ECE 329 Spring 2006 Section 01 Exam 1 Review Guide:
Exam Format:
The exam will potentially consist of true-false, short answer (1 or 2 sentences), multiple
choice, short essay, and matching type questions. Although there may also be a few
problems to work out based on techniques discussed in class and in the book, the exam
will primarily be concept-oriented, where you must compare and contrast ideas and draw
conclusions using logical well thought-out supporting evidence. The exam will be
CLOSED-BOOK.
Important Topics:
Chapter 1:
The characterizations of batch, multi-programmed, and time-shared systems.
The difference between hard and soft real-time systems.
Chapter 2:
What the interrupt vector is, and what it is for.
The difference between asynchronous and synchronous I/O.
What the device status table is, and what it is for.
What DMA is, and what are its benefits are.
The difference between memory-mapped and programmed I/O.
The significance of storage device hierarchy.
The difference between volatile and non-volatile storage.
The importance of caching and the issues surrounding cache management.
The difference between cache consistency and coherency.
Chapter 3:
The difference between message-passing and shared-memory models of communication.
The difference between monolithic and microkernel approaches to OS design and
implementation.
Chapter 4 – Process Management:
What a process is, and the contents commonly found in the PCB to establish its state.
Understand the process state transition diagram found in Figure 4.1 on page 97.
Understand the queueing-diagram representation of process scheduling in Figure 4.5 on
page 101.
The difference between a long-term and short-term scheduler.
The definition of the degree of multi-programming.
The distinction between I/O and CPU bound processes, and the importance of a good
process mix.
