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--- whats_new [2013/10/07 16:01] – jxu
+++ whats_new [2014/01/06 16:13] (current) – jxu
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 ===== October 7, 2013 =====
-Please do NOT use the Linux Virtual File System as a subject for the CSE4221/5421 Non-Programming Project, as the Linux Virtual File System will be studied in detail in the lectures.
+Please do NOT use the Linux Virtual File System as a subject for the CSE4221/5421 Non-Programming Project, as the Linux Virtual File System will be studied in detail in the course lectures.
+===== October 10, 2013 =====
+COSC4221 Test 1 will be held on Wednesday, October 23, 2013 19:00-21:00.
+Test 1 will include:
+a) Material covered in the lectures from the beginning of the term up to and including the lecture on Wednesday October 16;
+b) Material in the files OSD.1.pdf, OSD.1.1.pdf, OSD.2.pdf, OSD.3.pdf, and the slides numbered 1-45 in OSD.4.pdf (from the beginning up to the slide 45 titled "The VFS Inode Operations in Linux (cont.) in OSD.4.pdf)", in the course directory;
+c) Material in Chapter 10, “File-System Interface” and Chapter 11, “File-System Implementation” of the book “Operating System Concepts”, 8th Ed; (Chapter 11, “File-System Interface” and Chapter 12, “File-System Implementation” of the book “Operating System Concepts”, 9th Ed);
+d) Material in Chapter 12 “The Virtual Filesystem”  of the book “Understanding the Linux Kernel”, 3rd Edition related to the material in the slides listed in item b above.
+(Please make sure that you have the most up-to-date version of the slides in the above mentioned files, as some of the slides may have been updated since you last downloaded them.)
+It is possible that Test 1 may include true/false questions, questions that require short answers, questions that may require the drawing of diagrams, questions that require slightly longer answers, and other possible question formats.
+MAKE SURE YOU READ AND UNDERSTAND ALL THE MATERIAL IN THE SLIDES.
+ALSO NOTE THAT DRAWING THE SAME KIND OF DIAGRAMS AS ILLUSTRATED IN THE SLIDES, WILL BE AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF TEST 1. For example, if you are given a diagram similar to that on slide 9 of OSD4.pdf, “Example of a Small File System Tree in Unix”, then you should be able to draw the corresponding diagram on slide 10, “Internal Structure of Small File system Tree in Unix”, as well as the corresponding diagram on slide 24, “In Memory VFS Objects and On Disk Objects”.
+Also please note that, unfortunately, I am unable to provide individual answers to individual student questions regarding what kind of questions may be included, or not included, in the tests, beyond what I had said during the lectures and what has been posted on the course website above.
+The reason is because doing so will be unfair to other students in the class who do not receive the same information.
+For all questions regarding tests, please ask me during the lectures so that everyone in the class would have equal opportunity to know my answers to any questions regarding any test.
+Thank you for your understanding.
+===== November 6, 2013 =====
+Please note that the CSE4221 Test 1 marks can be accessed by logging in to red.cse.yorku.ca, then typing the following command:
+courseInfo 4221 2013-14 F
+===== November 20, 2013 =====
+COSC4221 Test 2 will be held on Wednesday, November 27, 2013 19:00.
+Test 2 will include:
+(a) Material covered in the lectures, with emphasis on material covered in the lectures since Test 1 and up to and including the lecture on Wednesday November 20;
+(b) Material in the slides 46-83 of OSD.4; all the slides in OSD.4.1.pdf, OSD.5.pdf, OSD.6.pdf in the course directory;
+(Although there are no books that cover all the material in the slides in OSD.5, however, reading Chapter 5, “Kernel Synchronization”, of the book, “Understanding the Linux Kernel”, 3rd Edition, may help understand some of the material on synchronization in the slides in OSD.5.pdf. Reading Chapter 1 to Chapter 3 of the book “MicroC/OS-II The Real-Time Kernel”, 2nd Edition, may help understand some of the material on μC/OS-II in the slides in OSD.6.pdf. Both books have been put on reserve for 2-hour loans at Steacie Library)
+It is possible that Test 2 may include true/false questions, questions that require short answers, questions that require calculations, questions that may require the drawing of diagrams, questions that require writing short programs using pseudo C code similar to that used in the slides, questions that require slightly longer answers, and other possible question formats.
+MAKE SURE YOU READ AND UNDERSTAND ALL THE MATERIAL IN THE SLIDES. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALTHOUGH THE EMPHASIS OF TEST 2 WILL BE ON MATERIAL THAT HAS NOT BEEN TESTED SO FAR, THE MATERIAL IN TEST 2 MAY STILL DEPEND ON KNOWLEDGE OF PREVIOUS MATERIAL.
+PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE USING THE MOST RECENT/UP-TO-DATE VERSION OF THE SLIDES/LECTURE-NOTES TO PREPARE FOR TEST 2, AS THE SLIDES/LECTURE-NOTES MAY HAVE BEEN MODIFIED TO IMPROVE CLARITY OR TO REMOVE ERRORS.
+ALSO NOTE THAT DRAWING THE SAME KIND OF DIAGRAMS AS ILLUSTRATED IN THE SLIDES, WILL BE AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF TEST 2.
+===== December 6, 2013 =====
+Please note that, as announced in class, for the assignment, topic studies and the project, both hard copies and electronic copies of the PowerPoint slides and reports must be submitted.
+===== January 6, 2014 =====
+The unofficial final grades are available by first logging into your CSE account on the Red machine, then typing the following command:
+courseInfo 4221 2013-14 F