Course Description

From the course catalog: 6.033 covers topics in the engineering of computer software and hardware systems: techniques for controlling complexity; strong modularity using client-server design, virtual memory, and threads; networks; atomicity and coordination of parallel activities; recovery and reliability; privacy, security, and encryption; and impact of computer systems on society. Case studies of working systems and readings from the current literature provide comparisons and contrasts. A single, semester-long design project. Students engage in extensive written communication exercises. Enrollment may be limited. 4 Engineering Design Points.

The 6.033 Curricular Goals Map gives a dynamic graphical display connecting the class outcomes with the outcomes of other subjects in the Course 6 curriculum.

Prerequisites: 6.004 and 6.02
Units: 5-1-6
Requirements satisfied: CI-M

According to the Communication Requirement webpage 6.033 satisfies CI-M for Course 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, 6P, and 18-C. If you are not in these programs, 6.033 does not satisfy the CI-M requirement for you.

Course Reviews

Course Meetings

6.033 has three components: lectures, recitations, and tutorials. We expect you to attend all three.

Lectures are held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:00pm-3:00pm in 26-100. In lectures, you will learn the big ideas in systems and see specific examples of how they're implemented.

Recitations are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, according to the below schedule. For the first recitation, attend whichever one you want. After that, you will be assigned a permanent section (look up your section assignment here). In recitations, you'll read and discuss papers describing successful systems.

Writing tutorials are held on Fridays, according to the below schedule. All tutorials occur at 1:00pm or 2:00pm; we will assign you timeslot during the first week of classes. Most of these tutorials will teach the communication theory and practices of this course, and assist you in preparing for the assignments. You'll become fluent in a variety of communication genres, develop strategies and skills needed to present technical concepts to different audiences, learn how to use writing to develop and deepen your technical understanding--and get specific, directed instruction on writing and presenting your 6.033 assignments. A handful of the tutorials will be dedicated to discussing the design project.

	Recitations			Tutorials
Section	Time	Location	Instructor	Time	Instructor	Location	TA
R01	TR10	36-144	Matei Zaharia	F1 or F2	Juergen Schoenstein / Michael Trice	34-303	Cathie Yun
R02	TR1	36-155	Michael Carbin	F1 or F2	Nora Jackson / Janis Melvold	36-155	Steven Keyes
R03	TR2	34-302	Mark Day	F1 or F2	Amy Carleton	5-233	Jodie Chen
R04	TR2	36-155	Peter Szolovits	F1 or F2		24-121	Sumit Gogia
R05	TR1	35-310	Peter Szolovits	F1 or F2		24-121	Sumit Gogia
R06	TR2	66-144	Michael Carbin	F1 or F2	Nora Jackson / Janis Melvold	36-155	Steven Keyes
R07	TR10	34-302	Mark Day	F1 or F2	Mary Caulfield	36-144	CK Ong
R08	TR10	26-168	Michael Yee	F1 or F2	Linda Sutliff	34-304	Pratheek Nagaraj
R09	TR11	36-144	Matei Zaharia	F1 or F2	Juergen Schoenstein / Michael Trice	34-303	Cathie Yun
R10	TR11	34-302	Mark Day	F1 or F2	Mary Caulfield	36-144	CK Ong
R11	TR11	26-168	Michael Yee	F1 or F2	Linda Sutliff	34-304	Pratheek Nagaraj
R12	TR12	34-304	Asaf Cohen	F1 or F2	Jared Berezin	66-168	Anubhav Jain
R13	TR1	34-302	Mark Day	F1 or F2	Amy Carleton	5-233	Jodie Chen
R14	TR1	34-304	Asaf Cohen	F1 or F2	Jared Berezin	66-168	Anubhav Jain
R15	TR10	34-304	Karen Sollins	F1 or F2	Rebecca Thorndike-Breeze / Jessie Stickgold-Sarah	26-314	Jacqui De Sa
R16	TR11	34-304	Karen Sollins	F1 or F2	Rebecca Thorndike-Breeze / Jessie Stickgold-Sarah	26-314	Jacqui De Sa

Assistance

Piazza: We'll use the 6.033 Piazza forum for Q&A and other discussions regarding the course. Please sign up, and check that page regularly.

Office hours: The TAs hold office hours according to the following schedule.

See Piazza for an updated office hours schedule for finals week.

Day	Office hour	TA	Location
Monday	1:00pm-2:00pm	Jodie Chen	26-142
	4:00pm-5:00pm	Pratheek Nagaraj	26-142
Tuesday	3:00pm-4:00pm	Cathie Yun	36-155
	4:00pm-5:00pm	Rebecca Kekelishvili	36-155
	5:00pm-6:00pm	Sumit Gogia	36-155
Wednesday	1:00pm-2:00pm	Steven Keyes	26-142
	3:00pm-4:00pm	Anubhav Jain	26-168
Thursday	3:00pm-4:00pm	Jacqui De Sa	26-210
Friday	12:00pm-1:00pm	Rebecca Kekelishvili	26-142
	3:00pm-4:00pm	CK Ong	26-142

Staff Contact

Course staff contact: To contact the course staff, please use Piazza unless you need to email a staff member individually. You can post a private question on Piazza if you do not want your communication to be visible to the other students in the class. You can also send us completely anonymous feedback here.

Questions or comments regarding 6.033? If you are a student, please post on Piazza. If not, send e-mail to the 6.033 staff at 6.033-staff at mit.edu.

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