Weekly Syllabus

Week (Date)	Topic	Reading	Notes*
Week 1 (1/20)	Introduction -- course overview, refresher on OS basics (OS structure: monoliths, microkernels, virtual machines, syscalls, kernel services, etc)		Intro notes
	Quest-V SDK		Notes on the SDK

Week 2 (1/27)	Quest-V SDK (continued) -- Walkthrough of markdown documents, code examples, Quest-V overview -- features, code structure, walkthrough and how it works	R. West, Y. Li, E. Missimer & M. Danish, "A Virtualized Separation Kernel for Mixed Criticality Systems", ACM TOCS, 2016	Primer assignment: Getting started with the Quest SDK released Notes on Quest-V
	Virtualization and Microkernels	G.J. Popek & R.P. Goldberg, "Formal Requirements for Virtualizable Third Generation Architectures", CACM, 1974 P. Barham, B. Dragovic, K. Fraser, S. Hand, T. Harris, A. Ho, R. Neugebauer, I. Pratt & A. Warfield, "Xen and the Art of Virtualization", SOSP, 2003 U. Steinberg & B. Kauer, "NOVA: A Microhypervisor-Based Secure Virtualization Architecture", EuroSys, 2010	Notes on virtualization and micro-kernels

Week 3 (2/3)	Virtualization and Microkernels -- continued	J. Liedtke, "On Micro-Kernel Construction", SOSP, 1995 S. Hand, A. Warfield, K. Fraser, E. Kotsovinos & D. Magenheimer, "Are Virtual Machine Monitors Microkernels Done Right?", HotOS, 2005 G. Heiser, V. Uhlig & J. LeVasseur, "Are Virtual Machine Monitors Microkernels Done Right?", ACM SIGOPS OSR, 2006 J. Martins & S. Pinto, "Shedding Light on Static Partitioning Hypervisors for Arm-based Mixed-Criticality Systems", RTAS, 2023 (arXiv version)	Notes on virtualization structures
	Virtualization -- shadow page tables/EPTs, VMCS details	K. Adams & O. Agesen, "A Comparison of Software and Hardware Techniques for x86 Virtualization ", ASPLOS, 2006 Refer to osdev and Intel Software Developer Manuals

Week 4 (2/10)	x86 Architecture -- ISA, inline assembly, 32- vs 64-bit, switching into 64-bit mode, 2- vs 4/5-level paging	Intel Software Developer Manuals	Notes on Intel architecture
	Quest overview -- features, code structure, boot up/initialization		Quest notes Primer assignment demos Quest-V system development assignment released

Week 5 (2/17)	Substitute Monday Schedule for Presidents' Day Holiday		No Tuesday lecture
	Symmetric multiprocessing -- initialization (INIT/SIPI/SIPI, etc), synchronization basics (semaphores, spinlocks)		Shriram Raja presentation SMP notes

Week 6 (2/24)	Batched Priority Locking (BPL) -- explanation and comparison with alternative approaches	J.M. Mellor-Crummey & M.L. Scott, "Algorithms for Scalable Synchronization on Shared-Memory Multiprocessors", ACM TOCS, 1991 T.S. Craig, "Building FIFO and Priority-Queuing Spin Locks from Atomic Swap", Technical Report, 1993 T. David, R. Guerraoui & V. Trigonakis, "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Synchronization but Were Afraid to Ask", SOSP, 2013 B.B. Brandenburg, "Multiprocessor Real-Time Locking Protocols: A Systematic Review", Springer, 2020 (arXiv version)	Shriram Raja presentation Notes on BPL
	Scheduling -- Quest VCPU design, sporadic servers, theory vs code walkthrough	M. Danish, Y. Li & R. West, "Virtual-CPU Scheduling in the Quest Operating System", RTAS, 2011	Notes on Quest scheduling

Week 7 (3/3)	Scheduling -- Linux SCHED_DEADLINE, CBS, PREEMPT-RT concepts	M. Stanovich, T.P. Baker, A.-I. Wang & M.G. Harbour, "Defects of the POSIX Sporadic Server and How to Correct Them", RTAS, 2010 F. Reghenzani, G. Massari & W. Fornaciari, "The Real-Time Linux Kernel: A Survey on PREEMPT_RT", ACM CSUR, 2019	Notes on real-time scheduling in Linux Team presentation 1
	Memory Management -- TLSF, Pow2 memory allocator, Quest code walkthough of memory management	M. Masmano, I. Ripoll, A. Crespo, & J. Real, "TLSF: a New Dynamic Memory Allocator for Real-Time Systems", ECRTS, 2004	Notes on memory management Quest-V system development assignment demos Team project released

Week 8 (3/10)	Spring Recess
	Spring Recess

Week 9 (3/17)	Input/Output -- IDT, device enumeration, PCI configuration space, LAPIC/IOAPIC, MSI	Refer to osdev and Intel Software Developer Manuals	Team project proposals due Team presentation 2 Notes on IO
	USB Part 1 -- Overview of USB concepts (EHCI, xHCI)	E. Missimer, Y. Li & R. West, "Real-Time USB Communication in the Quest Operating System", RTAS, 2013	Notes on USB

Week 10 (3/24)	USB Part 2 -- Communication, xDBC, xDCI	R. West, A. Golchin & A. Njavro, "Real-time USB Networking and Device I/O", ACM TECS, 2023	Anton Njavro presentation
	Differentiated Services -- interrupters work with MSI, Quest IOVCPUs	Z. Ruan, A. Njavro & R. West, "USB Interrupt Differentiated Service for Bandwidth and Delay-Constrained Input/Output", RTAS, 2024	Ryan Ruan presentation Notes on USB Differentiated Services

Week 11 (3/31)	Power Management -- ACPI (power states and table structures), ACPICA documentation		Team presentation 3 Notes on power management
	Power Management in Quest-V	A. Golchin & R. West, "Jumpstart: Fast Critical Service Resumption for a Partitioning Hypervisor in Embedded Systems", RTAS, 2022 A. Farrukh & R. West, "JuMP2start: Time-aware Stop-Start Technology for a Software-Defined Vehicle System", ECRTS, 2024	Notes on power management in Quest-V

Week 12 (4/7)	Quest-V advanced concepts -- shmcomm, tuned pipes	4-slot buffer paper (could not find open access link) A. Golchin, Z. Cheng & R. West, "Tuned Pipes: End-to-end Throughput and Delay Guarantees for USB Devices", RTSS, 2018 A. Golchin, S. Sinha & R. West, "Boomerang: Real-Time I/O Meets Legacy Systems", RTAS, 2020	Notes on Quest-V advanced topics
	DriveOS & ModelMap	S. Sinha & R. West, "Towards an Integrated Vehicle Management System in DriveOS", EMSOFT, 2021 S. Sinha, A. Farrukh & R. West, "ModelMap: A Model-based Multi-domain Application Framework for Centralized Automotive Systems", ICCAD, 2022	Notes on DriveOS

Week 13 (4/14)	Security -- system compartmentalization basic concepts, capability systems	Basic Concepts: B.W. Lampson, "Protection", ACM SIGOPS OSR, 1974 D.E. Bell & L.J. La Padula., "Secure Computer System: Unified Exposition and Multics Interpretation", Technical Report, 1976 (refer to the appendix) J. Rushby, "Design and Verification of Secure Systems", SOSP, 1981 J. Alves-Foss, W.S. Harrison, P. Oman & C. Taylor, "The MILS Architecture for High-Assurance Embedded Systems", IJES, 2006	Team presentation 4 Notes on compartmentalization
	Security -- system compartmentalization basic concepts, capability systems (continued)	Capability Systems: W. Wulf, E. Cohen, W. Corwin, A. Jones, R. Levin, C. Pierson & F. Pollack, "HYDRA: The Kernel of a Multiprocessor Operating System", ACM SIGOPS OSR, 1974 Refer to this for a more digestible overview: H.M. Levy, "Capability-Based Computer Systems, Chapter 6", Digital Press, 1984 R.M. Needham & R.D.H. Walker, "The Cambridge CAP Computer and its Protection System", SOSP, 1977 N. Handy, "KeyKOS Architecture", ACM SIGOPS OSR, 1985 J.S. Shapiro, J.M. Smith & D.J. Farber, "EROS: A Fast Capability System", ACM SIGOPS OSR, 1999 P. Efstathopoulos, M. Krohn, S. VanDeBogart, C. Frey, D. Ziegler, E. Kohler, D. Mazières, F. Kaashoek & R. Morris, "Labels and Event Processes in the Asbestos Operating System", SOSP, 2005 N. Zeldovich, S. Boyd-Wickizer, E. Kohler & D. Mazières, "Making Information Flow Explicit in HiStar", CACM, 2011 Capability-aware Hardware: H.M. Levy, "Capability-Based Computer Systems, Chapter 2 - Early Descriptor Architectures, 2.2 Burroughs B5000 ", Digital Press, 1984 Source: Burroughs Corporation, "The Descriptor - a Definition of the B5OOO Information Processing System", 1961 H.M. Levy, "Capability-Based Computer Systems, Chapter 9 - The Intel iAPX 432", Digital Press, 1984 R.N.M. Watson, S.W. Moore, P. Sewell & Peter G. Neumann, "An Introduction to CHERI", Technical Report, 2019 S. Amar, T. Chen, D. Chisnall, N.W. Filardo, B. Laurie, H. Lefeuvre, K. Liu, S.W. Moore, R. Norton-Wright, M. Seltzer, Y. Tao, R.N.M. Watson & H. Xia, "CHERIoT RTOS: An OS for Fine-Grained Memory-Safe Compartments on Low-Cost Embedded Devices", SOSP, 2025	Ryan Ruan presentation Notes on capability systems

Week 14 (4/21)	Security -- microkernels and virtualization approaches	G. Klein, K. Elphinstone, G. Heiser, J. Andronick, D. Cock, P. Derrin, D. Elkaduwe, K. Engelhardt, R. Kolanski, M. Norrish, T. Sewell, H. Tuch, & S. Winwood, "seL4: Formal Verification of an OS Kernel", SOSP, 2009	Team presentation 5 Notes on x86 microkernels and secure vms
	Security -- vmfunc instructions, CET (control flow enforcement technology), VT-rp (HLAT concepts), CACHE approach: sentry code concepts, examples, comparison with related work	Z. Hua, D. Du, Y. Xia, H. Chen & Binyu Zang, "EPTI: Efficient Defence against Meltdown Attack for Unpatched VMs", USENIX ATC, 2018 V. Narayanan, Y. Huang, G. Tan, T. Jaeger & A. Burtsev, "Lightweight Kernel Isolation with Virtualization and VM Functions", VEE, 2020 Y. Guo, Z. Wang, W. Bai, Q. Zeng & K. Lu, "BULKHEAD: Secure, Scalable, and Efficient Kernel Compartmentalization with PKS", NDSS, 2025	Instructor + Shriram Raja: Notes on CACHE

Week 15 (4/28)	Class Project Presentations (Part 1)
	Class Project Presentations (Part 2)		Last day of classes Team project demos in final exam slot (along with posters)

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Syllabus is subject to change.

Weekly Syllabus

Week (Date)

Topic

Reading

Notes*

Week
(Date)