229 ST2
(703)993-3176
rsingh9@cs.gmu.edu
Office hours: Tue/Thur 4:30-5:30 pm
Prerequisites
Assembly language programming (CS 265)
and Digital Electronics (ECE 301).
Students without the pre-requisites
will be dropped from the course.
Objectives
- Design hardware components of a computer.
- Design computer architecture (based on
experimental data).
- Study interaction between software
components (operating system, compiler)
and computer architecture.
- Design architectural support for
operating system and compiler.
- Study experimental performance analysis
of
- components of a computer.
- a computer.
Motivation
- Design a computer for some performance
requirements.
- Choose a computer for some performance
requirements.
- Write a program for a computer for some
performance requirements.
Course description
- Hardware and software components
of a computer.
- Instruction set architecture.
- Assembly language programming.
- Experimental CPU performance analysis.
- Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU) design:
integer and floating point operations.
- Central Processing Unit (CPU) design
for a core subset.
- Single cycle.
- Multicycle.
- Pipelined.
- Memory system.
- Memory hierarchy: cache, physical memory, disk.
- Virtual address space and address translation.
- CPU performance.
- Input/Output system design.
- Performance parameters.
- Devices.
- Buses.
Readings
- Textbook: Computer organization and design:
The hardware software approach
by Patterson and Hennessy.
- Recommended book: Computer architecture:
a quantitative approach
by Hennessy and Patterson.
Grade distribution
The final score should be at least 90%
to get an A.
A final score below 60% will
be an F.
- Assignments: 35%.
- Pre-informed quizzes: 20%.
- Two Midterms: 15% each.
- Final: 15%.
Quizzes and exams will be closed book and closed notes.
There will be no makeup quiz
or exam.
A quiz will start at the beginning
of a class.
Extra time will not be given to
students who are late.
Assignments
Late assignments will not be accepted.
- Assignment 1 .
- Assignment 2 .
- Assignment 3 .
- Assignment 4 .
- Assignment 5 .
- Assignment 6 .
- Assignment 7 .
Honour code
You are expected to abide by the
University's honour code.
A violation of the honour code will
result in an F as the course grade.