SOFTENG 370 : Operating Systems
Engineering
2025 Semester One (1253) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
Operating Systems are taken for granted by almost everyone who uses a computer, however, a clear understanding of them makes you a better programmer and program designer. If you don't know what is beneath the surface you can't think clearly about things such as efficiency and scalability. The major topics of Operating Systems continue to develop as our concept of the computer changes. This course focuses on desktop Operating Systems but stretches up to distributed computing on the Web and down to embedded devices. Some of the fastest-growing areas of computing are included in this course, such as virtualisation and parallel programming. The skills developed in this course are particularly useful for those wishing to have a career involving low-level software development or postgraduate study in the systems area.
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 3: | Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 4: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 5: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 6: | Communication |
| Capability 7: | Collaboration |
Learning Outcomes
- Discuss the main methods of managing memory and to describe in detail how virtual memory works and apply simple page replacement algorithms. (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2 and 5.1)
- Reason different implementations of the process and thread model and implement a multithreaded program. (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1)
- Describe about a concurrency problem and the common concurrency constructs and apply a suitable construct to solve a problem involving concurrency. (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2 and 5.1)
- Compare the implementation of a simple file system and to compare different file systems including distributed systems. (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2 and 5.1)
- Discuss the main problems associated with protection and security and provide a variety of solutions to these problems. (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2 and 5.1)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Assignments | 40% | Individual Coursework |
| Final Exam | 40% | Individual Examination |
| Test | 20% | Individual Test |
| 3 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||||
| Assignments | ||||||||||
| Final Exam | ||||||||||
| Test | ||||||||||
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.
For each week in this course, you can expect 3 hours of lectures, a 1 hour tutorial, 1 hour of reading and thinking about the content and 5 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including tutorials will be available as recordings.
The course will not include live online events unless necessary.
Attendance on campus is required for the test/exam.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.
Learning Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
Recommended text book:
"Silberschatz's Operating System Concepts, 10th Edition, Global Edition", Abraham Silberschatz, Peter B. Galvin, Greg Gagne.
"Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces", Andrea Arpaci-Dusseau, Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau.
Health & Safety
Students must ensure they are familiar with their Health and Safety responsibilities, as described in the university's Health and Safety policy.
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
The history section of the course has been reduced to allow more time for other topics.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.