Module: Operating Systems

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Operating Systems
Module Code	CSC1021 (ITS: CA216)
Faculty	Engineering & Computing	School	Computing
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	5

Description

The aim of this module is to introduce the student to modern operating systems: what an operating system is, what it does and how it does it.

Learning Outcomes

1. Explain the role of the operating system from the perspective of the user and the hardware.
2. Summarise the Process lifecycle, and implement programs using processes
3. Write multithreaded programs and employ synchronisation and locking mechanisms to solve concurrency-related issues
4. Explain issues of synchronsation and deadlock.
5. Critically evaluate a selection of approaches to allocating memory and implementing Virtual Memory
6. Identify the issues facing file system designers and explain how they are solved.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	24	Classroom lecture
Laboratory	20	Computer lab exercises
Assignment Completion	20	Programming assignment
Independent Study	61	Independent learning
Total Workload: 125

Section Breakdown
CRN	20143	Part of Term	Semester 2
Coursework	30%	Examination Weight	70%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	N
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Graham Healy	Module Teacher

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Project	Operating Systems Project	20%	Once per semester
In Class Test	Lab exam	10%	Once per semester
Formal Examination	End of Semester Exam	70%	End-of-Semester

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Introductory Material
Operating systems history. The operating system as a resource manager and as an extended machine. Operating systems concepts. Role of an operating system. Virtual machine and resources manager abstraction. Operating system interfaces: hardware and software.

Process Management
The Process Concept Process Scheduling Operations on Processes Introduction to Interprocess Communication

Concurrency
Threads. The critical section problem. Software and hardware solutions for mutual exclusion. Semaphores. Threads and concurrency.

CPU Scheduling
Basic Concepts Scheduling Criteria Scheduling Algorithms Multiprocessor Scheduling

Memory management
The memory hierarchy. Memory management objectives. Segmentation. Paging and page replacement. Thrashing. Memory management case study.

File systems and I/O
Disk block allocation strategies. File system case study.

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Abraham Silberschatz, Peter Baer Galvin & Greg Gagne: 2018, Operating systems Concepts, 10, John wiley & Sons, 978-1-118-063
John O'Gorman: 0, Operating Systems with Linux, 9780333947456

Articles:
None

Other Resources

None