Part I • Knowledge of the architecture of the operating system as a collection of resource managers. • Knowledge of operating system kernel modules and new module implementation skills. • Skill to use system calls for creation, synchronization, and termination of processes and threads. • Knowledge of virtual memory mechanisms. • Skill in understanding and implementing virtual memory management algorithms. • Knowledge of peripheral device management techniques. • Skill in understanding and implementing device drivers. Part II Upon successful completion of Part II, students will be able to: • Apply knowledge of C, C++, POSIX, and C++/CUDA standards to: o Analyze modern file system organizations. o Implement effective file system management, including file locking, file mapping, and multiplexing input/output. o Utilize system programming APIs (system calls) for robust application development. • Develop and implement programs demonstrating advanced proficiency in: o File system interactions: Implement sequential and random ASCII, UNICODE, and binary file access patterns. o Memory management: Employ advanced techniques such as dynamic allocation, smart pointers, and RAII techinques (resource acquisition is initialization). o Concurrency: Design and implement parallel solutions using processes and threads. o Manage advanced inter-thread (and inter-process) communication. o Usingì basics and advanced synchronization techniques.

• Knowledge of a computer system architecture, with a specific emphasis on: o The structure of the CPU and the memory subsystem. o The interrupt mechanism and basics of an assembly language. • Basics on operating systems architectures, that is : o Main functionalities of a modern operating system. o Knowledge of UNIX-like operating systems (structure and tools, i.e., shell, main programming instruments, etc.). • Foundations of data structures and algorithms: o Good programming skills in C language, including dynamic memory allocation and advanced data structures (e.g., dynamic 1D and 2D arrays, lists, trees, hash-tables, heaps, priority queues, and graphs). o Concurrent programming techniques (e.g., processes, threads, synchronization, semaphores).

Part I (44 hours) • Review of operating system architecture (3.0 hours): o Modules for the management of the resources of a computer system. o Process and thread management synchronization (recalls). • Memory Management (10.5 hours): o Physical and logical address spaces, MMU, TLB. o Paging. o Virtual memory and demand paging. • Peripheral Device Management (2.0 hours): o Drivers and IO device management. o Disk management. • File system management (6.0 hours): o File system organization and protection. o Management and operations on files and directories. • Teaching operating system OS161 (10.5 hours): o System-level architecture, source files, compilation, execution, and debugging. o Implementation of the system calls for standard I/O. o Thread and user process management. o Implementation of synchronization primitives. o Implementation of support for file I/O. • Laboratory practice on all previous topics (12.0 hours). Part II (56 hours) • Course introduction with an overview of the pre-requisites, the program, and the examination rules (1.5 hours) • Introduction to the C++ language (6.0 hours): o Language basics. o Functions. o Classes, inheritance, and polymorphism. o Simple examples and exercises in C++. • The C++ standard library (10.5 hours): o IO. o Sequential containers. o Associative containers. o Generic programming. o Dynamic memory management. o Copy control. o Templates. o Problem-solving and applications in C++. • Parallel programming in C++ (7.5 hours): o Multithreading. o Basics synchronization paradigm: semaphores and mutexes. o Advanced synchronization paradigm: condition variables, barriers, thread throttles, thread pools, C++ tasks with futures and promises. o Parallel problem-solving and applications in C++. Advanced System Programming Techniques in POSIX (3.0 hours): o File locking. o Multiplexing IO. o Memory mapping. • GPU (Graphic Processing Units) for GPGPU Programming (General Programming in GPUs) (8.0 hours) o Theory of concurrency and parallelization o GPU (versus CPU) architectures. o Basics in NVIDIA CUDA Programming. o Memory models in CUDA. o Synchnoization in CUDA. o Efficiency and restriction in CUDA. o Parallel problem-solving and applications in NVIDIA CUDA. • Review, exam-based exercise, and Q/A session (3.0 hours). • Laboratory practice on all previous topics (16.5 hours).

The course includes theory lectures, practice lessons, and laboratories. There is no formal distinction between theory and practice, as almost all course topics involve theory and practice aspects developed during classroom lessons by the teacher. Laboratories (almost 30 hours overall) allow students to solve typical concurrent problems and be introduced to the system, the kernel, and modular programming. Moreover, they stress all the theoretical and practical aspects analyzed during the classroom lessons. The course also includes an optional project, done by working groups, on advanced topics from either of the two parts of the course. Laboratories and projects of Part I include: • Customizing and installing the OS161 (Unix-like teaching operating system) kernel. • OS booting. • Writing a system call. • OS support for process and thread management. • Synchronization primitives. • Creating and terminating a user process. • Support for file system management and the structure of a device driver. Laboratories and projects of Part II include: • Review on C programming and the programming API. • Basic problem solving in C++: Files and sequential containers. • Programming in C++: Templates and associative containers. • Advanced features in C++: Lambda expressions, copy control, parallel problem solving. • Parallel programming in C++ with threads, tasks, and synchronization primitives. • Basics of NVIDIA CUDA parallel programming.

Handouts and slides used during classroom lessons are available on the teacher's or course website. The World Wide Web is also an excellent source of material for almost all topics introduced in the class (see Wikipedia, for example). Among the printed material, during the course, we make explicit usage of the following books: • A. Silberschatz, P. B. Galvin, G. Gagne, "Operating System Concepts", John Wiley & son. • W. R. Stevens, S. A. Rago, "Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment", Addison-Wesley. • S. B. Lippman, J. Lajoie, B. E. Moo, "C++ Primer", Addison Wesley, Fifth Edition. • J. Flux, "Mastering CUDA Programming with C++: A Comprehensive Introduction", Independently published

Lecture slides; Lecture notes; Text book; Practice book; Exercises; Exercise with solutions ; Lab exercises; Lab exercises with solutions; Video lectures (current year); Video lectures (previous years); Self-assessment tools;

Exam: Computer lab-based test; Group project;

General Exam Information & Logistics The course examination is a computer-based written test administered via the university's "Esami" platform. No oral examination component is included in this course. Exams are conducted on-site in a designated classroom. Students are required to bring their own laptops and verify their hardware and software features before the exam. Instructors will be present during the examination to provide necessary assistance and supervision. Student Responsibilities & Academic Integrity Students are required to familiarize themselves with and adhere to all University regulations pertaining to examinations. It is each student's responsibility to ensure they have the necessary hardware and software tools for the exam. Any infrastructural issues encountered during the exam must be promptly communicated to the instructors. All students must respect the ethical code defined by the University. In cases where irregularities are detected, the professors reserve the right to conduct an additional oral verification covering all course topics with the student(s) involved. Examination Paths Students may take the examination via one of two formats: Standard or Simplified. The "Standard" Examination Format consists of a written test and an optional group project. The "Simplified" Examination Format includes only the written test. The Written Test (Standard Format). • Objective: To assess acquired theoretical knowledge and the ability to solve medium-complexity problems in operating systems and device programming (e.g., device management, system resource management, concurrent programming). • Content: Includes questions and exercises covering all theoretical and practical aspects of the course. Theoretical questions test knowledge of topics presented and problem-solving related to theoretical aspects. Practical questions and exercises assess the ability to solve system, device, and concurrency problems by writing programs in environments like UNIX/Linux (using C, C++, etc.). • Structure: The written test is divided into two parts, corresponding to the two main sections of the course: Operating system internal topics and system, device, and concurrent programming aspects. Both parts may include theoretical and practical questions. • Question Types: Includes closed-answer (automatically corrected) and open-answer (manually graded) questions and exercises. Accuracy and strict adherence to specified formats are required for automatically corrected questions. Incorrect responses to automatically corrected questions will incur a penalty on the final score. • Scoring & Passing. Each of the two parts contributes a maximum of 15 points to the final written test score. A minimum score of 7 points is required on each part to pass that part. To pass the written test, a passing grade (larger than or equal to 7) is required on both parts, and the sum of the two evaluations must be larger than or equal to 18. The maximum score for the written test is 30 points (15+15). • Duration: The time allowed for each written part may vary from 60 to 120 minutes, depending on the specific exam content. • Permitted Materials: No books, notes, portable devices, or other external materials are allowed during the written test. • The two written parts can be taken during different examination sessions. However, both parts must be successfully completed within one academic year (e.g., if the first part is taken in September, the second must be passed by the June/July session of the following year). A student may reject a score for a written part only at the time it is delivered or when it is being combined with a previously passed part's score. Once both parts have been passed and their sum is ≥18, the combined written test score is considered final (modifiable only by the optional project score). Final marks (including any project adjustments) will be registered as soon as the project mark (if applicable) is available. If the validity period for a passed written part expires (i.e., the other part is not passed within the academic year), its score is voided, and that part must be retaken. Optional Group Project (Standard Format). • Purpose: Allows students to deepen their understanding of course topics, work collaboratively, tackle more complex problems, and potentially improve their final grade. • Prerequisite: The overall exam is considered "passed" only if the written test (both parts) is passed, regardless of project participation. • Project specifications are released annually before the end of May. Students wishing to undertake a project must select one before the end of June. Projects are typically undertaken by groups of 2 or 3 candidates. Project assignment is on a first-come, first-served basis. Some projects may have limited applicant slots, and there's a limit on projects per course part to balance teacher workload. Each student may undertake a project at most once during their academic career at Politecnico for this course, either during their initial enrollment year or a subsequent year. Groups will give a short presentation on their project, outlining the main algorithmic flow, criteria, and problem-solving ideas. To register for a presentation, the complete project kit must be uploaded to the course portal (under "Materiale") before the written test date of that examination session. Submission and presentation must occur within the same academic year the project was offered, specifically in one of the four examination sessions following that course offering. Pending projects (not submitted and graded) expire at the start of the next academic year. Once a final mark for a project is obtained, it has no expiration date. The project can adjust the final written evaluation by -2.0 to +6.0 points. Individual marks within a group may vary based on individual effort and presentation quality. Final Grading (Standard Format) * The maximum possible score, combining the written test (max 30) and the group project (max +6), is 36 points. * Final scores of 32 or higher (out of a possible 36) will be automatically recorded as "30 with honors". The "Simplified" Examination Format. This path is available for students who may benefit from an alternative assessment structure (e.g., those with reduced initial prerequisites, specific needs, or who encountered particular difficulties during the course). It involves a single written test resulting in a "pass" or "fail" outcome. A "pass" in this format corresponds to a final registered grade of 18/30. The test is divided into two parts (corresponding to the course's two main sections) and covers theoretical and practical aspects of the entire course. Compared to the standard exam, this test places more emphasis on theoretical understanding and is less demanding regarding complex problem-solving and C/C++ implementation tasks. It includes 5 to 15 questions on each part. Each part includes closed-answer (automatically corrected) and open-answer (manually graded) questions and exercises. Accuracy and strict adherence to specified formats are required for automatically corrected questions. Incorrect responses to automatically corrected questions will incur a penalty. The student passes the simplified exam if and only if they achieve a passing grade on both internal parts of this single test.

In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.