CSCE 313 Introduction to Computer Systems

Spring 2016

Homework 1
1. [1] Which of the following instructions should be privileged?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)

Set value of a timer.

Read the clock.
Clear memory.
Turn o interrupts.
Switch from user to monitor mode.

2. [1] Some computer systems do not provide a privileged mode of operation in hardware. Consider whether it is possible to construct a secure operating system for these
computers. Give arguments both that it is and that it is not possible.
3. [1] What is the main advantage of multiprogramming?
4. [2] Why are the locations of interrupt handles generally not stored in a linked list?
5. [1] What are two dierences between user-level threads and kernel-level threads? Under
what circumstances is one type better than the other?

6. [1] What resources are used when a thread is created? How do they dier from those
used when a process is created?

7. [1] Describe the dierence of degree to which the following scheduling algorithms discriminate in favor of short processes:
(a) First-Come-First-Serve.
(b) Round-Robin.
(c) Multilevel feedback queues.
8. [2] (Research Assignment) How do the Linux fork and clone system calls dier? How
are they alike?
9. [2] What are asynchronous, deferred, and disabled cancelation in pthreads? What
makes them dierent?

10. What is the role of the contentionscope for pthreads? How does it aect the execution
of pthreads?

References
[1] A. Silberschatz, P. Galvin, and G. Gagne, Applied Operating Systems Concepts, John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY, 2000.
[2] Deitel, Deitel, and Chones, Operating Systems, Pearson / Prentice Hall, 2004