Assignment 3

Wednesday, September 15, Due Wednesday, September 22

Readings

Review the relevant chapters in your regular textbook on process creation and management.  Read chapter 6 in the Bach book.  The issue is to be prepared in both a generic and specific sense to examine how processes are managed in your installed OS.

Examining Linux Code

Look at the Linux code.  See if you can determine the place in the code where the boot process starts and the place where it ends.  By the "place where it ends" in mean the place at which Linux begins acting like the OS we know and love in the sense that it begins accepting User processes for running.  Identify relevant code sections so that you can make overheads of them or display them online if you are called upon to present in class. Note any points of interest, such as where virtual memory management is turned on.

Instruction Fetch and Execute Cycle

Begin constructing a functional model of the instruction fetch and execute cycle.  Do this using some software that will allow you to easily modify this model as time progresses. 

Compiling Linux

Begin trying to determine how you might go about changing some of the Linux code, recompiling, and rerunning Linux with the new changes.  You won't be asked to turn anything in on this by the due date.

To Turn In

Turn in your IFE model.  Turn in a list that identifies the code in your OS where the Boot process starts and where it ends.  Note any points of interest, such as where virtual memory management is turned on.