Computer Systems and Memory Virtualization Quiz

Introduction to (Computer) Systems

• This presentation introduces computer systems engineering, focusing on the fundamentals of computer systems.
• The presenter, Rodrigo Bruno, is an assistant professor at Técnico Lisboa and a senior researcher at INESC-ID Lisboa.
• His research interests include making applications run efficiently, optimizing cloud applications, and the intersection of programming languages and systems.

Computer Systems Engineering - Introduction to Systems

• Key research focus areas are: optimizing application efficiency, cloud application performance, and the interplay between programming languages and systems architectures.
• The presenter's background includes roles such as senior researcher at Oracle Labs Zurich, postdoc at ETH Zurich, a PhD from Técnico, and experience at Google and Microsoft Research.

Minor in Informatics (Computer Science)

• Computer Science involves the study of computers and computational systems.
• Key areas within this field include systems, programming languages, artificial intelligence, and networks.
• Computer Science offers a more holistic view, focusing on system design and architecture, whereas computer programming focuses on the application level.
• Students with a computer science background design large-scale systems, while programmers create instructions for computers.

Algorithm Design Using Python

• Topics related to algorithm design using Python, including data structures, algorithms, and their application to programming
• Topics regarding artificial intelligence, important computer science tools essential for data analysis.

Computer Systems Engineering

• This course aims to provide a fundamental understanding of computer systems and their components.
• The course explores how to effectively and efficiently use computers.
• Knowing how to program is insufficient for designing complete, complex systems.
• It emphasizes the building blocks of computers.

Goals of the Course

• Introduce the concept of computer systems, investigating them at several levels.
• Provide the ability to identify and analyze tradeoffs in computer systems design.
• The ability to design, build, and modify computer systems.
• Foster the quick identification and investigation of various computer system aspects.

Syllabus

• Introduction to computer systems
• Hardware
• Virtualization
• Networks
• Cloud computing
• Information security
• Performance in systems
• Fault tolerance
• Consistency

Course Organization

• Lectures are offered twice weekly on Monday and Thursday.
• The lecture material is organized into two volumes, with a second volume available online.
• Labs will involve discussions and practice, and project descriptions will be released the next week.
• Office hours are available at INESC 534 on Mondays (15:00-17:00) and Thursdays (14:00-16:00).

Evaluation

• Final exam (50% of the final grade) with a minimum passing grade of 9.5/20.
• The exam will cover the course bibliography.
• The first exam will be held on January 20th and the second exam will be held on February 6th.
• A project (50% of grade) will further assess practical knowledge of the course material.

Computer Systems and Complexity

• A system is a collection of interconnected components exhibiting an expected behavior within its environment.
• Computer Systems are complex due to several factors including a large number of components, many interconnections, and frequently lengthy descriptions.
• Dealing with system complexity requires appropriate strategies and approaches.
• Common challenges in computer systems include emergent properties (properties that emerge at a system level but not present in individual components,), interaction and propagation effects between components, and often incommensurate scaling (different parts of systems experiencing different growth patterns).

Copying with Complexity

• Modularity: Dividing complex systems into smaller, manageable modules.
• Abstraction: Hiding internal complexities, providing simplified interfaces for interaction.
• Layering: Organizing modules into levels or layers, with each higher-level module using components only at lower levels.
• Hierarchy: A specific implementation of a higher-level concept of layering, organizing in a tree-like (hierarchical) structure.
• Iteration: Designing systems through incremental development and adding features progressively with an iterative approach.
• Simplicity: Making the design as simple as reasonably possible.

For today!

• Exploring the concept of computer systems, complexity, and how to manage it through the strategies listed above.

Organization of Computer Systems

• The main building blocks within computer systems are memory, interpreter, and communication links.
• These are common to most computer systems, whether at a micro or macro-scale.
• The hardware layer involves the physical components, and the software layer encompasses the programming aspects.

Memory

• Memory is the fundamental component in computer systems.
• It stores data and instructions, enabling computers to recall stored information.
• Memory devices include RAM, Flash Memory, and magnetic storage media like CD/DVD.
• Higher-level memory systems, such as Databases, Caches, etc. also exist.

Memory Aspects

• Volatility: Memory looses data if the power supply is removed (volatile), versus non-volatile which retains data even without power.
• Durability: Deterioration and decay can affect memory retention.
• Supported Value Sizes: Memory stores binary data, commonly represented in fixed sizes like 32-bits.

Communication Links

• Essential for communication between components.
• Hardware examples include the motherboard bus, optical fibers, USB, and HDMI cables.
• Software examples include Ethernet, and UNIX socket implementations.
• Communication links support data transfer via standardized interfaces.

Hardware Layer

• Illustrates the physical components that make up the architecture of a computer, including processor and memory.
• Describes the layout and interfaces of the system.

Interpreters

• Interpreters are software components that execute instructions.
• They receive program data. Typically, they produce specific outputs.
• Key components of an interpreter include: instruction reference, repertoire, and environment reference.

Compiler

• Converts high-level source code into machine-readable assembly code.

Executing 'add' instruction

• Assembly code for an ‘add’ instruction is demonstrated.
• The code shows the conversion process of high-level instructions to lower-level instructions understood by the computer's CPU

Virtual Machines

• Different virtual machines software examples mentioned illustrating how systems use the virtual interpreter, memory, and communication interfaces.

Virtual Memory

• Virtual memory is a memory management technique that extends the physical memory of a computer.
• The memory map (the way the memory is addressed in memory) is decoupled from the physical hardware.

File System

• A file system is part of the operating system that organizes storage, providing a structure and metadata for files.
• Organized into directories and files, allowing hierarchical organization.
• Critical elements include inode (pointer to file data) and block numbers (memory location of file data)

Protocol Layers

• Layered approach used in computer networks to facilitate communication, each layer providing a specific function.

Internet Backbone

• Illustrates a simplified model of the Internet architecture.
• Shows the connections between different network layers and how the data flows.

Tracing Internet Routes

• Shows a route/path taken by the request/response when using the traceroute-command to a remote computer.
• A trace route/path between 2 computers (or processes).

Domain Name Service

• DNS maps domain names to IP addresses.
• Illustrates a hierarchical (tree-like) structure to resolve names.

Recap and Summary

• The various layers (discussed in earlier sections) are described further.
• These sections provide a more comprehensive understanding of the individual network's layers and how they function.

Test your knowledge on key concepts related to computer systems, memory virtualization, and network organization. This quiz will assess your understanding of emergent properties, complexity in systems, and the role of the Virtual Memory Manager. Dive in to discover how these concepts interact within modern computing environments.