IC221: Systems Programming (SP14)

Course Policy

Instructors

• Assistant Professor Adam Aviv e-mail:aviv@usna.edu *course coordinator
• CDR Kevin Blenkhorn e-mail:blenk@usna.edu

Text Book

• Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment (3rd ed.), Stevens, Rago, required. ( Title is shortened to APUE in the notes and calendar)

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the operation of the UNIX OS from the user, systems programmer, and application programmer perspective.
2. Use a UNIX command shell and do basic scripting.
3. Navigate and manipulate the UNIX filesystem from the command line.
4. Build application software using the make utility.
5. Write simple shell scripts and configure resource files.
6. Interact with the O.S. through system call API to manage processes and interact with the file system
7. Learn UNIX command-line tools and how they are implemented
8. Use standard debugging techniques using gdb and valgrind
9. Design simple network programs that use the socket API
10. Design software on UNIX that uses concurrency to solve problems.

Program Outcomes

1. Use current techniques, skills, and tools necessary for computing practices. (PO i)
2. Develop an appreciation for the Operating System role in computing

Extra Instruction

You are encouraged to come in for extra instruction (EI) when you are having trouble. Your individual instructors will have different feelings about drop-ins versus appointments.

Grading

• Final Grades
• 25%: Final Exam

  The final exam will be cumulative but will heavily weight the second half of the semester

• 25% : 6-week and 12-week Exam

  The 6-week and 12-week exam will only cover material from the previous 6 weeks unless specified in any study material

• 5% : Participation

  There is a 5% participation grade for the course that will be based on classroom discussion and participation on the Piazza Message Board.

• 30% : Labs

  All labs are released on Friday and will be due the following Thursday at 23:59. Submission instructions will be provided for each lab. There will be 13 lab assignments this semester.

  Late Lab Policy

  • 1-day late (Friday 23:59): 10% Reduction
  • 2-day late (Saturday 23:59): 25% Reduction
  • 3-day late (Sunday 23:59): 50% Reduction
  • Labs will not be accepted more than 3 days late, no exceptions

  Grace days:

  • Each student will have 3 grace days to submit an assignment late without penalty. You must notify the instructor 24 hours prior to the lab deadline to use a grace day
  • Grace days and late days may not be mixed to extend late policy.
    • For example: If you use a late day to submit on Friday by 23:59 for 10% reduction, you may not then use a grace day to extend your current late submission to Saturday at 23:59. It will be considered 2-days late for a 25% reduction.
    • For example: If you use a grace day to submit without reduction on Friday at 23:59, you may not then use a late day to submit on Saturday at 23:59 for a 10% reduction. It will be considered 2-days late for a 25% reduction. You may, however, use an additional grace day to submit Saturday at 23:59 for no reduction, and another grace day, your third, to submit Sunday at 23:59 for no reduction.

  Lab Collaboration Policy

  • You may discuss the lab with anyone in your section in an abstract, problem solving way. For example, it is ok to ask a classmate, "How does this system call work?" or "Do you think this design choice will work?" or "I'm stuck. I did this part, but I don't know how to start the next part. What do you think?"
  • You may not look at another classmates programs or code, directly debug another classmates program or code, or ask specific to your program related questions. For example, it is not ok to ask a classmate, "My code dosesn't compile, could you take a look?" or "I'm not getting the right output from this systems call, why might that be?" Any violations of the policy above will be considered an honor violation.
  • You may not copy code from another classmate, from previous year's assignments, or from the Internet. Any violations of the policy above will be considered an honor violation.
  • You may ask an instructor for help, show an instructor your code, and use any code provided by an instructor in your submission.
  • As directed, some labs will be done with a partner, and you may discuss your code in detail, debug your code, and view your partner's code. There will be one submission for partner labs.

• 15% : Homeworks

  Homeworks for each week will post on Monday nights, and are due the following Monday at the start of lecture. Homeworks must be submitted in hard copy.

  Homework Late Policy

  • Late Homework will not be accepted.
  • If you are unable to attend Monday lecture for an excused absence, such as M/O or SIQ, you are expected to submit the homework at the next most convenient lecture or lab.

  Homework Collaboration Policy

  • You may work freely with classmates on the homeworks. This includes working together and solving problems together.
  • You are required to indicate your collaborators on your homework assignments.
  • Each student must still submit an individual assignment, and the pencile-to-paper/fingers-to-keybaord work must be your own. Even when collaborating, in many situations, we do not expect two students to produce the same answer.
  • Copying of homework assignments is strictly forbidden and is considred an honor violation. We define copying as the act of viewing or discussing another's answers from his/her homework assignment, copying down those answers to your homework assignment without having completed the work individually. Collaborating does not imply copying.

Your 6/12-week grades will be compiled as follows:

• 12-week Grades: 40% Exam, 35% Labs, 20% Homework, 5% Participation
• 6-week Grades: 40% Exam, 35% Labs, 20% Homework, 5% Participation

Piazza Message Board

We will use a Piazza Message Board to assist and help with the class discussion. You should feel free to post questions to the message board for help on labs and homework. You should also feel free, as a student, to answer another student's questions, and this is the key design. Participation on the message board can positively impact your participation grade.

Posting about Labs and Homework

• You should limit the amount of source code that you post to Piazza. Anecdotally, this should max at 5 lines of code; if you can't describe your issue within 5 lines of code then you don't understand your problem.
• Posts of the form, "I'm getting this error XXXX, here's my code. Please help!" will be removed without being answered and can affect your participation grade.
• Similarly, posts of the form, "What is the answer to question X on the homework?" will also be removed without being answered and can affect your participation grade.

Posting and Answering Questions

• You should feel free to answer students questions, present follow up questions, and to generally participate in the online discussion. Participation of this manner will positively affect your participation grade.
• You may post and answer questions anonymously, but posting defaming remarks in questions or answers is strictly forbidden and will negatively affect your participation grade. Note that all authors of anonymous posts are known to the instructors but remain anonymous to other students.

Honor

As detailed above, you may collaborate as much as you like on homeworks, but the actual pencil-to-paper or fingers-to-keyboard effort must be your own. All work on exams and labs should be your own, unless otherwise specified by the instructor.

Classroom Decorum

Beverages are permitted in classrooms and labs provided they are in closed containers. No food or smokeless tobacco is permitted in classrooms or labs.