UNIX system calls are functions, called from within a C program, which provide access to the lowest level resources of the UNIX operating system. All UNIX utilities, from cat, ls, mail, to the C-shell, Korn-shell, World-Wide Web servers, database kernels, and the standard library functions are implemented using the UNIX system call interface. A working knowledge of the system calls covered in this class will enable a programmer to understand and implement utilities like those listed above.
This class covers the functional interfaces and conceptual background for the system calls providing I/O control, file system access, file locking, signal handling, process creation, and interprocess communication using pipes, sockets and RPC.
The course materials include examples showing the use of all system calls introduced in class, as well as complete client-server programs using TCP, UDP and RPC. While this course is based on the POSIX standard, Berkeley 4.3 extensions and SVR4 differences are discussed throughout.
C Language Programming or equivalent knowledge and experience, and a working knowledge of the UNIX operating environment. Students must have access to a UNIX system to complete assignments.