CS695 Topics in Virtualization and Cloud Computing
Spring 2019

Lecture 1  4.1.2019
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1. Introduction to the course
- instructor and TA(s)
- meeting times and moodle based submissions etc.

- www.cse.iitb.ac.in/~puru/courses/spring19/cs695/

- pre-requisites
  - under-graduate course in operating systems (and networks)
  - not the first-course in operating systems
  - no audit offering

- course goals 
  - under-the-hood/systems-view of virtualization, containers,
    software infrastructure for cloud computing
  - hands-on experience with software tools for the same
  - read/understand/critique research papers
  - identify interesting problem directions/statements

- course components
  - in-class instructor driven teaching
  - (student-led) paper discussions
  - paper reviews
  - exercises/assignments (3 to 4)
  - project
  - exam(s)
  - guest lectures

- reference material
  - no single textbook
  
  - books: (look up course web-page for detailed list)
    - Linux Kernel Development (3rd edition), Robert Love
    - Virtual Machines: Versatile Platforms for Systems and Processes,  
      James Smith and Ravi Nair
    - The Definitive Guide to the Xen Hypervisor, David Chisnall

  - research papers (10-15 over the semester)

- evaluation
  - approximate distrubution
  - paper reviews: ~15%
  - paper discussion: ~10%
  - exercises: ~20%
  - project:  ~20%
  - exams: ~35%
  - class participation: 101%

2. What is a paper review?

- What it is not ...
  - a copy of the abstract and summary from the paper
  - verbatim/similar description of paragaphs of paper
  - not someone else's review

- What it is ...
  - your *understanding* of the paper
  - problem context and desription
  - novel and intersting aspects of problem and solution ... why novel/... ?
  - highlights of solution---setup, assumptions, approach
  - evaluation---questions, correctness, complete, ...
  - thoughts beyond the paper --- extensions, new experiments ...
  - overall pros and cons

3. Exercises/assignments/projects
  - non-trivial component of the course
  - will need continuous and consistent effort
    - coding, experimentation, demos etc.
  - exercises meant to be structured/"learning" components
  - projects are open ended and ideas driven

  - for systems-related projects
    - the 1:4 rule  (or more)

4. Summary
  - *not* a conventional teaching course
  - needs heavy student participation
    - class discussions, paper reading, ...

  - course address: two-way street, discussion region 

  - start early
    - paper reading, exercises, projects etc.