ITF22515 Operating Systems with Linux (Autumn 2015)

The course is connected to the following study programs

This course is compulsory in:

• Bachelor in Computer Science
• Bachelor in Computer Engineering
• Bachelor in Computer Engineering, Y-veien
• Bachelor in Computer Engineering, Tress

Elective course in other study programmes.

Prerequisites

This course requires prerequisite knowledge in programming equivalent to the course Object-oriented Programming.

The student's learning outcomes after completing the course

Knowledge:

On completion of th course, the student understands:

• how ordinary operating systems are structured
• how an operating system manages:
• CPU, buses and other hardware
• internal memory and cache
• file systems and permanent storage media
• programs, processes and threads
• synchronisation and abortion
• distributed applications
• how the operating system Linux is structured and works
• scripting as a tool for using and operating Linux
• how user management takes place in a larger system
• how routing and firewalls work in Linux
• set-up and maintenance of important server services in Linux
• hands-on configuration of a local area network
• basic set-up and virtualisation of servers

Skills:

On completion of the course, the student is capable of:

• using the operating system Linux professionally
• advanced scripting in Linux
• simple programming with threads and synchronisation
• programming distributed applications
• configuring operating systems
• using and configuring standard services in a Linux system
• installing operating systems in a virtual environment
• connecting servers to a storage area network
• adapting Linux surroundings for many users
• setting up routing and firewalls, and using iptables in Linux
• setting up Apache, mail and other key services in Linux
• configuring local area networks
• setting up Linux servers

Content

About operating systems in general:

• Structure of the hardware
• Structure of the operating system
• Process management
• Threads and synchronisation
• Memory management
• Permanent storage and file systems
• Distribution
• Servers and networks

About Linux in particular:

• History
• Structure and implementation
• Use of Linux
• Shell and GUI
• Scripting
• User management
• iptables
• Set-up and running of web servers
• Set-up and running of mail servers
• DNS

Forms of teaching and learning

Lectures, exercises and lab assignments.

Workload

4 hours of lectures per week, in addition to lab exercises

Coursework requirements - conditions for taking the exam

• Compulsory assignments in Linux use and scripting
• A practical lab with set-up of networks and services

The coursework requirements must be approved before students may sit the exam.

Examination

Written exam lasting 4 hours. Letter grading scale A?F.

All written support material permitted.

Course evaluation

This course is evaluated as follows:

• Mid-semester evaluation (optional)
• Final evaluation (compulsory)

The course instructor prepares a course report on the basis of student feedback and on his/her own experiences of the course. Course reports are discussed with the Committee for Study Quality at the Faculty of Computer Sciences.

Literature

Fox, Richard (2014): Linux with Operating System Concepts, 1st ed. ISBN: 9781482235890