Phase 1 — Basics (Weeks 1–4). This is the most important phase. Every subsequent topic assumes fluency here. Focus on the process lifecycle, system calls, and the kernel/user boundary. Your computer organization background will make interrupts and privileged instructions click quickly — lean into that.
As you go along, you need to finish the following topics:
OS History and Evolution
System Calls and APIs
Kernel vs User Space
Monolithic vs Microkernel vs Exokernel
Interrupts and Traps
Processes vs Threads — Overview
The Process Lifecycle
CPU Scheduling — Policies and Algorithms
Context Switching
I/O and Device Management
Privileged Instructions and Protection Rings
The Boot Proces