6.033: Computer System Engineering - Spring 2003

General Information

MIT catalog description

Prereq.: 6.004 Prereq: (and, by implication, 6.001 and 6.002)
U (2)
5-0-7

Topics on the engineering of computer software and hardware systems: techniques for controlling complexity; hard modularity; networks and distributed systems; atomicity and coordination of parallel activities; recovery and reliability; privacy of information; impact of computer systems on society. Case studies of working systems and outside reading in the current literature provide comparisons and contrasts. Two design projects. Enrollment may be limited. 4 Engineering Design Points.

Underground Reviews (require an MIT personal certificate): 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Communication

Grading Policy

Recitation Evaluation. The recitation part of your grade reflects your overall level of participation in recitation as well as a series of weekly one-page written reports and hands-on projects that support recitation. Section instructors will base at least half of the evaluation on your communication skills: oral communication skills as observed in recitation paper discussions in class and written communication skills as evaluated by your instructor and your teaching assistant. (As the new Communication Requirement phases in over the next three years, the writing evaluation staff will begin reporting writing grades back to the 6.033 staff, and those grades will also be taken into account.) The remainder of your recitation grade is based on the quality and enthusiasm of your participation, your understanding of the papers, and on whether you handed in the one-page reports and hands-on assignments, since those exercises aid your ability to discuss the papers.

In most weeks you are expected to complete two assignments. The first is a short reading report, called a "one-pager." A one-pager is a (one page) written report due at the beginning of every Tuesday recitation. The specific topic to be addressed in the report is given on the previous week's assignment page. In recitation you should be prepared to talk about the whole paper, not just the particular point addressed in the one-pager. Note that we strictly adhere to the single-side, one-page limit. This limit forces you to prioritize your ideas and write concisely.

The second weekly assignment is a hands-on experiment that requires a computer, usually an Athena workstation, and sometimes using the Web. The idea is to reinforce some of the abstract concepts from the lectures or papers that week and find out how things really work. These assignments generally do not require programming.

Design Projects. These are two 8-10 page papers in which you engage in a design exercise or consider a question in more depth than the weekly reading reports allow. Design projects are handed out about two weeks before they are due. The first design project is done individually; the second design project is done in teams (the members of a team must have the same recitation instructor).

Quizzes. Two quizzes are held during the term, a third quiz is scheduled during finals week.

Non-linearities. Note well: Although the Final Grade formula appears to be linear, there are two important non-linearities in the 6.033 grade calculation. (1) You must hand in both design projects to pass 6.033. If you don't hand in both of them, you will receive an F for the subject as a whole. (2) If you don't regularly attend recitation, you will receive an F for the recitation evaluation, even if you have faithfully handed in the one-pagers and hands-on projects.

Collaboration

Class meetings

The registrar's schedule reserves Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 2 p.m. for 6.033. We use some, but not all, of the Friday hours for special events. The most notable special events are two one-hour quizzes, scheduled for Friday March 8 and Friday April 19. Other special events are lectures by staff of the M.I.T. Writing Program, on February 8 and March 15. Sometimes we discover that an interesting visitor can be cajoled into giving us a guest lecture, in which case we will schedule it on Friday. And, finally, if winter gets any worse and we encounter a week of snowed-out lectures, we may try to get back on schedule by using the Friday lecture hour. Reserve the Friday hour in your calendar, even though it isn't going to be used every week; make sure the reservation is clearly marked for the two quiz dates.

		Time	Location	Instructor	TA
Lecture		MW2	34-101	Kaashoek and Lampson
Special lectures		F2	34-101
Recitations:	(#1)	TR10	34-303	Lynch	Muthitacharoen
	(#10)	TR10	36-155	Horn	Bohdi
	(#2)	TR11	34-303	Lynch	Li
	(#6)	TR11	34-302	Nagpal	Bohdi
	(#11)	TR11	36-155	Horn	Muthitacharoen
	(#5)	TR12	34-303	Nagpal	Li
	(#3)	TR1	38-136	Jackson	Krevat
	(#7)	TR1	34-303	Saltzer	Dabek
	(#8)	TR1	34-302	Rinard	Laas
	(#4)	TR2	38-136	Jackson	Dabek
	(#9)	TR2	34-303	Saltzer	Laas
	(#12)	TR2	36-155	Rinard	Krevat

Reading materials

1. Brooks, Frederick P. The Mythical Man-Month, Addison-Wesley, 1995. (ISBN 0-201-83595-9, paperback)

2. Readings and class notes for 6.033: a packet of stuff available from the EECS instrument room for TBA. Follow this procedure to get the packet: Pick up a coupon sheet (copies handed out at the first recitation and available from the course secretary), fill it in, and take it together with cash or check to the cashier's office, 10-180. They will give you a receipt, which you can exchange for the reading packet in room 38-501 between 10 AM and 8 PM. A paper from this packet will be assigned for each recitation meeting (see schedule for details). The papers should be read prior to the section meeting. For most lectures we will assign a section of the class notes to accompany the presented material. You will also find the notes helpful in preparing for quizzes.

3. Coupon: Included in the reading list, you will find a coupon for a second installment of notes. We don't know yet if there will be a second installment, but if there is, this coupon will entitle you to pick it up at no extra charge.

Staff

Course TAs mailing list: 6.033-tas (at) mit (dot) edu
Use this mailing list to contact all the 6.033 TAs.

Course staff mailing list: 6.033-staff (at) mit (dot) edu
Use this mailing list to contact all the 6.033 staff members.

TA office hours

All office hours will be held in the lounge in the 5th floor of LCS unless otherwise noted.
TAs will also be available by appointment.

Monday	4:00-5:00	Dabek
Wednesday	1:00-2:00	Muthitacharoen
Wednesday	3:00-4:00	Lesniewski-Laas
Wednesday	4:00-5:00	Li
Friday	3:00-4:00	Bodhi
Friday	4:00-5:00	Elie

Writing Requirement, Phase II

1. We will forward a copy of your first weekly writing assignment to the Writing Program for evaluation and comment. (These comments usually come back about three weeks later.) In addition, if you ask us to, we will forward to the Writing Program your paper for design project I, if your 6.033 grade is a B or better and which contains at least ten pages clearly identified as having been written by you. Assuming the evaluator in the Writing Program likes your stuff, you will receive credit for Phase II of the M.I.T. writing requirement. For more information, see the description.

2. The staff of the Writing Program will offer several sections of a 6.033 writing practicum. If you are a student in course 6 and receive a B- or higher in the practicum, you will receive credit for Phase II. Check out the practicum web site for more information.

3. Sophomores are subject to the new Communication Requirement rather than the old Writing Requirement. The details are still being worked out, but the mechanics are expected to be very similar--we will forward your first writing assignment and your first design project writeup for evaluation. The difference is that, rather than passing phase 2, the Communication Requirement writing evaluation staff will assign a grade to your writing, and your instructor will factor that grade into your recitation performance grade, as described above under "Grading policy". In addition, the writing evaluator may ask you to revise and resubmit your writeups.

Questions or comments regarding 6.033? Send e-mail to the TAs at 6.033-tas@mit.edu.
Questions or comments about this web page? Send e-mail to 6.033-webmaster@mit.edu.

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