Buffer overflow

Pointer (computer programming)

The GNU Debugger (GDB)

Recursion (computer science)

System Control Flow

C (programming language)

Executables

Virtual memory

C Programming

Floating Point

Memory & Data

x86 Programming

Array (data structure)

Memory & Caches

Integers

x86-64 Assembly

Binary

Bitwise Operators

Procedures & Recursion

Data structure alignment

Process (computing)

Computers and Society

The Stack & Procedures

Cache (computing)

Java (programming language)

Memory allocation

CSE 351 The HW/SW Interface University of Washington Autumn 2022 This course develops students' understanding of software functioning at different levels of abstraction. Focus areas include C, assembly, and low-level data representation. It also introduces concepts of operating systems and differences between Java and C. It serves as a starting point for those interested in hardware or high-level abstractions. This course should develop students' sense of what really happens when software runs – and that this question can be answered at several levels of abstraction, including the hardware architecture level, the assembly level, the C programming level, and the Java programming level. The core around which the course is built is C, assembly, and low-level data representation, but this is connected to higher levels (roughly how basic Java could be implemented), lower levels (the general structure of a processor), and the role of the operating system (but not how the operating system is implemented).

For (computer science) students wanting to specialize at higher levels of abstraction, this could, in the extreme, be the only course they take that considers the "C level" and below. However, most will take a subset of [Systems Programming (CSE333)](http://courses.cs.washington.edu/courses/cse333/), [Operating Systems (CSE451)](http://courses.cs.washington.edu/courses/cse451/), [Compilers (CSE401)](https://www.cs.washington.edu/education/courses/cse401/), etc.

For students interested in hardware, embedded systems, computer engineering, computer architecture, etc., this course is the introductory course after which other courses will delve both deeper (into specific topics) and lower (into hardware implementation, circuit design, etc.). Of particular interest are [Introduction to Digital Design (CSE369)](https://www.cs.washington.edu/education/courses/cse369/), [Design of Digital Circuits and Systems (CSE371)](https://www.cs.washington.edu/education/courses/cse371/), [Introduction to Embedded Systems (CSE474)](https://www.cs.washington.edu/education/courses/cse474/), and [Computer Architecture I (CSE469)](https://www.cs.washington.edu/education/courses/cse469/). At the end of this course, students should be able to:

- Describe the multi-step process by which a high-level program becomes a stream of instructions executed by a processor;
- Describe the basic organization of the memory hierarchy and the effect of its parameters on system performance;
- Trace the execution of assembly code (x86-64), map the assembly to high-level language constructs, and write simple pieces of assembly programs;
- Write C code using pointers to create and manipulate complex data structures;
- Write (or rewrite) code to be take advantage of the computer execution model to improve execution efficiency;
- Debug small-ish C and assembly programs using GDB;
- Explain the role of an operating system;
- Describe fundamental differences between Java and C.  Course Themes
## Course Themes

The course has four principal themes:

- Representation: How different data types (from simple integers to arrays of data structures) are represented in memory, how instructions are encoded, and how memory addresses (pointers) are generated and used to create complex structures.
- Translation: How high-level languages are translated into the basic instructions embodied in process hardware with a particular focus on C and Java.
- Control Flow: How computers organize the order of their computations, keep track of where they are in large programs, and provide the illusion of multiple processes executing in parallel.
- History and Society: The principles computers are built upon were influenced by the societal context of the historical periods in which they were designed and, in turn, computers influence society in ways far beyond pure computational power.

CSE 351 The HW/SW Interface

Computer Systems

Machine organization

String (computer science)

Memory representation

struct (C programming language)

Signed number representations

Assembly language

Control flow

Call stack

Caching

Privilege separation

Memory protection

Page table

Address translation

Inter-process communication

Pipeline (Unix)

Multiprocessing

Thread (computing)

Race condition

Synchronization (computer science)

Atomic instructions

Mutexes (Mutual exclusion)

Deadlock

Bounded-buffer problem

Condition variables

CSCI 0300: Fundamentals of Computer Systems Brown University Spring 2023 Introductory course covering computer system fundamentals including machine organization, systems programming in C/C++, operating systems concepts, isolation, security, virtualization, concurrency, and distributed systems. Projects involve implementing core OS functionality. CSCI 0300 covers fundamental concepts, principles, and abstractions that underlie the design and engineering of computer systems. You will learn how a computer works, how to write safe and performant systems software, and what systems abstractions support today's complex, high-performance systems developed in industry. Specific topics include machine organization, systems programming and performance, key concepts of operating systems, isolation, security, virtualization, concurrent programming, and the basics of distributed systems.

The course format is a combination of lectures, labs, and several hands-on projects involving programming exercises in C/C++. The goal of CSCI 0300/CS 300 is to teach the fundamentals behind the "magic" of computer systems from the hardware level to the global internet. We'll cover the ideas, principles and abstractions that unify computer systems design – from how your laptop runs multiple programs at the same time, to how companies like Instagram, Airbnb, and Google operate large websites, to how easy it is to exploit security vulnerabilities on badly designed systems. This is a great class for students who are interested in learning what systems programming is, how systems work, and why these systems are so critical to modern technology. This is an introductory computer systems course, designed to expose students to a broad set of fundamental concepts in computer systems and their practical applications. It is best suited for students who have completed the intro sequence, and to those who may want to deepen their understanding of systems concepts. Programming languages used in assignments include C and C++. ## CSCI 0300 highlights

- *Learn how a computer really works:* we'll look into what happens when a program runs, from the basics to high-level concepts!
- *Use industry-strength tools:* CSCI 0300 teaches you modern C/C++ programming with the tools that professional software engineers use!
- *Two programming languages for the price of one:* learn C and C++, two widely-used systems programming languages for high-performance software!
- *Real-world inspired projects:* in CSCI 0300's projects, you'll implement the core of your own operating system, and learn to build scalable infrastructure such as a distributed data store and a multi-threaded server similar to those companies use to run web services you use every day!

CSCI 0300: Fundamentals of Computer Systems

Hash functions

Browser Security Model

Mobile Platform Security

Buffer Overflow Defenses

Message authentication code (MAC)

Web Application Security

Usable Security

Symmetric-key encryption

Asymmetric Key Cryptography

Web Privacy

Cryptography

Symmetric-key Cryptography

Authentication

Physical Security

Block Cipher Modes

Web Security

Anonymity

CSE 484 / CSE M 584 Computer Security University of Washington Autumn 2021 This course covers a wide range of computer security topics, including software security, cryptography, web security, malware, and physical security. It encourages a "security mindset" while requiring a firm understanding of computer science fundamentals and command-line Unix development environment. In this course, we will cover topics including: the "security mindset", threat modeling, software security, cryptography, malware, web security, web privacy, smartphone security, authentication, usable security, anonymity, physical security, and security for emerging technologies.  *CSE 332* and *CSE 351*

You should have maturity in both the mathematics of computer science and in the engineering of computer systems. This means that you should: have a good understanding of data structures and algorithms; be comfortable writing programs from scratch in C and Java; be comfortable writing and debugging assembly code; and be comfortable in a command-line Unix development environment (gdb, gcc, etc). You should also have a good understanding of computer architecture, operating systems, and computer networks. Most importantly, you should be eager to challenge yourself and learn more! ### No Textbook

In previous quarters we've used "Foundations of Security: What Every Programmer Needs to Know, Daswani, Kern, and Kesavan, ISBN 1-59059-784-2. This quarter we are not using an official textbook, and are instead using various freely available readings.
We will be using some readings from [Security Engineering](https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/book.html) of which the 2nd edition is freely available on the author's webpage

CSE 484 / CSE M 584 Computer Security

Computer Security and Cryptography

Unix

Bitwise Operations

x86-64

Privacy

Assembly

Stack (abstract data type)

C Strings

Heap (data structure)

Assembly: Arithmetic and Logic

Trust

C Generics

Assembly: Control Flow

Managing the Heap

Data Representation

Function Pointers

Assembly: Function Call

Optimization

Overflow

Reverse Engineering

CS 107 Computer Organization & Systems Stanford University Autumn 2022 This Stanford University course delves into the depths of computer systems and programming. It continues from the introductory sequence, expanding students' programming experience using the C language, exploring machine-level code, computer arithmetic, memory management, and more. CS107 is the third course in Stanford's introductory programming sequence. The CS106 courses provide you with a solid foundation in programming methodology and abstractions, and CS107 follows on this to build up and expand your breadth and depth of programming experience and techniques. The course will work from the C programming language down to the microprocessor to de-mystify the machine. With a complete understanding of how computer systems execute programs and manipulate data, you will become a more effective programmer, especially in dealing with issues of debugging, performance, memory, and robustness. Topics covered include: the C programming language, data representation, machine-level code, computer arithmetic, elements of code compilation, optimization of memory and runtime performance, and memory organization and management.

### CS107A

CS107A, also called Pathfinders (or ACE), is a supplementary instruction program that meets for a weekly section and holds Pathfinders-specific review sessions. CS107A is application-only; please see the [FAQ](https://web.stanford.edu/class/archive/cs/cs107/cs107.1232/faq.html) page for more information. The goals for CS107 are for students to gain mastery of

- writing C programs with complex use of memory and pointers
- an accurate model of the address space and compile/runtime behavior of C programs

to achieve **competence** in

- translating C to/from assembly
- writing programs that respect the limitations of computer arithmetic
- identifying bottlenecks and improving runtime performance
- working effectively in a Unix development environment
- using ethical frameworks and case studies to inform decision-making

and have **exposure** to

a working understanding of the basics of computer architecture The prerequisite for CS107 is CS106B/X (or equivalent). You should have practical C/C++ skills using recursion, dynamic data structures (pointers, linked lists, trees, graphs), data abstraction, classic data structures (lists, stacks, queues, sets, maps), and standard algorithms (searching, sorting, hashing). You should have an appreciation of the intrinsic value of good engineering and design and you will be expected to produce well-decomposed, readable code. Come talk with us if you need help determining the right placement for you. **Required**: Bryant & O’Hallaron. Computer Systems: A Programmer’s Perspective. 3rd Edition.

The bookstore has a less-expensive custom version of this textbook for our course that includes only the chapters we will cover; you can also use the regular full 3rd edition. You will need the 3rd edition of the textbook, which has substantial updates from IA32 to x86-64. There will be assigned readings from this textbook that are important preparation for lecture and lab. For readings that we assign, you can view a free digital PDF copy of the textbook on Canvas under the "Files" tab.

**Strongly recommended**: We also strongly recommend you have a "C language goto" in whatever form works best for you: textbook, tutorial, reference sheet, website, etc. As one suggestion, The C Programming Language by Kernighan and Ritchie is the classic text and a digital copy is available for checkout via [Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/books/OL2030445M/The_C_Programming_Language) (make a free account to "borrow" it digitally). Another option is Nick Parlante's Essential C reader PDF [available here](http://cslibrary.stanford.edu/101).

There is also a CS107 reader written by Chris Gregg, another CS107 instructor: [https://web.stanford.edu/~cgregg/cgi-bin/107-reader](https://web.stanford.edu/~cgregg/cgi-bin/107-reader), which covers all of the course topics in detail.

Our lecture readings pull from Bryant & O'Halloran, Kernighan & Ritchie, and Essential C.

CS 107 Computer Organization & Systems

Combinational Logic

C Pointers

Digital Logic

Arithmetic Logic

C Arrays

Memory hierarchy

Transistors to Gates

Sequential logic

Exceptional Control Flow (ECF)

Data as Bits

Processor Datapath

Process modeling

Software Tools

Floating Point Number Representation

Representing Data Structures

Shell (computing)

Integer Representation

Programming with Memory

CS 240 Foundations of Computer Systems Wellesley College Spring 2023 This course explores the inner workings of computers, focusing on how they execute programs. Students gain an in-depth understanding of software and hardware abstractions, ranging from programming languages to transistors. Key areas covered include computational building blocks, hardware-software interfaces, data representation, and practical system abstractions. The course also emphasizes structured reasoning about program execution and promotes skills for independent learning, critical thinking, and problem-solving in computer science. CS 240 examines how computers run programs, introducing key abstractions and implementations in software and hardware between programming languages and transistors. ## Goals

Course goals include:

- To understand how computers execute programs.
- To understand the roles of key software and hardware abstractions, their implementations, and their relation through translation and representation, including: digital logic, microarchitecture, instruction set architecture, the memory hierarchy, basics of programming language implementations, and operating system abstractions.
- To understand when and how computer system implementation impacts correctness or performance of arbitrary high-level programs.
- To become proficient in structured reasoning about the execution of programs on well-defined models, including the use of assertions and debugging tools to inspect program invariants and execution state.
- To develop foundations for further study of programming language implementation, security, computer architecture, operating systems, networks, concurrent and distributed systems, or other systems/implementation topics in computer science.
- [**To develop skills for independent learning, critical thinking, and problem-solving as a self-reliant computer scientist.**](#compact)

## Topics

The [course home page](https://cs.wellesley.edu/~cs240/s23/) hosts the working schedule. +Optional extensions are prefixed in the schedule with a plus sign. We may visit these if there is time. They are always available for your own exploration in further depth.

**Computational Building Blocks:**

- Hardware computation building blocks: 
    - Transistors, digital logic gates
    - Combinational and arithmetic logic
    - Sequential (stateful) logic
    - Overview of computer processor architecture
- Data representation fundamentals: 
    - Data representation with bits, bit-level computation
    - Number representation, arithmetic
    - The memory model, pointers, and arrays in the C language
    - Assertions, debugging

**Hardware-Software Interface:**

- The instruction set architecture model, machine code, assembly language, x86
- Basic program translation
- Control flow
- Procedures, call stack
- Data layout, security implications

**Abstractions for Practical Systems:**

- The memory hierarchy, caches
- Memory allocation
- Operating system basics: 
    - Exception control flow
    - The process model
    - Virtual memory
- Compilers, run-time systems, programming tools
- Beyond 240 ### When Should You Take CS 240?

**Prerequisite:** CS 230 or permission of the instructor is **required** to enroll in CS 240.

**Recommendations:**

- Consider your courseload carefully. CS 240 is a 1.25-credit lab course that requires a larger time commitment and workload than most 1-credit courses.
- Take CS 240 early after finishing the CS 111 / CS 230 introductory sequence. CS 240 should boost your independence, give valuable context for *how things work* as you approach further computing studies, and open doors to a wide range of courses and areas in CS.

Please talk to the [instructors](#staff) if you have any questions or concerns. We are happy to work with you to make your time in CS 240 most effective and rewarding for you. ### Texts

Electronic options are available for all required sources. At least one physical copy of each text is also available in the physical SCI L037 CS Systems Lab **for use within the CS department area.**Please use them in the data lab area and return them to the shelf when you are done.

**We use one primary textbook extensively:**

- **CSAPP 3e** ([*Wellesley online access*](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eFNJ7GqAHH8_W4dNv0UC4qkZX-kEMQH_?usp=sharing)):   
    [*Computer Systems: A Programmer’s Perspective, 3/E*](http://csapp.cs.cmu.edu). (**3rd edition**, significant changes since 2nd)   
    Bryant and O’Hallaron, Pearson, 2016. ISBN-13: 9780134092669. 
    - We **need the 3rd edition**. See [the errata](http://csapp.cs.cmu.edu/3e/errata.html).
    - Unfortunately, the library is not able to acquire an electronic version, but there are several options to access the book, including, but not limited to: 
        - If you prefer physical books, paperback copies are available for much less than the hardcover version. “Global” 3rd editions mostly work, but have some additional errors (not listed on the errata page).
        - [6 months of access to an electronic version is available for $35.](https://www.vitalsource.com/products/computer-systems-a-programmer-39-s-perspective-randal-e-bryant-david-r-v9780134092997)
        - During difficult pandemic circumstances, [we have scans of the relevant excerpts available for CS 240 students (Wellesley ONLY)](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eFNJ7GqAHH8_W4dNv0UC4qkZX-kEMQH_?usp=sharing). Being scans, these excerpts are not quite as good quality as some other electronic or paper options.
    - Please contact the instructors if none of the available options work for you.

**Other textbooks are used during the first part of the course:**

- **DDCA** ([*Wellesley online access*](https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/well/detail.action?docID=404196)):   
    [*Digital Design and Computer Architecture*](https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/well/detail.action?docID=404196).   
    Harris and Harris, Morgan Kaufmann, 2007. 
    - [The library has an electronic version of this text](https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/well/detail.action?docID=404196)

**We recommend a good reference on the C programming language.**Here are a couple solid options:

- **[Essential C](http://cslibrary.stanford.edu/101/)** (PDF)  
    Nick Parlante, 2003. Stanford University.
- **K&amp;R:**  
    [*The C Programming Language, 2nd edition*](http://luna.wellesley.edu/record=b1630956~s1).   
    Kernighan and Ritchie, Prentice Hall, 1988. ISBN-13: 978-0131103627, ISBN-10: 0131103628.

**Additional materials** will be posted directly on the [course website](/~cs240/s23/).