Vol 3: Computer Systems

You write x + 1; the machine still has to represent the values, execute instructions, and access memory. This volume follows that work into processes, file systems, and virtualization, asking which guarantees come from the language, operating system, or hardware. When a program fails intermittently, “it works on my machine” is a useful clue. It needs more evidence before it becomes a conclusion.

Prerequisites

• Be comfortable with functions, loops, and arrays. The C examples also use pointers and object lifetimes; revisit Volume 1 as needed.
• Know how to compile and run programs in a terminal and read their errors. If those steps are unfamiliar, start with the terminal and debugging labs in Volume 0.

Coverage

The first six chapters cover data representation, processors, and the memory hierarchy. Chapters 7–14 examine how operating systems manage programs and resources. The final four connect these layers through pipelines, the C memory model, assembly, and performance measurement.

Chapter 1

• 1.1 Bits, Bytes, and Number Systems
• 1.2 Characters, Unicode, and UTF
• 1.3 Byte Order and Bit Masks

Chapter 2

• 2.1 Integer Representation and Overflow
• 2.2 Floating-Point Representation and Numerical Errors

Chapter 3

• 3.1 Combinational Logic
• 3.2 Sequential Logic and Synchronization

Chapter 4

• 4.1 CPU, ISA, and RISC-V
• 4.2 Single-Cycle CPU Data Path

Chapter 5

• 5.1 Caching, Locality, and Mapping
• 5.2 Cache Coherence and False Sharing

Chapter 6

• 6.1 Virtual Addresses, Page Tables, and TLB
• 6.2 Demand Paging, Page Faults, and mmap

Chapter 7

• 7.1 Exceptions, Interrupts, and System Calls
• 7.2 POSIX Signals and Asynchronous Safety

Chapter 8

• 8.1 Processes, Tasks, and Context
• 8.2 fork, exec, and wait

Chapter 9

• 9.1 Threads, Data Races, and Mutual Exclusion
• 9.2 Condition Variables, Semaphores, and Barrier

Chapter 10

• 10.1 Scheduling Metrics and Classic Algorithms
• 10.2 Linux Scheduling Classes, CFS, and EEVDF

Chapter 11

• 11.1 How Locks Work
• 11.2 Dynamic Memory Allocator

Chapter 12

• 12.1 Why Deadlocks Occur
• 12.2 Deadlock Incident Diagnosis

Chapter 13

• 13.1 Paths, inodes, and data blocks
• 13.2 File Systems and Crash Recovery
• 13.3 Storage Redundancy, Checking, and Backup

Chapter 14

• 14.1 How Virtual Machines Share a Host
• 14.2 Namespaces, cgroups, and Container Isolation
• 14.3 Running a Guest Instruction with KVM

Chapter 15

• 15.1 Pipelining and Data Hazards
• 15.2 Branch Prediction, Superscalar, and Out-of-Order Execution

Chapter 16

• 16.1 Object Layout, Aliasing, and volatile
• 16.2 C Concurrency Memory Model

Chapter 17

• 17.1 Assembly Basics and Calling Conventions

Chapter 18

• 18.1 From Measurement to Performance Conclusion
• 18.2 Using perf to Build Performance Evidence

Outcomes

• Identify where integer overflow, floating-point error, cache misses, and page faults occur.
• Trace resources shared by processes and threads, and analyze synchronization, deadlock, and file persistence problems.
• Read short C and assembly examples, then check a suspected bottleneck with timing, performance counters, or system observations.

How to use this map

For a first pass, read in order and find a small experiment for each mechanism. When investigating a problem, jump to the relevant chapters: 5, 6, and 16 for memory; 9, 11, and 12 for stuck threads; or 18 for performance measurement. Check the platform and compiler options before each experiment. A different result on another machine can itself be a clue.