Objective of CS 4400

The objective of this course is to help students bridge the gap between high-level programming and actual computer systems: processors, the memory hierarchy, operating systems, compilers, linkers, assemblers, networks, and more. Our basic goal is to understand how a computer works, so that as programmers we can make it work efficiently, correctly, and securely. Thus, this course is an introduction to computer systems from a programmer’s point of view.

Instructor

John Regehr, regehr@cs.utah.edu

Office: 4148 MEB

Lectures

Monday and Wednesday at 11:50AM-01:10PM in S BEH AUD Links to an external site.

The lecture hall is a 10-15 minute walk from MEB, please plan accordingly

Labs

When enrolling in this class, you also enrolled in a lab section. These are smaller, weekly meetings led by the TAs designed to give you practice with the concepts discussed in class and other useful instruction. Attend the lab section you are enrolled in.

Laptop Requirement

Per Kahlert School of Computing policy, students enrolled in a CS class with a lab/discussion component are required to use their own laptop for the lab. Students are responsible for administering their own laptops, such as installing software and backing up data. For recommendations and further information, please see the official policy Links to an external site..

Class Website

The class website is on Canvas at https://utah.instructure.com. It will contain all pertinent course info and materials such as lectures, announcements, updates, corrections, and grades. Students are required to check their email and Canvas regularly until final grades are posted.

Textbook

Computer Systems: A Programmer’s Perspective by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O’Hallaron, 3rd edition.

A recommended supplemental C programming book is The C Programming Language by Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie.

Grading

Your grade for this course will be determined by the following:

• Assignments: 45%
• Exams 50% (evenly weighted among all exams)
• Quizzes 5%

If X is your overall course score, letter grades will be assigned using the scale below. No rounding is done.

• 100 ≥ X ≥ 93 A
• 93 > X ≥ 90 A- 
• 90 > X ≥ 87 B+ 
• 87 > X ≥ 83 B
• 83 > X ≥ 80 B- 
• 80 > X ≥ 77 C+
• 77 > X ≥ 73 C 
• 73 > X ≥ 70 C- 
• 70 > X ≥ 67 D+
• 67 > X ≥ 63 D
• 63 > X ≥ 60 D-
• 60 > X ≥ 0 E

You must receive a passing grade on the exams in order to pass the course. In other words, if your overall exam score is below a C-, then you will fail CS 4400.

The instructor reserves the right to curve grades upwards, but not downwards. This curve -- if any -- will be done during final grade computation.

Assignments

The assignments make heavy use of C, Unix, command-line tools, and the x86-64 architecture. Students not currently fluent in any of these topics should not panic, as this course will cover them in more detail throughout the semester. However, students should be prepared to learn some of the C programming language on their own, for which the Kernighan and Ritchie supplemental text may be useful. All work must use an x86-64 processor running a Unix OS. Code must be written in C11 standard C — nothing else will work.

Unless explicitly noted otherwise, grading of assignments will be done using CADE Lab 1 machines. Students who choose to develop their code on any other machine must verify their solutions work on a CADE Lab 1 machine before turning them in. There will be no credit for programs that do not compile and run on a CADE Lab 1 machine, even if they run somewhere else.

Exams

Midterm exams will be given during the regular lecture time on Wednesday, Feb 5 and Wednesday, March 19. The final exam will be held on Monday, April 28, 10:30 am–12:30 pm. All exams are written, and all exams will take place in the regular lecture hall.

Quizzes

There is a short quiz on Canvas associated with each lecture. In general, there will be two quizzes due each week except for weeks that do not have two lectures. Quizzes will not be accepted late.

Dropped Scores

The three lowest quiz scores will be dropped. The purpose of these dropped scores is to account for illness or other extraordinary circumstances preventing you from completing them. Do not use your dropped scores simply to avoid doing the work. No exam or assignment scores will be dropped.

Getting Help

See the “Getting Help” page on Canvas for information about office hours, TA help hours, discussion boards, etc.

Piazza

Piazza is used for questions and discussions related to the course. Students must use their first and last names (as they appear in Canvas) in their Piazza profile, such that the correct name is visible to the instructor and TAs on posts. Note that students may select to post anonymously, such that their name is not visible to classmates.

Late Work

Late assignment submissions will incur a penalty of 10% of the assignment’s max value if submitted within the 24-hour period following the due date. This penalty increases by 10% per 24-hour period, up to three days. Work submitted more than three days late will not receive credit. An assignment is considered late if submitted any amount of time past the deadline, as measured by the submission system. Any delays caused by the submission system or corrupt/lost files is not an excuse for lateness. Do not risk submitting at the last minute. Late days apply to programming assignments only; other work, such quizzes, will not be accepted late.

College of Engineering Guidelines

For information on withdrawing from courses, appealing grades, and more, see: https://www.coe.utah.edu/semester-guidelines Links to an external site.

Learning Outcomes

By completing this course, students will be able to:

• explain the objectives and functions of abstraction layers in modern computing systems, including operating systems, programming languages, compilers, and applications
• understand cross-layer communications and how each layer of abstraction is implemented in terms of the next-lower layer of abstraction (such as how C programs are translated into assembly code and how C library allocators are implemented in terms of operating system memory management)
• analyze how the performance characteristics of one layer of abstraction affect the layers above it (such as how caching and services of the operating system affect the performance of C programs)
• construct applications using operating-system concepts (such as processes, threads, signals, virtual memory, I/O)
• synthesize operating-system and networking facilities to build concurrent, communicating applications
• implement reliable concurrent and parallel programs using appropriate synchronization constructs

Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)

The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services, and activities for people with disabilities.

All written information in this course can be made available in an alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability & Access (CDA). CDA will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. Prior notice is appreciated. To read the full accommodations policy for the University of Utah, please see Section Q of the Instruction & Evaluation regulations.

In compliance with ADA requirements, some students may need to record course content. Any recordings of course content are for personal use only, should not be shared, and should never be made publicly available. In addition, recordings must be destroyed at the conclusion of the course.

If you will need accommodations in this class, or for more information about what support they provide, contact:

Center for Disability & Access
801-581-5020
http://disability.utah.edu Links to an external site.
65 Student Services Building
201 S 1460 E
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Safety at the U

The University of Utah values the safety of all campus community members. You will receive important emergency alerts and safety messages regarding campus safety via text message. For more safety information and to view available training resources, including helpful videos, visit http://safeu.utah.edu Links to an external site..

To report suspicious activity or to request a courtesy escort, contact:

Campus Police & Department of Public Safety
801-585-COPS (801-585-2677)
http://dps.utah.edu Links to an external site.
1735 E. S. Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Addressing Sexual Misconduct

Title IX makes it clear that violence and harassment based on sex and gender (which includes sexual orientation and gender identity/expression) is a civil rights offense subject to the same kinds of accountability and the same kinds of support applied to offenses against other protected categories such as race, national origin, color, religion, age, status as a person with a disability, veteran’s status, or genetic information.

If you or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted, you are encouraged to report it to university officials: 

Title IX Coordinator & Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action
801-581-8365
http://oeo.utah.edu Links to an external site.
135 Park Building
201 Presidents' Cir.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Office of the Dean of Students
801-581-7066
deanofstudents.utah.edu
270 Union Building
200 S. Central Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

To file a police report, contact:

Campus Police & Department of Public Safety
801-585-COPS (801-585-2677)
dps.utah.edu
1735 E. S. Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

If you do not feel comfortable reporting to authorities, the U's Victim-Survivor Advocates provide free, confidential, and trauma-informed support services to students, faculty, and staff who have experienced interpersonal violence.

To privately explore options and resources available to you with an advocate, contact:

Center for Campus Wellness
801-581-7776
wellness.utah.edu
350 Student Services Building
201 S. 1460 E.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Academic Misconduct

It is expected that students comply with University of Utah policies regarding academic honesty, including but not limited to refraining from cheating, plagiarizing, misrepresenting one’s work, and/or inappropriately collaborating. This includes the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools without citation, documentation, or authorization. Students are expected to adhere to the prescribed professional and ethical standards of the profession/discipline for which they are preparing. Any student who engages in academic dishonesty or who violates the professional and ethical standards for their profession/discipline may be subject to academic sanctions as per the University of Utah’s Student Code: Policy 6-410: Student Academic Performance, Academic Conduct, and Professional and Ethical Conduct.

Plagiarism and cheating are serious offenses and may be punished by failure on an individual assignment, and/or failure in the course. Academic misconduct, according to the University of Utah Student Code:

“...Includes, but is not limited to, cheating, misrepresenting one’s work, inappropriately collaborating, plagiarism, and fabrication or falsification of information…It also includes facilitating academic misconduct by intentionally helping or attempting to help another to commit an act of academic misconduct.”

For details on plagiarism and other important course conduct issues, see the U's Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities.