemporary operating systems.

Lecture Plan:

Topics Lecture Topic

Hrs Reference
Definition, objectives and structure of an operating system, kernel and 3 T1: 1,2
shell, user and kernel mode of operation, system calls, concept of T3: 1,2
multiprogramming.

File concept, user and system programmer view of file 6 T1: 10,11
systems, system calls for files, different modules of a file T3: 4,5
system, disk organization, disk-space allocation methods, R1: 6
directory structures, mounting, network file system. Case
study of FAT, EXT2FS etc.

Process concepts, process creation and execution, 3 T1: 3,4,5

threads, scheduling concepts, types of schedulers, T3: 6, 7
scheduling algorithms

pipes, shared files, shared memory, message based IPC, signals as IPC 3 R4: 4,6,12

TCP & UDP Sockets, remote procedure calls. 3 R3: 1-5, 8

R4: 16
Case study of Encrypted file system. 1 Research
Papers
Memory management techniques – partitioning, 5 T1: 8, 9
swapping, segmentation, paging, paged segmentation, R1: 4
comparison of techniques, techniques for supporting the
execution of large programs - overlays, dynamic linking
and loading, virtual memory- concepts, implementation
by demand paging.
Shared resources, resource allocation and scheduling, resource graph 4 T1: 6,7
models, deadlocks, deadlock detection, deadlock avoidance, deadlock
prevention algorithms, mutual exclusion, semaphores, wait and signal
procedures.
Introduction to distributed computing, Communication and 5 T2: 4,5,6
Synchronization: Clock synchronization, Local and Global states.
Inherent limitations of distributed operating systems. Event ordering.
Timestamps, Concurrency control algorithms: Distributed mutual
exclusion. Token and non-token based algorithms. Comparative
performance analysis. Concurrency control.

Topics Lecture Topic

Hrs Reference
Input/Output: Input/Output devices, device controllers, 3 R1: 5
interrupt handlers, device drivers and terminal drivers. T3: 10

OS and Security: Security breaches, types of attacks, attack prevention 3 T1: 14, 15
methods, security policy and access control, OS design considerations
for security, access, policy and access control, OS design considerations
for security, access control lists and OS support, internet and general
network security.

Design Studies: Unix, Linux, Windows and other contemporary 3 T1: 21, 22
operating systems. R1: 10, 11

Evaluation Scheme:
Test - 1 15 marks
Test - 2 25 marks
Test – 3 35 marks
Minor Project 10 marks
Quiz 05 marks
Assignments 05 marks
Attendance 05 marks
Total 100 marks

Text Books:

1. A. Silberschatz, P. Galvin and Greg Gagne, Operating System Concepts, Wiley International
Company.
2. M. Singhal, N. G. Shivaratri, Advanced Concepts in Operating Systems, 1st Ed., Tata
McGraw-Hill.
3. Maurice J. Bach, Design of the UNIX Operating System, PHI.

Reference Books:

1. A.S. Tanenbaum, Modern Operating Systems, Prentice Hall India.

2. A.S. Tanenbaum, Distributed Operating Systems, 1st Ed., Prentice-Hall.
3. W. Richard Stevens, UNIX network programming (volume I), Pearson education.
4. W. Richard Stevens, UNIX network programming (volume II), Pearson education.
5. Gary Nutt, Operating Systems – A modern perspective, Pearson Education.
6. Charles Crowley, Operating Systems: A Design Oriented Approach, Tata McGraw Hill.
7. Brain [Link] and Rob Pike, the UNIX Programming Environment.
8. Pradeep K. Sinha, Distributed Operating Systems, PHI.