CS 471 Planned Schedule, Fall 2025

*H6 - This homework is extended to cover two Modules and is due on the final Monday, Dec 8th, as it is the last day of Classes.

*H7 - This homework is for practice only for the Final and is not Graded.

The Course Syllabus is available: https://cs.gmu.edu/~kandrea/F25/CS471_Syllabus_F25.html

All projects will be posted and announced as early as we have them prepared, generally with at least two weeks to complete.
These dates are subject to change as needed during the semester.

• PA 0: Aug 29 - Sep 12 (11:59pm deadline)
  
  
• PA 1 - Part 1: Sep 30 - Oct 14 (11:59pm deadline)
  
• PA 1 - Part 2: Sep 30 - Oct 31 (11:59pm deadline)
  


• PA 2 - Part 1: Nov 6 - Nov 14 (11:59pm deadline)
  
• PA 2 - Part 2: Nov 6 - Dec 5 (11:59pm deadline)
  

Tests are bigger milestones, and their dates are announced ahead of time.
Only severe scheduling anomalies would force a delay in test dates.

• Homeworks:
  • Each Homework Releases on Wednesday and is due on Friday by 11:59pm on the following week.
  • These week-long homework assignments will be done on Gradescope.
  • There are no makeups for a missed or late homework assignments.
• Mid-Term Exams:
  
• Test 1: Monday, October 20th
  
• Covers Modules 1 - 4
• OS Structures and Interrupt Handling
• Processes, Signals, and IPC
• Threads and Synchronization
• Test 2: Wednesday, November 19th
  
• Covers Modules 5 - 6
• CPU Scheduling
• Memory Management
• More information will be provided as the date closes in.
• The exams will given in-person during your normal class session.
• Final Exam: See Exam Schedule for the Date and Times.
  • The Final Exam is Comprehensive
  • https://registrar.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/Final-Exams-202570.pdf
  • Section 002 with Prof. Andrea
  Monday, Dec 15th from 1:30pm - 4:15pm
  • The Final will be taken during these University Scheduled Times in your normal classroom.

Below is a tentative schedule, which is subject to change as needed.

• This is the Planned Schedule of Topics.  Individual lectures may vary, but this this the plan.
• This means that the topics below are general indications of when they will be instructed.
  • Each lecture section may vary in timing on individual topics.
  • Due to the Holidays, some classes may be out of sync by one lecture for some of the semester.
• Holidays:
• Sep 1st: Labor Day Holiday
• Monday is a Holiday. Tuesday - Friday normal classes.
• Oct 13th: Fall Break
• Monday is a Holiday. Tuesday - Friday normal classes.
• Nov 4th: Election Day Holiday
• Tuesday is a Holiday. Monday and Wednesday - Friday are normal classes.
• Nov 26 - Nov 30: Thanksgiving Break
• Wednesday - Friday are Holidays. Monday and Tuesday are normal classes.

Week	Weekly Lecture Topics	Text	Homework
1 Aug 25	Module 1: Course Intro Module 2: OS Structures	Ch. 1 - 2 (Overview)	None
September 1st, Labor Day: Monday Holiday. (Tuesday - Friday Normal Classes)
2 Sep 1	Syscalls and Interrupts	Ch. 1 - 2 (Overview)	HW1: Sep 3 - Sep 12 (11:59pm) Module 2 Topics
3 Sep 8	Module 3: Processes Process Communications	Ch. 4 - 6 (Processes)	...HW1 Continued
4 Sep 15	Signals Inter-Process Communications	Ch. 4 - 6 (Processes)	HW2: Sep 17 - Sep 26 (11:59pm) Module 3 Topics
5 Sep 22	Module 4: Threads Synchronization	Ch. 26 (Threads) Ch. 26 - 27 (Synchronization)	...HW2 Continued
6 Sep 29	Locks Semaphores	Ch. 28 - 29 (Locks) Ch. 29 - 31 (Semaphores)	HW3: Oct 1 - Oct 10 (11:59pm) Module 4 Topics
7 Oct 6	Classical Problems Module 5: Scheduling	Ch. 29 - 31 (Semaphores) Ch. 7 (Scheduling)	...HW3 Continued
October 13th, Fall Break: Monday Holiday. (Tuesday - Friday Normal Classes)
8 Oct 13	Test 1: Modules 1 - 4 Non-Preemptive Scheduling	Ch. 7 (Scheduling)	None (Test Week)
9 Oct 20	Preemptive Scheduling Real-Time Scheduling	Ch. 7 (Scheduling) Ch. 9 - 10 (Real-Time)	HW4: Oct 22 - Oct 31 (11:59pm) Module 5 Topics
10 Oct 27	Multi-Core Scheduling Module 6: Memory Management	Slides Ch. 13 - 21 (Memory Management)	...HW4 Continued
November 4th, Election Day: Tuesday Holiday. (Monday and Wednesday - Friday Normal Classes)
11 Nov 3	Segmentation Paging	Ch. 13 - 21 (Paging)	HW5: Nov 5 - Nov 14 (11:59pm) Module 6
12 Nov 10	Paged Segmentation Module 7: Virtual Memory	Slides Ch. 13 - 21 (Paging)	...HW5 Continued
13 Nov 17	Page Replacement Test 2: Modules 5-6	Ch. 13 - 21 (Paging)	None (Test Week)
November 26 - November 30, Thanksgiving: Wednesday - Friday Holiday. (Monday and Tuesday Normal Classes)
14 Nov 24	Module 7: File Systems Thanksgiving Break	Ch. 36 - 45 (File Systems)	HW6: Nov 26 - Dec 8 (11:59pm) Modules 7 + 8
15 Dec 1	File System Structures RAID/SSD Overview	Ch. 36 - 45 (File Systems)	...HW6 Continued
16 Dec 8	Module 8: Security	Ch. 53 - 56 (Security)	...HW6 Deadline (Monday, 11:59pm)
Finals - See the Final Exam information at the top for Details