The aim of the subject is to introduce the basic concepts, structure and way of operation of modern computer systems and principles of operating systems. Students will understand a way of operation of core computer components and based on that, they will be able to evaluate the performance of computer systems and their impact on the performance of user programs. The aim is to develop students understanding of the two main tasks of operating systems: managing computer resources and activities in order to ensure good utilization of the computer system and the establishment of an appropriate environment for the development, implementation and execution of the program.

Students gain knowledge of the functional components of a computer system, their characteristics, performance and interplay. They know and understand the structure and functionality of the modern operating systems and their interaction with the computer hardware on the one hand, and user programs, on the other hand. Students will acquire knowledge on which to understand the operation of a computer system in normal conditions, recognizing irregular conditions and qualified to describe irregular situations.

The concepts of computer architecture and organization. Structural diagram of the computer. The evolution of computer architecture. Numeral systems and representation of numbers. Memory subsystem of a computer. Central processor. Instruction cycle. Instruction execution management. Interconnection structures of computer system. Input - output subsystem of the computer. Concepts of I/O communications. Interrupt processing. External memory: types and characteristics. Parallel computer systems. Core concepts and structure of the operating system. Processes and threads. Inter-process communication. Scheduling and synchronization of processes. Concurrent programming. Management of internal memory. The organization and management of virtual memory. Input - output subsystem management. Managing data storage. File systems. Safety and security. Distributed systems. Special purpose systems. Monitoring and improving the performance of computer system.

Lectures and labs, tests and individual assignment (project).