Readiness Exam for Grad OS

The purpose of this exam is to determine whether you have the appropriate background to take CSE 60641. The test is to be taken alone, but you may consult any standard undergraduate operating systems textbook if you have forgotten a few details. You may write or type your answers, and feel free to add a sketch if it helps to clarify things. This exam should be returned to the instructor's mailbox by 5PM on Wednesday.

  1. Where did you take operating systems, and which textbook did you use?
  2. Write a simple program that has the potential of deadlock. Explain what sequence of events will lead to deadlock. (You may use any language that you are familiar with, so long as the meaning is clear.)
  3. Explain how a paged virtual memory works. Be sure to use and explain terms like page table, page fault, backing store, and page replacement algorithm, etc.
  4. Explain how a very large file is arranged on disk in a conventional file system. Be sure to use and explain terms like inode, indirect block, direct block, etc.