Computer Science (COMP) 314
Computer Organization (Revision 2)

Revision 2 closed, replaced by current version.

>> Overview | Outline | Evaluation | Course Materials | Special Course Features
>> Special Instructional Features |Course Fees | Course Availability

Overview

COMP 314 examines how the hardware components of the computer are orchestrated by the operating system to provide the user/programmer with efficient and convenient service and high degree of machine independence in writing and executing programs and in managing system resources.

The main concerns of this course are the fundamental principles and concepts of operating systems.

Computer organization is a vast topic that cannot be covered in the frame of a single course. A number of important topics—such as the design and implementation of digital circuits and other hardware components, machine language and assembler language programming, and an in-depth survey of existing hardware architectures—are not covered in this course.

It is assumed that students are familiar with the basic structure and the main hardware components of the computer. Topics covered in COMP 314 include an overview of computer-system structures and operating-system structures; process management (what a process is, CPU scheduling, process synchronization, deadlocks, and inter-process communication); storage management (memory management, virtual memory, disk management, and file-system management); protection and security issues (access matrix and its implementations, authentication, viruses and other intruders, and encryption); and an overview of distributed systems (network structures, distributed system structures, and distributed file systems).

Outline

COMP 314 consists of the following four units.

• Unit 1 Overview
  • Section 1 Introduction
  • Section 2 Computer System Structures
  • Section 3 Operating System Structures
• Unit 2 Process Management
  • Section 1 Processes
  • Section 2 CPU Scheduling
  • Section 3 Process Synchronization
  • Section 4 Deadlocks
• Unit 3 Storage Management
  • Section 1 Memory Management
  • Section 2 Virtual Memory
  • Section 3 File System Interface
  • Section 4 File System Implementation
  • Section 5 Secondary Storage Structure
• Unit 4 Protection and Security
  • Section 1 Protection
  • Section 2 Security

Evaluation

To receive credit in COMP 314, students must achieve a course composite grade of at least "D" (50 percent), including a grade of 50 percent on each assignment, and at least 50 percent on the final examination.

Course Materials

Textbook

Silberschatz, A., Galvin, P. B. & Gagne, G. (2004). Operating system concepts. 7th ed. Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-69466-5.

Other Material

Course materials for COMP 314 are stored in a self-extracting file on the servers at Athabasca University.

At this time the self-extracting file contains the following materials:

• Units 1 to 4 of the study guide.
• Suggested answers to assigned exercises.
• Detailed descriptions of the requirements for the individual tutor-marked assignments. Registered students may download the self-extracting file through the World Wide Web. Additional supporting materials of interest to students may occasionally be made available electronically.

Special Course Features

Computing and Information Systems courses at Athabasca University require that students use computer mediated communications. We expect students to have access to computer equipment with the following minimum configuration.

• Windows 95
• 8 megabytes of RAM
• a printer
• a serial port
• a modem (9600 baud or faster)
• sufficient amount of hard disk space.

Special Instructional Features

Delivery of COMP 314 is dependent upon computer mediated communications. Students are required to have access to the World Wide Web.

Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice.
Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized-study counterparts.


Athabasca University
1 University Drive
Athabasca, AB T9S 3A3
(780) 675-6111, (800) 788-9041
ccismsec@athabascau.ca
Opened in Revision 3, Nov. 2005. To archived version.
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This page was updated by G. Zahara

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