| CODE | CIS1224 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Computer Platforms | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Computer Information Systems | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will deal with advanced and structural properties inherent to all the different types of operating systems. The overall aim of this study-unit is to give students a general and detailed understanding of the underlying key principles of how hardware and low-level computer operating system software work together. This will be done from a scientific, theoretical and case study perspective. The topics will include the major aspects and principles of the underlying hardware and architectures found in many diverse operating systems. Key functions and structures of OS will be explained. Students will appreciate and learn the basics of hardware architectures. They will appreciate the basic principles of computation and Turing machines. Case studies will be used to illustrate and reinforce fundamental concepts. The following core topics will be covered: - Introduction to Operating Systems: History of MSDOS / Windows, History of Unix/Linux, OS key and core principles, Different types of operating systems such as real time, stand alone, distributed etc., the kernel. - Main Functions of Operating Systems: file management, Memory management, RAM vs ROM, storage of files, different forms of storage like optical, HDD, SSD, etc. program processing, protocols, GPUs and how they operate,I/O, ports, buffering, queues, the use of standards, Study-Unit Aims: An opportunity will be given for students to appreciate and learn the basics of hardware architecture and operating systems. They will appreciate the basic principles of computation and Turing machines. Aspects will cover a wide range, from architectural topics and aspects of various CPUs and GPUs, CISC, RISC, pipelining, motherboard components to number binary formats, memory management, file systems, system security and operating system principles. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Explain the main different types of operating systems and platforms, appreciate and understand their different properties. Appreciate that different problems require special or specific types of operating systems. - Utilise the different hardware types and hardware structures and their special operating system requirements. - Appreciate the major architectures and structures that are used as key principles for constructing and creating operating systems. E.g. the bus architectures, Turing machines, the CPU processing modes. - Employ different processing modes and why these require different strategies and solutions. - Compare and contrast various CPU scheduling algorithms - Appreciate the problems inherent in file management, memory management and possible strategies that are used here. - Recognise the need for protection in operating systems - Explain the concepts of process, address space, and file space. - Identify the basics of computer systems. The fundamentals of computer architecture are becoming increasingly important in software development and various application areas. They apply to problems that have been considered mainstream computing. This will help give students exposure to these topics. - Describe the basic Von Neumann/Imperative computing model. - Describe the binary nature f computers and how bit patterns can represent instructions, characters and numbers. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Investigate and report on various computer architecture and operating system choices and products. - Use the correct vocabulary and understand the field associated with operating systems and computer platforms. - Critically apply academic knowledge in any occupation which would involve operating systems and platforms. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Modern Computer Architecture and Organization: Learn x86, ARM, and RISC-V architectures and the design of smartphones, PCs, and cloud servers Packt Publishing ISBN-13: 978-1838984397 ISBN-10: 1838984399. Main Texts: - Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach (ISSN) 6th Edition - Morgan Kaufmann ISBN-13: 978-0128119051 ISBN-10: 0128119055. Supplementary Readings: - Linux Bible 10th Edition Wiley ISBN-13 : 978-1119578888 ISBN-10: 1119578884. - Lecture notes, additional material and website. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Independent Study | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Clyde Meli (Co-ord.) Anthony Spiteri Staines |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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