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15-213 Intro to Computer Systems: Frequently Asked Questions
Cache Lab
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Why are warnings like "unused parameter" being reported as errors?
- On some labs we have set flags (-Wall -Wextra) for the compiler to generate
more warnings than usual. We also set a flag (-Werror) to treat warnings as
errors.
- Any class of errors that can be detected by the compiler should be addressed
sooner rather than later.
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My csim.c works just like the reference one, but when I run test-csim
I get -1 for all the hits, misses and evicts! What's going wrong?
- Your main function probably returns something other than 0.
- Our driver checks to make sure your simulator exited successfully,
and in C, a main function should return 0 if it exited successfully.
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Why am I geting an error: implicit declaration of function 'getopt'?
Bomb Lab
- How do I get to the secret phase?
What secret phase?
Data Lab
- My puzzles pass btest but I get errors when I submit to Autolab. What gives?
- As we discussed in the writeup, Autolab uses
the driver.pl program to grade your
submission. The driver.pl program runs dlc
to check for operator violations
and bddcheck/check.pl to do exhaustive testing. There
are three reasons why btest may give different scores
than driver.pl:
- Reason 1: dlc discovered that you used illegal
operators or too many operators.
- Reason 2: btest does not do exhaustive
testing. It is mostly useful for testing individual inputs on
invidivual puzzles. Use bddcheck/check.pl for final testing.
- Reason 3: bddcheck/check.pl is finicky about the code
formatting, especially the location of the first and last
braces in a function. The final right brace must be in the
first column.
The moral of the story: Before submitting to Autolab, do a
thorough test by running dlc, bddcheck/check.pl,
and driver.pl yourself on the shark machines.
General Programming Issues
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My code looked fine in my editor, but when my TA graded it on Autolab the indenting was all wrong and I lost points. What gives?
- After you handin your code, always view it in
Autolab to make sure that the indenting is what you
expect. If it's not, then there are two possible
reasons: (1) Your editor is configured to indent tabs a
certain width. (2) You've mixed tabs and spaces in
your code.
- In either case, you shoule use spaces instead of tabs. To replace
all tabs with spaces, run
expand -t4 foo.c > bar.c
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When I try to run an executable file included in a lab handout, I get a "Permission denied" error. What should I do?
- The Linux executable bit is not set. Run "chmod +x <filename>" to set the executable bit.
- This problem may occur if you extract the handout tarball on a Windows machine. Always extract the handout on a Linux machine.
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How do I extract a tarball on a Linux machine?
- Run "tar -xvf <filename>" to extract it.
General Course Issues
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Why can't I access the course on Autolab?
- You don't have an Autolab account for this course
yet. Autolab accounts are not tied directly to the
Hub like Blackboard accounts.
- Email the staff list 15-213-staff@cs.cmu.edu if
you need an account created for you. You must be enrolled in the course in order to get an Autolab account.
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Why can't I access the shark machines?
- You should be able to access the shark machines with your Andrew credentials. Email the staff list 15-213-staff@cs.cmu.edu if you have trouble.
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Must I work on the shark machines?
- Your work will be graded on the shark machines, so it is in your best interest to work there.
- For most labs, you may alternatively work on the Andrew Unix machines, which are nearly identical.
- However, you must complete bomblab and buflab on a shark machine.
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Should I read the lab writeup before seeking help?
- Yes.
- Did we say, "Yes"?
- Yes, we did.
- Please read the lab writeups.
- :-)
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How can I get help?
- Email us at 15-213-staff@cs.cmu.edu.
- Stop by during office hours.
- Schedule a 1:1 meeting with your instructors or TAs.
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Must I attend a particular recitation?
- You may attend any recitation you wish as long as the instructor leading the recitation allows it.
- Please make sure the recitation you normally attend is the one specified on your Autolab account; if this is not the case, email the staff list so that we can update your account.
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I have some command line output that I'd like to send to the staff. Should I send it as a screenshot?
- No. Text (copy and paste) is fine.
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