Joe Oldham: SMP

For Wed please read Tannenbaum 112 – 138, for Fri extend it through 146. Expect a Quiz W or F. Please be able and willing to advise me after you read this — did you understand it? If not, how do I help? Either way, what is the best way to approach this as a class?

So Heathrow’s new shining terminal is beset with woes at least in part due to baggage handling software. Remember the Denver baggage handling disatser — a famous failure? Now we have the heathrow repeat… because evidently we do not pay attention. (Of course someone will be explaining why this is quite different in the minutae…)

Exam thru 2.4 on Monday 3/31

Check page for assignment due 4/4, expect to discuss in class Wed 3/26

I suggest the following. Uless you are feeling cocky stay away from the first two categories of sys calls on page 28: process management & signals. We’ll do those in “lab” at the appropriate itme. Look for a couple that look like interactive commands you know, and make them work from programs. I know some of us do not love man pages, but… the manual is divided into sections. man -s1 foo will tell you about foo as used in the shell. man -s2 foo (or s3,…,8) will tell you about foo used from a typically — useful things come in flavors.  You want the programatic versions. Man pages have 2 – 3 kinds of useful info beyond the obvious. Some calls require use of a struct or struct type or just bizarre type. Strusts are often described in the man pages. Sometimes there is exmple code. Types are defioned usually within the headers mentioned on the man pages for the programmtic verison of a routine. Then there is the see also section. So if you want to learn about foo, and decide you need some routine to help you use foo effectively, look in foo’s see also section. Likely you will find some program that will be of use — it is sort of like looking through the references of an interesting paper.

Give yourself a goal and a limit. A couple of easy ones, a couple of interesting but non-fatal ones. Give yourself a time limit. Meet the goal or reach the limit. Extend you limit a little if you have nothing “interesting”, but do not kill yourself. Help is available anywhere you can find it. You caould even (gasp) ask me.

Finally, your code should be in minix. So do it  in your ccount on your minix machine and point me to it in what you hand in. Do not worry about this code on paper or via email.

Tuesday March 4 I will not be on campus. Email if needed. Back Wednesday

Check the web page for 117, 343. The lab in 112 is an assignment.

See the Minix page on the wiki

Go to the Navy building for class on Monday. I will bring something for us to do.

M, W, F will be normal schedule & availability. On Tuesday I will probably work from home to try to catch up (letters, grading,…) I will be available by email. On Thursday I will hold hours a little late: 11am-3pm, as I need to arrive a little late — probably about 10:30am.

I had failed to post office hours for the term. That is corrected. See Contact Page