CS 439: Announcements

Announcements will be posted here.

• 5/17: Final grades have gone to the registrar.
  
  
• 5/7: Notes from the review session are posted on the schedule page.
  
  
• 5/3: Final will be closed book, but you can bring TWO two-sided sheets of notes
  As with the midterms, you may bring notes. Note that whereas for each midterm you had ONE two-sided sheet, for the final, you may bring TWO two-sided sheets, for a total of four sides of printing. As with the midterms, we have formatting requirements for each sheet. Here they are: Times New Roman font, minimum 10 point font, minimum 1 inch margins on all sides, maximum 55 lines per side (which is a busy single-spaced sheet). Do not exceed 1 inch margins, even if it means that you cannot fit 55 lines per side. If you use handwriting, same deal: your handwriting should be no smaller than 10pt, your margins should be at least 1 inch, etc., etc.
  
• 5/3: Location of study/review session: WEL 2.308
  
  
• 4/30: Date and time of study/review session for final and last-minute office hours
  The study/review session for the final will be Tuesday, May 7, 6:00-8:00 PM. Location TBD. Mike's last-minute office hours will be Thursday, May 9, 4:00-5:30 PM.
  
• 4/25: May 6 is the last day to turn in any lab
  Recall that we accept late labs (with penalty). The final deadline for any late lab is Monday, May 6, 11:59 PM (the same time that lab 8b is due). We will not accept lab submissions past that time.
  
• 4/25: Lab 8 late policy
  Lab 8a has the usual lateness policy (late hours, etc.). However, lab 8b cannot be turned in late: you cannot use late hours, nor can you turn in the lab late for a grade penalty.
  
• 4/24: Lab 8 due dates moved later
  Lab 8a is now due on Monday, April 26, and lab 8b is now due on Monday, May 6.
  
• 4/23: Final exam will be Thursday, May 09, 7:00-10:00 PM, GSB 2.124
  
  
• 4/22: Office hours schedule change
  Please see Piazza for the office hours schedule for the next two weeks
  
• 4/20: Lab 8 released
  This is a stand-alone (non-JOS) lab, programmed in pairs. It is in two parts; they are due on Friday, April 26, 11:59 PM and May 3, 11:59 PM.
  
• 4/17: Another office hours shift
  Please see Piazza for the change to office hours this Friday.
  
• 4/03: Exam solutions posted
  The exams page has the solutions to this evening's exam. Please let us know if you see any errors.
  
• 4/02: Good pictures of MCS locks
  See these notes (by David Mazières), slides 20--22. Note that what those slides call CAS we called CMPXCHG.
  
• 4/01: Lab 7 released
  This is a stand-alone (non-JOS) lab, programmed in pairs. It is due on Friday, April 19, 11:59 PM. Don't think about it until after the midterm.
  
• 3/29: Sample exams
  Our exam page continues to include old exams (for a different course, but the topics have some overlap). Also, Alison Norman has posted a past sample exam; our exam page has a link to hers; the login/password for her page have been posted to Piazza.
  
• 3/29: Midterm II will be closed book, but you can bring one two-sided sheet of notes
  As with midterm I, the formatting requirements on this sheet are as follows: Times New Roman font, minimum 10 point font, minimum 1 inch margins on all sides, maximum 55 lines per side, printing on two sides acceptable. Do not exceed 1 inch margins, even if it means that you cannot fit 55 lines per side. If you use handwriting, same deal: your handwriting should be no smaller than 10pt, your margins should be at least 1 inch, etc., etc. We will check these sheets during the exam.
  
• 3/29: Office hours schedule today, next week, and the week after
  Mike has to leave town unexpectedly, so others will cover his promised office hours from 4:00 to 6:00 PM on Friday, March 29. Also, Mike will hold office hours before the exam. Also, Mike will not hold office hours Friday of next week. Please see Piazza for a schedule of office hours for the next two weeks.
  
• 3/29: Midterm location
  The April 3 midterm, from 7:00-9:00 PM, will be located in PAI 3.02
  
• 3/21: Mike's office hours canceled and rescheduled.
  Mike will not hold office hours tomorrow, March 22 but will hold office hours from 4:00 to 6:00 PM on Friday, March 29.
  
• 3/6: Homeworks 6 and 7 posted. Note due date for Homework 6.
  Homework 6 will be due on Wednesday, March 20.
  
• 3/5: Lab 6 released
  This is the fourth JOS lab. It is due on Monday, April 8, 11:59 PM.
  
• 2/26: Exam solutions posted on exams page.
  
  
• 2/25: Homework 5 due one week later
  Homework 5 is now due on March 4. Start the lab!
  
• 2/20: Lab 5 released
  This is the third JOS lab. The parts are due Friday, March 22, 11:59 PM and Friday, March 29, 11:59 PM.
  
• 2/17: Change in Sebastian's office hours
  Sebastian's office hours are now 1:00-2:00 PM on Tuesdays (rather than 11:00-12:00 PM on Tuesdays). The Web page has been updated.
  
• 2/16: Pre-midterm office hours on Wednesday 4:30-6:00, none on Friday
  Mike will have pre-midterm office hours on Wednesday, from 4:30 to 6:00 PM. Mike will not hold office hours Friday, February 22, except by appointment (Friday is the department's visit day for prospective graduate students).
  
• 2/16: Location change in Parth office hours
  Parth's office hours will be in the 3rd floor lab of GDC instead of in the basement TA station area
  
• 2/15: Midterm will be closed book, but you can bring one two-sided sheet of notes
  The formatting requirements on this sheet are as follows: Times New Roman font, minimum 10 point font, minimum 1 inch margins on all sides, maximum 55 lines per side, printing on two sides acceptable. Do not exceed 1 inch margins, even if it means that you cannot fit 55 lines per side. If you use handwriting, same deal: your handwriting should be no smaller than 10pt, your margins should be at least 1 inch, etc., etc. We will check these sheets during the exam.
  
• 2/15: Labs and homeworks due later, starting with lab 4
  Homeworks and labs will be due at 11:59 PM instead of 9:00 PM. Lab 3 remains due at 9:00 PM.
  
• 2/14: Exam page updated
  The exam page now includes a link to Alison Norman's past exams
  
• 2/14: Midterm location
  The February 20 midterm, from 7:00-9:00 PM, will be located in JGB 2.324.
  
• 2/12: Practice exams
  The exams page includes some prior exams. However, please note that while the instructor was the same, the course content was not. We may post some prior CS 439 exams and will announce it when we do.
  
• 2/12: Change in Navid's office hours
  Navid's office hours are no longer Wednesdays 1:30-3:30. They are now Thursdays from 12:30-2:00 PM, GDC 6.514. The Web page reflects the change.
  
• 2/9: Video stuff
  Unfortunately, the department does not yet have a way to stream video. This means that you have to download the entire video file (which is a bummer). Some notes about this:
  1. The video is available in two versions: a 3 GB version and a lower-quality one that is 1.5 GB. The schedule page contains links to both.
  2. If you lack disk space, save the video in the /var/local directory of a CS machine; choose a CS machine that is listed when you type 'cshosts kol64' or 'cshosts nethack64'.
  In the future, we will try to work with the department to implement a streaming solution.
  
• 2/8: Video for lecture on PC architecture, x86 programming, and gcc calling convention.
  The schedule page links to a video, with accompanying notes. The video is assigned viewing before Tuesday's class. You will probably need this material for lab 3.
  
• 2/7: Lab 4 released
  This is the second JOS lab. The parts are due Friday, March 1, 9:00 PM and Friday, March 8, 9:00 PM.
  
• 2/5: Video assignment
  This weekend, there will be a 90-minute video assigned, to make up our missed class. It will pick up where Thursday's class leaves off, and Tuesday's class will take it as a given, so please allocate time to watch it this weekend.
  
• 2/5: Location change for TA office hours
  The TA office hours will now be held in the new TA stations in GDC 1.302. The Web site has been updated.
  
• 2/3: Lab 3 released
  This is the first JOS lab, due Friday, February 15, 9:00 PM. You are not pair programming for this lab. Advice: start the lab the weekend of February 9-10, or before if you can.
  
• 2/3: Mike's office hours to be located in GDC 6.512, most likely
  If all goes according to plan, Mike's office hours will be in the new building, GDC, room 6.512. If the location changes, we'll post that here.
  
• 1/30: Availability of UTCS computing labs over the weekend
  UTCS is moving. The department has written, "The PAI labs will be available throughout the weekend and close permanently Monday at 5 pm. The GDC labs will open Monday at 8:00 am. The ENS lab will close Staurday at 8:00 am."
  
• 1/30: Mike's Friday office hours rescheduled to Monday
  Mike's 4-5 Fri office hours will be on Monday, 5:00-6:00. Location TBA.
  
• 1/28: Late partners
  Lab 2 is to be coded in pairs, as noted on the labs page. Because you are supposed to be starting now and because work should be done only with a partner (following the pair programming guidelines), we view a current non-partnered state as an incomplete for the lab. More concretely, your lab 2 grade decreases by a full letter grade penalty for each day that you do not have a partner, starting today (Monday; January 28) at 9:00 PM. Partners delivered by Monday evening are zero days late. Partners delivered by Tuesday evening at 9:00 PM are 1 day late, etc. As always, if you are four or more days late, full credit on the lab gets you a D. See the policies page.
  
• 1/28: Lab 2 released
  It has two parts. Part A is due on Monday, February 4, and Part B is due on Friday, February 8.
  
• 1/25: Project partners are due this evening
  Please see the lab page for instructions.
  
• 1/22: Added required reading
  We will be assigning readings from an online book, Operating Systems and Middleware: Supporting Controlled Interaction, by Max Hailperin (abbreviating it OSM:SCI). Thanks to Alison Norman for the pointer.
  
• 1/22: Lecture canceled Thursday
  Lecture is not meeting on Thursday. We will have a makeup by video lecture in several weeks. Sections still meet on Thursday.
  
• 1/20: Friday office hours canceled this week
  Mike's office hours are canceled this week, owing to travel. Please email to set up an appointment.
  
• 1/20: Next lab (Lab sh) released
  It is due Monday, January 28, 9:00 PM.
  
• 1/17: The mapping from TAs to meeting times
  The Tuesday discussion section will be led by Sebastian Angel; the Wednesday, by Vitor Menezes; the Thursday, by Navid Yaghmazadeh. The course information on the home page includes this information. You are expected to attend your assigned section.
  
• 1/15: Correcting previous announcement about HW1
  HW1 is due 8:45 AM on January 22, not January 21 (per the schedule). The prior announcement was an error.
  
• 1/14: HW 1 and HW 2 released.
  They are due, respectively, Tuesday, January 21, 8:45 AM and Monday, January 27, 9:00 PM.
  
• 1/14: Lab 1 released.
  It is due Tuesday, January 21, 9:00 AM.
  
• 1/14: Discussion sections start next week.
  
  
• 1/13: Web page and skeleton schedule posted
  
  

Last updated: Fri May 17 08:23:28 -0500 2013 [validate xhtml]