This document describes a systems programming course and hardware lab component for a computer architecture course. The systems programming course consolidates programming skills from core courses and focuses on how programs interact with the operating system rather than OS internals. Students write large programs using tools like IDEs and source control. Topics include memory layout, compilers, libraries, scripting languages, processes, threads, and networking. The hardware lab teaches programming embedded systems through hands-on projects using a PIC18 microcontroller kit. Students write assembly and C programs for the PIC18 using an IDE and download them via a programmer.

1. Systems
Programming Course
Gustavo Rodriguez-Rivera

2. CS Common Core Courses
 Problem Solving and Object Oriented
Programming
 Programming in C
 Foundations of Computer Science
 Data Structures and Algorithms
 Computer Architecture
 Systems Programming

3. Objective
 Consolidate the programming skills from
the previous core courses.
 The System Programming course
concentrates on how programs run in user
space and how the interact with the OS.
 It does not cover OS internals. That will be
covered in the Operating Systems Course.

4. Objective (cont.)
 It solidifies the programming skills by
having the students write large programs
(>1000 lines).
 The students will use tools like IDEs,
debuggers, profilers, and source control to
help them write good and maintainable
code.
 The students will learn how to work on
teams.

5. Objective (cont.)
 Use of Scripting Languages.
 The students will learn to write multi-
process and multi-threaded programs.

6. Topics
 Address space. Structure of a Program. Text,
Data, BSS, Stack Segments.
 Review of Pointers, double pointers, pointers to
functions
 Use of an IDE and debugger to program in C
and C++.
 Executable File Formats. ELF, COFF, a.out.
 Development Cycle, Compiling, Assembling,
Linking. Static Libraries
 Loading a program, Runtime Linker, Shared
Libraries.

7. Topics (cont.)
 Scripting Languages. sh, bash, basic UNIX
commands.
 File creation, read, write, close, file mode.
 IO redirection, pipes
 Fork, wait, waitpid, signals.
 Directories, creating, directory list.
 Project: Writing your own shell.
 Source Control Systems (CVS, SVN) and
distributed (GIT, Mercurial)

8. Topics (cont.)
 Programming with Threads, thread creation.
 Race Conditions, Mutex locks.
 Socket Programming.
 Iterative and concurrent servers.
 Project: Implementing your own web server with
threads and process concurrency.
 Memory allocation. Problems with memory
allocation. Memory Leaks, Premature Frees,
Memory Smashing, Double Frees.
 Execution Profiling.

9. Textbook
 No official Textbook.
Class Notes
Selected Documents and Tutorials available
in the Internet
 Recommended Textbook.
Advanced Programming in the UNIX
Environment, Addison-Wesley, 1992.

10. Credits
 Dr. Douglas Comer wrote the initial
proposal for the Systems Programming
Course.
 The proposal was reviewed by Tim Korb,
Gustavo Rodriguez-Rivera and the
Systems Faculty.

11. Hardware Lab in the
Computer Architecture
Course
By Gustavo Rodriguez-Rivera

12. Introduction
 We want to teach the students that computer
programs are everywhere and not only in
Windows, Linux, and Macintosh computers.
 The students also program in
 Robots
 Phones
 Embedded Processors
 The students get hands on experience with both
hardware and software.

13. The Hardware Kit
 The students buy a kit from the department at cost.
 The kit contains, breadboard, wires, gates, PIC18
processor, LED display, speaker, and everything they
need to do projects with the PIC18 processor.
 PIC 18 processor:
 8 bit architecture
 2K RAM, 64KB Flash Memory for Programs
 USB communication
 Digital Input/Outputs, Analog inputs
 Timers, interrupts
 Assembly and C programming with Microchip’s MPLAB IDE

14. The Hardware Kit

15. Programming the PIC18
 The students write the Assembly or C
program in a PC running Windows and the
the MPLAB IDE environment.
 The program is assembled/compile and
downloaded to the PIC18 using a
programmer called PICKit2.

16. The MPLAB IDE

17. Projects
 Implementing a 7-Segment display
decoder using AND, OR, NOT gates.
 Ambient light using an RGB Full Color
LED, Pulse Wide Modulation (PWM),
push buttons, and the segment display.
 Configurable Alarm Clock with selectable
ring tones and interrupts.
 Interfacing the PC and a servo motor
using the USB port.

18. Thanks!
You are invited to see some of the student’s
projects here in the room.
The URL of the course is
http://www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/cs250