CMSC 216 - Introduction to Computer Systems

Conveys the fundamental concepts that enable programs to execute on real hardware. These include how the operating system virtualizes the hardware to provide services and abstractions to allow a user program to effectively use available resources. The course also addresses how different programming constructs work at a low level. The basic abstraction of a program running as one or more threads of control in a single flat address space (a UNIX process), and emphasizing it as the model for understanding how a program works, from both the user program and hardware perspective (with the operating system in between), is a theme throughout the course. PREREQUISITE(S): A grade of C or better in CMSC 204 and MATH 182. Four hours each week.

4 semester hours

Course Outcomes:
Upon course completion, a student will be able to:

Describe and apply the fundamental concepts that enable programs to execute on real hardware, including how the operating system virtualizes the hardware to provide basic services, and abstractions to enable a program to effectively use the available hardware resources.
Recognize the relation between programs implemented in C and in assembly code, including the implementation of expressions, control, procedures, and data structures.
Investigate the programmer’s interaction with the underlying system through the different APIs and abstractions, including system support for process and thread control, virtual memory, and networking.

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