CSE 3430: Overview of Computer Systems For Non-Majors

Preliminary: This is the homepage for Neelam's section of CSE 3430, a new course for non-majors; if you are a CSE/CIS (or ECE Computer option) major or pre-major, you should *not* take this course.
The page is a work in progress. If you have suggestions on how the course should be organized, please email neelam AT cse.ohio-state.edu
Course Summary: This is a new course intended to help non-majors understand the basics of computer systems (i.e., computer architecture) and operating systems. In a sense, it is a combined and simplified version of CSE 2421 and 2431.
Syllabus, texts: The official syllabus is a bit too ambitious; we will see how far we get. Also we will not using the text (by Bryant and O'Hallaron) listed in the official syllabus. See class notes for more details.
Prerequisites: CSE 2122 or 2123; and 2321
Credits: 4
Semester: Sp '16
Place and Time:
- Dreese Labs 305; W, F at 3:00 pm-5:05 pm
  Spring break (no classes): March 14-18
  Last day of class: April 22
  Final exam: Thursday, April 28, at 4:00 pm-5:45 pm (*Note the day and time!*) ; here is a brief review.
Instructor: Neelam Soundarajan
Office: DL 579; tel: 292-1444.
Office hours: W, F: 12 noon - 1 pm;
Other hours by appointment.
E-mail (to neelam AT cse.ohio-state.edu) questions strongly encouraged.
If you do send me e-mail, please send only plain text or .pdf, not .doc files .html, etc.
Grader:
- Yifan Gan (gan.101)
- Office: Bolz Hall, Room 118, desk 13
- Hrs: M: 1:30-3:30

Grade rosters:

Here is the final grade roster.
Here are the grades in the second midterm. I will return the papers in class today.
Here are the grades in the frist midterm. I will return the papers in class today.

Links:

Course web site: http://www.cse.ohio-state.edu/~neelam/courses/3430/
Some info on homeworks, labs, exams
Grading (tentative): Homeworks: 15%; Labs: 25%; Activities: 5%; Mid-terms: 30% (two mid-terms, 15% each); Finals: 30% (that adds up to 105%!)
Piazza forum
No cheating! (No kidding!)

Course Notes:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3 (see also these notes on flip-flops (copied from Hamacher et al.))
Part 4
Part 5 (summary of first part of C)
Part 6
CONSIDER

Assignments:

Assignment 1 (Due: Feb. 3, '16) (pdf) (some comments).
Assignment 2 (Due: Feb. 17, '16) (pdf)
Major revision in assignment 3 (now a lab): Here is the new version, due on Monday, April 1, at 11:59 pm. (original: Assignment 3 (Due: Mar. 30, '16)).
Small-group activity 1 (to be completed on CONSIDER)
Small-group activity 2

Labs:

See under homeworks.

Announcements:

First midterm on Wed., Feb. 24; we will meet at the usual time. The exam will be an hour long but we will not have a class meeting after that hour.
Topics will be everything we have discussed in class so far.
The exam will be open-book, notes.
Here is a sample midterm; or rather a set of questions of the kind you can expect on the midterm. If you have any comments about any of those questions, please post on Piazza.
The actual midterm will probably have six questions.

Useful info/tips:

Tutorial on GDB (a must read if you don't regularly use a debugger); info on GDB (extracted from Unix Programming Tools); see also C library; and example
Nice page about inodes; look at the other links on that page as well.
Some books:
- Computer Systems: A Programmers Perspective, Bryant, O'Hallaron book, 2nd ed, free pdf (link at bottom of page)
- The C programming language, Kernighan and Ritchie (the classic, standard book on C)
- Computer organization, Hamacher and others
- Computer systems, McCabe
- Operating systems, Stallings
- OS book by Tanenbaum (pdf)
- OS book by Silberschatz (pdf)
- OS book by Arpaci-Dusseau and Arpaci-Dusseau
- Unix book by Kernighan and Pike
- The PDP-11 reference manual; Chapter 5 on addressing modes is especially interesting.
Other:
- Please check your OSU e-mail regularly. Please do not send email from other email accounts you may have. Please do not include non-English characters in your email. Please do not send attachments without first checking.
- Please read the Piazza group regularly *and* contribute to it.
- If the grader has problems with your assignments or running your labs etc., he will send mail to your OSU address and it is your responsibility to respond promptly.
Paper on CONSIDER; CONSIDER This ... (needs to be rewritten)