15-213 Introduction to Computer Systems

Spring 2007

Frank Pfenning

Lecture, TuTh 9:00-10:20, DH 2210

12 units

This course provides a programmer's view of how computer systems execute programs, store information, and communicate. It enables students to become more effective programmers, especially in dealing with issues of performance, portability and robustness. It also serves as a foundation for courses on compilers, networks, operating systems, and computer architecture, where a deeper understanding of systems-level issues is required. Topics covered include: machine-level code and its generation by optimizing compilers, performance evaluation and optimization, computer arithmetic, memory organization and management, networking technology and protocols, and supporting concurrent computation.

Prerequisites: 15-113 System Skills in C, and 15-211 Fundamental Data Structures and Algorithms

What's New?

(5/14) The final exam has been graded and scores posted to Blackboard. The proxylab scores will be posted later today. If you would like to examine your final, you may find me in my office probably most of the day today.
(5/14) Final exam and sample solutions are now available.
(5/1) There will be an ad hoc group office hour to answer questions about the final on Wednesday, May 9, 11:30-3:00 in WeH 8220.
(4/12) Midterm 2 has been graded and scores are posted on Blackboard. You may look at your exam, either during the instructors office hours or other times he is available. The exam will not be returned.
(4/12) Exam 2 and a sample solution are available.
(3/18) Cyclone material (for lectures 14 and 15)
- Cyclone by Example (lecture 15 slides)
- Cyclone: A Type-Safe Dialect of C (overview article)
  Dan Grossman, Michael Hicks, Trevor Jim, and Greg Morrisett,
  C/C++ User's Journal, 2004.
- Cyclone for C Programmers (manual section)
  (you may skip: Zero-Terminated Pointers, LIFO regions, Datatypes, Exceptions, Pattern Matching, Polymorphic Functions, Polymorphic Data Structures, Abstract and Existential Types)
- Cyclone home page
(2/28) Exam 1 has been grades and scores posted to Blackboard.
A sample solution is also available.
(2/12) Quiz 3 will be available Mon Feb 12, 4:30pm until Wed Feb 14, 11:30pm so it is not due at the same time as Lab 2.

Course Material

Schedule	Lecture schedule, slides, recitation notes, readings, and code
Assignments	Details of assignments, due dates, and policies
Exams	Information about quizzes, exams, and final
Lab Machines	Instructions for using the lab machines
Resources	Additional course resources

Course Information

Lectures	TuTh 9:00-10:20, DH 2210 Note new room!
Recitations	Section A, Mon 10:30-11:20, WeH 5312, Yongjun Jeon Section B, Mon 11:30-12:20, WeH 5312, Aleksey Kliger Section C, Mon 12:30-1:20, WeH 5312, Timmy Zhu Section D, Mon 1:30-2:20, WeH 5312, Shiwei Song Section E, Mon 2:30-3:20, WeH 5312, Eugene Marinelli Section F, Mon 3:30-4:20, WeH 5312, Stephen Magill
Textbooks	Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron, Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective, Prentice Hall, 2003 (The authors are donating the royalties from CMU book sales to CMU, to be used for CMU undergraduates)
	Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie, The C Programming Language, 2nd edition, Prentice Hall, 1988
Credit	12 units
Grading	60% Labs(7), 10% Quizzes(7+1), 15% Midterm Exams(2), 15% Final Exam
Labs	There are 7 labs worth a total of 600 points
Quizzes	There are 8 quizzes on Blackboard, 15 points each The lowest score is dropped, so the total is 100 (+5 extra) points.
Midterms	There are 2 midterm exams, in class, open book Exam 1, Ch 1-6, 75 points Tue Feb 27, 9:00-10:20, Sections A,B,C in DH 2210; Section D,E,F in WeH 7500 Exam 2, Ch 7-8,10-11, 75 points Tue Apr 11, 9:00-10:20, Sections A,B,C in DH 2210; Section D,E,F in WeH 7500
Final	There is a final exam, open book, worth 150 points Thu May 10, 8:30am-11:30am, UC McConomy
Home	http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~fp/courses/15213-s07/
Newsgroup	news:cmu.cs.class.cs213 Usually checked at least once a day For faster turnaround, e-mail the teaching assistants
Blackboard	http://www.cmu.edu/blackboard/ Used only for tracking of grades and on-line quizzes
Directories	/afs/cs.cmu.edu/academic/class/15213-s07/

Instructor

	Frank Pfenning
Contact	fp@cs or x8-6343
Office	Wean Hall 8117
Office Hours	Wed 2:30-3:30

Teaching Assistants

Contact Recitation Office Hours

Yongjun Jeon yongjunj@andrew Section A
Mon 10:30-11:20, WeH 5312 Tue 6:00pm-7:30pm
Wean Cluster

Aleksey Kliger aleksey@cs Section B
Mon 11:30-12:20, WeH 5312 Thu 6:00pm-7:30pm
Wean Cluster

Timothy Zhu timothyz@andrew Section C
Mon 12:30-1:20, WeH 5312 Fri 8:30pm-10:00pm
Morewood Cluster

Shiwei Song shiweis@andrew Section D
Mon 1:30-2:20, WeH 5312 Wed 4:30pm-6:00pm
Wean Cluster 5207

Eugene Marinelli emarinel@andrew Section E
Mon 2:30-3:20, WeH 5312 Wed 11:30am-1:00pm
Wean Cluster 5207

Stephen Magill smagill@cs Section F
Mon 3:30-4:20, WeH 5312 Thu 2:00pm-3:30pm
Wean Cluster 5207

Course Assistant

	Jennifer Landefeld
Contact	jennsbl@cs.cmu.edu
Office	Wean Hall 8120

fp@cs
Frank Pfenning