CMP 426 & CMP 697 - Operating Systems
Spring 2026 Syllabus

Course Syllabus Download

CMP 426 Course Description: 4 hours, 4 credits

Operating systems and their role in various types of computer systems; the principles of multiprogramming; algorithms for resource allocation; multiple-computer systems. PREREQ: CMP 334 and CMP 338.

CMP 697 Course Description: 4 hours, 4 credits

A study of the functions and implementation of operating systems for various sizes and types of computers. Processor, storage, and device management. Paging algorithms, thrashing. File systems, concurrency, deadlocking, semaphores, and synchronization.

Course Objectives:

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

1. use the command line to interact with the operating system
2. explain operating systems and their role in various types of computer systems
3. describe the basic structure of an operating system and its components
4. describe the concept of a process, threads and how processes deal with scheduling, cooperation, and communication with other processes
5. describe CPU scheduling algorithms and be able to compare them
6. explain the classical problems in process synchronization and know several different ways to solve such problems, including semaphores, critical regions, and monitors
7. explain how to characterize and handle deadlocks, including prevention, avoidance, detection, and recovery
8. understand main memory and virtual memory and describe several different schemes for managing main memory, including swapping, virtual memory, paging, and segmentation
9. describe file/storage management
10. discuss how disks are structured and how their space is managed by the operating system

Textbook:

• A. Silberschatz, P. Galvin, and G. Gagne, Operating System Concepts, 10 th Edition, Wiley, 2018.
  Zybook code: CUNYCMP426-697FulakezaSpring2026
• Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces by Remzi H. Arpaci-Dusseau and Andrea C. Arpaci-Dusseau. This is not a required text but it is a good source for readings on material covered in class. The parts of this book are available online for free, you can get an e-copy for about $10 or hard copies for a good price.

Textbook Web Site:

Operating System Concepts, 10 th Edition

Grade Policy:

Your grades will be computed based on the following:

CMP 426:

CMP 697:

Grading Scale CMP 426:

Grading Scale CMP 697:

Make-up and Alternate Exams Policy:

Make-up exams will not be provided unless a student's absence is due to an unavoidable circumstance. In such cases, the student must submit a formal written request along with appropriate documentation to substantiate the reason for their absence.

All exams are scheduled to be taken in person on campus. If you are unable to attend the in-person exam, please consider enrolling in the course during a subsequent semester when your schedule permits.

Exam Schedule:

• Midterm Exam Date: Friday, 03/31/2026 from 2:00 pm to 3:40 pm
• Final Exam Date: Friday, 05/26/2026 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm

The exams are scheduled to be in person on campus.

Final Exam Policy:

The final exam is comprehensive. If your score on the final exam is higher than your midterm exam score, the final exam score will replace the midterm exam score when calculating your final course grade. This substitution will be applied automatically during final grade calculations.

This policy does not apply to students who:

• are found to have committed academic dishonesty on any assignment, exam, or other course-related work, or
• did not take the midterm exam.

Note: Missed final exam = Unofficial Withdraw (WU).

Homework Assignments and Submission

Several homework assignments are given during lectures. Students need to work on the homework for preparing exams but may not need to submit the homework assignments to the instructor. Some selected homework problems will be assigned as formal assignments to be submitted for grading.

Students must work in their own assignments unless I state otherwise. No late assignments will be accepted.

Homework assignments will include the following areas and more:

• Process creations/executions based on Linux/UNIX API and Win API
• Message based communications based on Linux/UNIX API
• Shared memory-based communications between processes based on Linux/UNIX API and WIN API
• Multithreading based on POSIX API, Win API, Java threads
• Java nexus IO (memory mapped IO), Windows memory mapped IO
• Synchronization based on UNIX System V API, POSIX API, Win API
• Linux kernel module programming/driver programming

Graduate Students Research Paper:

For Graduate Students Only (CMP 697): Research Paper (12 - 15 pages double space in 12 fonts) in various contemporary research areas such as:

• Threading issues in Linux kernels
• Fast mutual exclusions
• Virtualization and cloud computing
• File systems in solid state devices
• In-memory file systems
• in memory DBMS
• Operating System Support for Mobile Applications

Some details about research paper writing and presentation will be discussed during office hours. Research Paper Proposal Due: March 31, 2026 by 11:59 pm via email (1 page of extended abstract with at least 5 academic research papers as references)

Research Paper Due Date: May 19, 2026, by 11:59 pm via email

Research Paper Presentation Date: May 19, 2025 at the beginning of class

Survey Research Paper Structure

1. Title, name, date, course number
2. Abstract: This is a brief summary that describes your entire paper. Your abstract should contain 150 - 300 words. You have to write this last.
3. Introduction: Your introduction should provide the background problem you are researching.
4. Body of the paper and discussion
5. Conclusion that summarizes the paper and describes future work for the research
6. References: ACM = Association of Computing Machinery

Honor Code

Students are encouraged to study together. However, you must do your own work for all your homework assignments, projects and exams. You should never copy code or antwork from the internet or another student. You are responsible for knowing and following Lehman's academic integrity code (available from the Undergraduate Bulletin, Graduate Bulletin, or the Office of Academic Standards and Evaluations). All incidents of cheating will be reported to the Vice President of Student Affairs.

Expectations

Students are expected to learn both the material covered in class and the material in the textbook and other assigned reading. Completing homework is an essential part of the learning experience. Students should review topics from prior courses as needed using old notes and books.

Blackboard & Communication

I will be communicating with you on a regular basis throughout the semester using the email address listed on Blackboard for this course. You are required to make sure that the email address on Blackboard is your current Lehman email address and you must check it on a regular basis. There will be no acceptable excuse for missing an email announcement.

Accommodating Disabilities:

Lehman College is committed to providing access to all programs and curricula to all students. Students with disabilities who may need classroom accommodations are encouraged to register with the Office of Student Disability Services. For more info, please contact the Office of Student Disability Services, Shuster Hall, Room 238.
Phone number: 718-960-8441
Email: disability.services@lehman.cuny.edu
Webpage: http://www.lehman.edu/student-disability-services

Topics and Slides:

Overview

• Chapter 1: An Overview of Operating Systems
• Chapter 2: Computer System and OS Structures

Process Management

• Chapter 3: Processes
• Chapter 4: Threads and Concurrency
• Chapter 5: CPU Scheduling

Process Synchronization

• Chapter 6: Synchronization Tools
• Chapter 7: Synchronization Examples
• Chapter 8: Deadlocks

Memory Management

• Chapter 9: Main Memory
• Chapter 10: Virtual Memory

Storage Management

• Chapter 11: Mass-storage Structure

Tentative Schedule:

Sample Exams:

Java Programming Resources

• Learn Java on Tutorialspoint
• Codingbat
• Practice-It
• LearnJavaOnline.org Interactive Java Tutorial
• Java Tutor - Visualize Java code execution to learn Java online

C Programming Resources

• Learn C Programming
• Learn C Programming on Tutorialspoint
• C Tutorial

Getting Started with the Command Line

The following links are useful you to get you started with the command line

• Learning the command-line at the Code Academy
• MIT Terminus Game to learn how to navigate the file system
• Linux Commands
• Linux Tutorial
• 20 Linux commands every sysadmin should know
• Introduction Linux Commands

Operating System Examples

• UNIX
• Linux
• MacOS
• Windows
• Android