CST334 Module 8

What did I learn in the final week of CST334? 

This week I learned about five different topics about operating systems. The first topic was about file systems, which went over how to interpret file system state changes by examining inode bitmaps, data bitmaps, and directory entries. Basically, it was about how to calculate inode addresses through formulas to locate metadata, high-level file operations, and low-level storage management. The second topic was about memory management, which explored memory through multiple abstraction layers. Basically, it went over how to understand memory regions, such as code, heap, and stack. Furthermore, it went into how to decompose virtual addresses into virtual page numbers and offsets, while translating them through page table entries containing validity bits and physical frame numbers.  The third topic was about process scheduling, which went over different concepts through hands-on analysis of algorithms like FIFO. Basically, it went over how to get the turnaround times and response times through calculations, while using different scheduling policies depending on the algorithm or performance. 

The fourth topic was about performance analysis, which went over the application of quantitative performance analysis techniques. Basically, it was about how to calculate disk access delays by separating them into rotational delays, seek times, and transfer times. Furthermore, it also went into how to get the average memory access time through formulas, such as Belady's algorithm for practical system optimization. The final topic was about computer architecture, which went over concepts that explained how to use certain conversions to software design. Basically, it was about going over binary-to-hexadecimal conversions and knowing the limitations of software design. In the end, the topics above were a synopsis over the questions done through the preparation quiz of the final exam.