Computer Architecture (CS4250)

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Updated: September 14, 2010

Contents:

  1. Course content
  2. Textbook
  3. Grades
  4. Ethics

Class schedule:

The class meets in Rounds 207, on Monday and Wednesday, from 4:00 PM until 5:15 PM. The course starts on Wednesday, September 1st and ends on Wednesday, December 8th. I.e., 27 class sessions plus the final exam.

Course content:

Prerequisite(s): CS2220 & CS 3220
Fundamental concepts of computer design using a quantitative, performance-oriented approach. Topics include: measurement of performance instruction sets design; hardwired and micro-coded processor design; pipelining; memory hierarchy; I/O. Assembly language programming is studied through a series of short projects. (From the PSU Catalog)

Outline:

  1. Computer Abstractions and Technology
  2. Instructions: Language of the Computer
  3. Computer Arithmetic
  4. RISC architecture
  5. Performance
  6. Processor Datapath and Control
  7. Mapping Control to Hardware
  8. Pipelining
  9. Memory Hierarchy to Enhance Performance
  10. Peripherals
  11. Multiprocessors

Textbook:

Grades:

Exams
55%
DragonPlus Project
25%
Homework
20%
Total
100%
  1. Exams: There are three exams. The approximate dates for the first two are October 6th and November 17th. The final exam is scheduled for Wednesday, December 15th at 2:30 PM.
  2. DragonPlus Project: Embedded microprocessors are ubiquitous. There's an excellent reason for you to know a bit about how to work with them. We discussed that on the first day of class. Refer to your notes and the slides.

    Your project will consist of hardware and software design. The DragonPlus board provides you with a number of digital and analog inputs and outputs. It also provides a 7-segment display, keypad, DIP switches, temperature sensor, LEDs and other stuff. You may well need to build some interface hardware. There is a breadboard on the DragonPlus board for that purpose.

    There are labs, books, web resources and a User's Guide to help you get up to speed. See http://www.evbplus.com and Moodle for more information.

    Projects need to be reasonably sophisticated. Something simple, like flip the switch and turn on the light, is good for learning how to use the board. However, your project should be sophisticated enough to take both your and the board's resources. Note that projects may be collaborative. As in, two or more projects may be combined to form a whole. However, collaborative projects tend to be more difficult. The first year this was part of the course, a group of teams attempted a whole-house monitoring & control system. The individual elements worked reasonably well but the overall design failed. Why? Students did not take into consideration the complexity of the interaction of the separate parts of their system. Frequent milestones will be set during class. Reasonable progress toward an eventual successful completion is expected and required.

    Other aspects of the project will be discussed - often - in class.

  3. Homework: Graded homework and other assignments form the remaining 20% of the class grade.

  4. Average: Figure your class grade as as a weighted average. For example, if a student earns an 90 on the exams, 75 on the DragonPlus project and 85 average on the homework, this yields 85% or a class grade of B. 

Ethics:

Each student is reminded to act professionally at all times. Knowledge obtained in the class must not be abused. Violations of Academic Integrity will be dealt with swiftly and appropriately. (reference: Plymouth State Academic Catalog)