2G1506: Programming with Processes (Programmering med Processer) 2003/2004 (Period 1)  Programming with Processes (Programmering med processer) is a 5 credit elective/obligatory course for KS (IT3) , D4, E4 offered by the Dept. of Microelectronics and Information Technology (IMIT)

Since 2004/2005, the 2G1506 course is replaced by the 2G1915 course.

Exams:

• Third exam (re-exam): August 23 (Monday), 9:00-14:00, room 531, level 5, KTH Forum, Kista.
• Obligatory registration two weeks ahead by email or phone to Rita Johnsson, 08-7904116. Put "2G1506-exam registration" as the Subject line.
• The 2G1506 exam is "open book and open notes". See handouts from the last lecture: "Summary of the Course and Exam Information".
  
• Reading instructions for 2G1506 exam
  
• Old exams
• Second exam (re-exam): January 12 (Monday), 14:00-19:00, in room 538, KTH Forum, Kista.
• Exam tasks |  Solutions |  Score (in PDF)
• First exam: October 22 (Wednesday), 9:00-14:00, in rooms 431, 432, 439, 530-532.
• Exam tasks |  Solutions |  Score (in PDF)

Index

• News: (Most recent: May 30, 2004)
• Course Description
• See also course description in Studiehandbok D och E 2003/2004 in English and Swedish
• Course Literature
• Examination
• Course staff
• On separate pages:
• Schedule (Schedule sheets in PDF from Daisy: schema.pdf, schema1.pdf)
• Course Layout and Lecture Notes
• Assignments
• Programming Project (1)
• Homework sets (5)
• Programming Environments, Platforms and Related Links.
• Previous occasion of the course in 2002/2003, period 1

Course Description

1. The course will provide study the core concepts and techniques for concurrent (process-oriented and multithreaded) programming which forms the basis for operating systems, reactive and real-time systems, distributed and multi-processor systems.  It will study concurrent programming with threads (processes) and shared variables; locks and barriers, semaphores and monitors. It also provides an overview of principles of distributed programming with processes and message passing. It will include an overview of distributed programming environments. The course will also include a short overview of principles and environments for parallel programming.
2. Practical work: The course is intended to give you knowledge and skills in concurrent programming. You will be introduced to the Pthreads library and Java's threads and synchronization methods, as well as Message Passing Interface (MPI) in programming assignments (homework sets and a course project).

Prerequisites

Contents

• Concurrent programming with threads and shared variables.
• Processes and synchronization, critical sections, locks, barriers, semaphores and monitors.
• Case studies: Pthreads, Java threads and monitors.
• Parallel and distributed programming with processes.
• Message passing, RPC and rendezvous. Paradigms for process interaction.
• An overview of parallel and distributed programming environments such as MPI and OpenMP.
• Performance issues.

Literature

The course is based on readings from the textbook  Foundations of Multithreaded, Parallel, and Distributed Programming, by Gregory R. Andrews, Addison-Wesley, 2000; ISBN 0-201-35752-6  augmented by guest lecture(s).  See a copy of the errata page provided by the author that contains corrections to the known errors.  Check a new copy of the errata page for the second printing of the book.  A copy of the textbook can be bought at the KTH bookstore Kårbokhandeln at Electrum in Kista or / and at KTH campus (Drottning Kristinas väg 29).

Examination

1. Written reports of programming assignments:
• Homework sets (5) -- each HW is to be performed and reported individually.
• Programming project (1) -- can be done in a group of two students.
2. A final written exam (5 h).

• Written examination (3 points)
• Programming assignments (2 points)

The exam will consist of tasks of problem solving and descriptive character. The exam will cover material from the course textbook presented at the lectures and/or listed in the reading instructions. Links to old exams can be found at http://www.imit.kth.se/courses/2G1506/old/exams/index.html

Bonus Policy:

• Assignments turned in before or on the dates they are due, give bonus points on the 2G1506 exam in 2003/04 according to the following table, iff your solutions are accepted,
  

Programming project	-- up to 10% bonus points
Each Homework	-- up to 3 % bonus points

• The deadline for the project is the date of the first 2G1506 exam.
• The deadline for each homework will be specified in Schedule (when the homework is assigned).
• Assignments turned in after the corresponding deadlines will not be granted with bonus points.

Course Staff

• Vlad Vlassov, Associate Professor, course leader
• Phone 08-790 4115
• E-mail vlad@imit.kth.se
• Nguyen Phan Nguyen Thai, Ph.D. student, course assistant
• Phone 08-790 4149
• E-mail thai@imit.kth.se
• Zacharias El Banna, Ph.D. student, course assistant
• Phone 08-633 1571
• Email zeb@imit.kth.se
• Rita Johnsson, secretary, grades administration
• Phone 08-790 4116
• E-mail ritaj@imit.kth.se