CS 111 Operating Systems Principles

CS111 is Stanford's introductory operating systems course. The CS106 courses provide you with a solid foundation in programming methodology and abstractions, and CS107 builds up and expands your breadth and depth of programming experience and techniques, working from the C programming language down to the microprocessor to de-mystify the machine. CS111 leverages this programming experience to introduce operating systems and how they work. With an understanding of both how to leverage operating system functionality in your own programs as well as how operating systems manage tasks behind the scenes, you will have a better understanding of how operating systems work, the kinds of design challenges present in operating systems and other large systems, and key computing ideas such as virtualization that are applicable in many different areas. Topics covered include: filesystems, system calls, concurrency, multiprocessing, multithreading, race conditions, synchronization primitives, virtual memory, demand paging and operating system design challenges.

The prerequisite for CS111 is CS107 (or equivalent). You should have practical C/C++ skills and be able to write programs with complex use of memory and pointers and dynamic memory allocation (malloc/realloc/free/new/delete). You should understand C++ classes, methods, and be able to work with appropriate data structures (arrays, maps, etc.) and standard algorithms (searching, sorting, hashing). (There are C++ features you're not expected to know, but you should be comfortable picking those features up and consulting references as needed). You should be familiar with programming in a Unix/Linux environment using tools such as make, gcc/g++, valgrind, gdb, etc. and have a working understanding of the basics of computer architecture (x86-64 as it’s taught in CS107, or exposure to some other architecture and the ability to pick up x86-64 as we reference it). Come talk with us if you need help determining the right placement for you.

CS111A

CS111A, also called Pathfinders (or ACE), is a supplementary instruction program that meets for a weekly section and holds Pathfinders-specific review sessions. CS111A is application-only; CS111A is done in addition to all the normal requirements for CS111. You will receive an extra unit of course credit for the work you do in this program. Enrollment in CS111A is by application, and you can find more information at this link: click here. Once enrollment decisions are made, students who are accepted will then be given a permission number to enroll in CS111A on Axess. If you have questions about CS111A, please email the ACE CA (contact information listed on the course homepage).

Textbook

There is no required textbook for CS111: the material of the course is defined by the lectures and does not exactly correspond to any existing book. However, we recommend the following book if you would like an additional source of material to supplement lectures:

Operating Systems: Principles and Practice (2nd Edition), by Thomas Anderson and Michael Dahlin.

Each lecture lists related readings in this book on the first slide, where applicable. Most students find that the material from lecture is sufficient for their course needs, so we recommend that you start the course without the book and only purchase the book if you decide you would like additional material and explanations beyond what is in lecture.