COMSATS University Islamabad

Department of Computer Science

Course Syllabus
Course Information
Course Code: CSC323 Course Title: Principles of Operating Systems
Credit Hours: 4(3,1) Lecture Hours/Week: 3
Lab Hours/Week: 3 Pre-Requisites: CSC211- Data Structures and Algorithms
Catalogue Description:
This course introduces the services and functions performed by operating system for smooth and accurate system
operations. Topics include: Operating Systems Overview; Device Organization & System Operations; Operating
Systems Principles; Process Management; Process Synchronization; Deadlocks; Multiprocessor Issues; Memory
Management; Storage Management; and Security & Protection.
Text and Reference Books
Textbooks:
1. Operating System Concepts, Silberschatz & Galvin, Addison-Wesley, 2021.
2. Modern Operating Systems, Tanenbaum, A. S., Prentice Hall, 2014.
Reference Book:
1. Operating Systems: Internals and Design Principles, Stallings, W., Pearson, 2017.
Week wise Plan:
CDF Reading
Lecture # Topics Covered
Unit # Material
Operating Systems: Overview, Purpose & Functionality, Evolution, Needs, Silberschatz:
1. 1
Principles, and Computing Environments. Ch1
Device Organization & System Operations: Interrupts, Dual Mode Silberschatz:
2. 1
Execution, Single & Multi User; and Computer System Architecture. Ch1
Silberschatz:
3. 1 Operating System Structure; and Resource Management Services.
Ch1
Silberschatz:
4. 1 Operating Systems Services; User-Interfaces; and System-Calls.
Ch2
OS Design Issues; OS Structuring Approaches: Monolithic, Layered, Silberschatz:
5. 1
Modular, Micro-kernel, and Hybrid Models. Ch2
Process Management: Overview, Process Concept, Process States, PCB & Silberschatz:
6. 2
Context-Switch, and Process Scheduling & Scheduling Queues. Ch3
Operations on Processes: Process Creation (Fork, Exec & Wait System-
Silberschatz:
7. 2 Calls), Process Termination (Exit & Abort System Calls), Cascading
Ch3
Termination, and Zombie & Orphan Processes.
Silberschatz:
8. 2 Inter-Process Communication: Shared Memory and Message Passing.
Ch3
Threads: Overview, Processes vs. Threads, Multiple Simultaneous Silberschatz:
9. 2
Computations, and Alhamad’s Law. Ch4
Silberschatz:
10. 2 Multithreading Models; and Multithreading Libraries.
Ch4
CPU Scheduling: CPU- I/O Burst Life Cycle, Scheduling Points, Scheduling Silberschatz:
11. 2
Criteria; Scheduling Types, Scheduling Algorithms: FCFS Scheduling. Ch5
12. 2 Scheduling Algorithms: SJF Scheduling, Predicting Next CPU Burst, SRTF Silberschatz:

1
 Scheduling, and Priority Scheduling. Ch5
Scheduling Algorithms: Round-Robin Scheduling, Multi-Level Queue, and Silberschatz:
13. 2
Multi-Level Feedback Queue Scheduling. Ch5
Process Synchronization: Overview, Need; Critical-Section Problem:
Silberschatz:
14. 3 Definition, Solution Overview, Conditions for Correct Solution, and Two-
Ch6
Process Solution to CS Problem.
Hardware based Solutions to CS Problem: Enabling & Disabling Interrupts, Silberschatz:
15. 3
Test & Set, Compare & Swap; and Software based Solutions: Mutex-Locks. Ch6
Software based Solutions: Semaphore; and Classical Synchronization Silberschatz:
16. 3
Problems. Ch7
17.
Mid Term Exam
18.
Deadlocks Overview; Characterization: Conditions & Resource Allocation Silberschatz:
19. 3
Graph; and Deadlock Handling Techniques: Deadlock Prevention. Ch8
Deadlock Avoidance: Resource-Allocation Graph, and Bankers Algorithm. Silberschatz:
20. 3
Ch8
Deadlock Detection & Recovery. Silberschatz:
21. 3
Ch8
Memory Management: Review of Physical Memory & Memory
22. 4 Management Hardware, Address Binding, Address Space Types, and Silberschatz:
Ch9
Dynamic Loading/Linking & Shared Libraries.
Contiguous Memory Allocation: Fixed Partitioning & Dynamic Partitioning; Silberschatz:
23. 4
and Non-Contiguous Memory Allocation: Segmentation. Ch9
Paging: Basic Method, HW Support, and Protection. Silberschatz:
24. 4
Ch9
Virtual Memory: Background, Benefits; Demand Paging: Basic Concept, Silberschatz:
25. 4
Performance and Copy-on-Write. Ch10
Page Replacement Algorithms: Overview, FIFO, Optimal, LRU, Second- Silberschatz:
26. 4
Chance Algorithm, MFU & LFU, and Thrashing. Ch10
Mass Storage Management: Hard-disks, Volatile & Non-Volatile Memory; Silberschatz:
27. 5
Disk Scheduling; and NVM Scheduling. Ch11
Storage Device Management: Formatting, Boot Block, Bad Blocks; and Silberschatz:
28. 5
Swap-Space Management. Ch11
File System: File concept, Access Methods, and Directory Structure. Silberschatz:
29. 5
Ch13
File Protection; and Memory-Mapped Files. Silberschatz:
30. 5
Ch13
OS Security: Overview, Program Threats, Network Threats, Cryptography, Silberschatz:
31. 6
and Security Implementation. Ch16
Protection: Overview, Goals, Principles, and Access Control. Silberschatz:
32. 6
Ch16
Final Term Exam
Student Outcomes (SOs)
S.# Description
Apply knowledge of computing fundamentals, knowledge of a computing specialization, and mathematics,
1 science, and domain knowledge appropriate for the computing specialization to the abstraction and
conceptualization of computing models from defined problems and requirements

2
 Identify, formulate, research literature, and solve complex computing problems reaching substantiated
2 conclusions using fundamental principles of mathematics, computing sciences, and relevant domain
disciplines
Create, select, adapt and apply appropriate techniques, resources, and modern computing tools
4
to complex computing activities, with an understanding of the limitations
Course Learning Outcomes (CLO)
Blooms
Unit
Sr.# Course Learning Outcomes Taxonomy SO
#
Learning Level
CLO’s for Theory
CLO-1 1 Elaborate concepts and principles of operating systems. Understanding 1
Analyze various operations performed by operating
CLO-2 2-3 Analyzing 1-2
system for process management.
Analyze the memory management issues and
CLO-3 4 Analyzing 2
techniques in the context of operating system.
State the concepts of file system, storage and security
CLO-4 5 Understanding 1
issues.
CLO’s for Lab
Operate basic services and functionality of operating
CLO-5 1 Applying 1
systems.
CLO-6 1 Compose Linux commands using Shell scripting. Applying 1,4

CLO-7 2-3 Implement the concepts of process management. Applying 2,4

CLO Assessment Mechanism
Assessment
CLO-1 CLO-2 CLO-3 CLO-4 CLO-5 CLO-6 CLO-7
Tools
Quizzes Quiz 1 Quiz 2 Quiz 3 Quiz 4 - - -
Assignment Assignment Assignment Assignment LAB LAB LAB
Assignments
1 2 3 4 Assignment Assignment Assignments
Mid Term Mid Term Mid Term
- - - - -
Exam Exam Exam
Final Term
Final Exam -
Exam
Policy & Procedures
 Attendance Policy: Every student must attend 80% of the lectures as well as laboratory in this course. The
students falling short of required percentage of attendance of lectures/laboratory work, is not allowed to appear
in the terminal examination.
 Course Assessment:

Mid Term
Quizzes Assignments Terminal Exam Total
Exam
Theory (T) 15 10 25 50 100
Lab (L) - 25 25 50 100
Final Marks
(T/100) *75 + (L/100) *25
(T+L)

3
 Grading Policy: The minimum passing marks for each course is 50% (In case of LAB; in addition to theory,
student is also required to obtain 50% marks in the lab to pass the course). The correspondence between letter
grades, credit points, and percentage marks at CUI is as follows:
Grade A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D F
Marks >= 85 80 - 84 75 - 79 71 - 74 68 - 70 64 - 67 61 - 63 58 - 60 54 - 57 50-53 < 50
Cr. 3.67- 3.34- 3.01- 2.67- 2.34- 2.01- 1.67- 1.31- 1.01- 0.10-
0.00
Point 4.00 3.66 3.33 3.00 2.66 2.33 2.00 1.66 1.30 1.00

 Missing Exam: No makeup exam will be given for final exam under any circumstance. When a student misses
the mid-term exam for a legitimate reason (such as medical emergencies), his grade for this exam will be
determined based on the Department policy. Further, the student must provide an official excuse within one
week of the missed exam.

 Academic Integrity: All CUI policies regarding ethics apply to this course. The students are advised to
discuss their grievances/problems with their counsellors or course instructor in a respectful manner.

 Plagiarism Policy: Plagiarism, copying and any other dishonest behaviour is prohibited by the rules and
regulations of CUI. Violators will face serious consequences.