Author: Stan Eisenstat
Subject: CPSC 323 Midterm
Date: Sunday, 04 Oct 2020, 15:31:46

The midterm will take place on Monday, October 12th.

The topics covered on the midterm are:
* number representation and machine arithmetic
* data compression
* error detection and correction
* machine architecture, including caches, RAID, and the memory hierarchy
There is a sample exam at
  https://zoo.cs.yale.edu/classes/cs323/current/sample-m
(there is also a link on the class web page).

I will hold a review session late this week (probably Friday from 2pm to
3pm) during which I will go over the solutions to the sample exam and
answer questions about the material listed above.  I will record the
session and make it available through Canvas.

The 75-minute exam will be open-notes, open-textbooks (i.e., Hennessey
and Patterson or Matthew and Stones), and open-computer/phone.  However,
during the up to 75-minute period that you work on the exam you may not
consult any other materials or on-line sources (e.g., StackOverflow) or
communicate with any other person (e.g., a suitemate).

The exam will be given asynchronously.  There will be a window (e.g.,
from 10am until 3pm New Haven time) during which you must
* get your copy of the exam (instructions below)
* spend up to 75 minutes writing your answers to the questions on one or
    more sheets of paper (preferably 8-1/2" by 11")
* scan your work to create a file (e.g., a PDF) on your computer/phone
* upload the file to the Zoo (e.g., using scp)
* submit the uploaded file using the command
      % /c/cs323/bin/submit 1E scanned_Copy_Of_Exam
    no later than 90 minutes after you got the exam (the extra 15
    minutes are for scanning, uploading, and submitting).
Since the exam is asynchronous, you will not be able to ask questions as
you take the exam.

To test the software and your ability to get a copy of the exam and
scan, updload, and submit your work, there will be a practice exam on
Tuesday, starting at 12:01am and ending at 11:59pm.  This exam is
optional, but if you do not take it and you encounter problems during
the real exam, you will not get much sympathy.


Accessing an Exam
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once the window of time during which you may take an exam opens, the Zoo
command

  % /c/cs323/bin/get.exam

will create in your current working directory a text file that contains
a copy of the exam.  The time will be logged, and you will be given a
deadline for submitting your work.  The deadline will be either 90
minutes later (longer if you are entitled to extra time) or the end of
the window for taking the exam, whichever is earlier.

If you run the command again during the window for taking the exam, you
will be reminded of the time when you started and the deadline for
submitting your work, and you will get another copy of the exam.

If you run the command after the window for taking the exam closes, you
dill get another copy of the exam.