CS 856: Advanced Topics in Computer Systems:
Systems Software for Multicore Environments (SSME)
NEW
Information regarding H1N1 and self declaring illnesses.
Course Info
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Instructor: Tim Brecht
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email: brecht@cs.uwaterloo.ca (include CS856 in subject!!!)
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Day: Tuesdays
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Time: 10:00-12:20 (NOTE THAT THIS IS A NEW TIME)
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Location: MC 2036A
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URL : http:///cs.uwaterloo.ca/~brecht/courses/856/
Grading (tentative)
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10% Class Participation
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20% Paper Summaries
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60% Class Project, Paper and Possibly Talk (likely 6-8 pages)
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10% Paper/project reviews.
About the Course
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Objectives : An in-depth study of advanced topics in systems software
for multiprocessor and multicore environments.
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Content : Some of the areas covered by this course include: support
for multiple processors and cores, interaction with devices, support
for high-performance server applications, file systems, and the
interaction with and support for virtual machines. There will be an
emphasis on application and operating system performance and on
experimental research. The study material consists of a selected list
of mostly contemporary research papers. In this course we will explore
the relationship and boundaries between high-performance applications
and their underlying software systems, with an emphasis on the
operating system. We will study the design and implementation of a few
applications that place significant load on the underlying software
infrastructures. One goal of the course will be to contemplate the
design and evaluation of new methods for interacting with existing
software and infrastructures. We are particularly interested in new
interfaces and mechanisms that can be provided by the operating system
to significantly improve application performance and scalability.
Required prior knowledge
- operating systems
- networking
- some computer architecture
- systems programming skills
- good communication skills
Course Readings
Course Project and Paper