Computer Architecture

Course Code CS371
Course Title Computer Architecture
(TCH  LCH  Cr.H) (3 0 3)
Pre-requisite Computer Organisation and Assembly Language, Introduction to Computers, Digital Logic and Design
Recommended Texts
  1. Computer Organisation and Architecture: Designing for Performance,9th Edition, WilliamStallings, PEARSON, 2013  [ Download ]
  2. Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach, fifth edition, John L. Hennessy, David A. Patterson,Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Science [ Download ]
  3. Digital Design and Computer Architecture, David Harris, 2nd        Ed, Morgan Kaufmann, 2012, ISBN:  978-0123944245.
  4. Essentials of Computer Architecture, Douglas E. Comer, 1st Ed, pearson Publisher, 2004, ISBN:  978-0131491793.
Course Description

The basic theme of this course is to acquaint students with internal organization of the components of a computer so that the students have better knowledge while programming at the machine level or using the software at the machine level.
Course Objectives 

Computer Architecture course is meant to introduce to the students and brings together concepts from a number of essential subjects in computer science namely Computer Organisation, Computing and Design, Digital Logic and Design and System-level Software.

This course intends to prepare students who are potentially seeking career in the computer engineering industry. It will also help students to prepare themselves for more advance subjects on graduate and postgraduate-levels. Another good reason to study this course is that it provides a foundation for students who wants to steps into performance programming, compiler construction and Operating Systems.

To summarize, this course introduce to the students the inner working of a computer system. These include the CPU architecture, main memory organization and structure, contemporary design technologies for read/write and I/O techniques as well as their underlying mechanism.

 

Lecture Number

Topic
L1
  • Introduction:  Why study Computer architecture, structure and structural components of a computer system
  • Functions of a computer system
  • Approaches to study Computer Architecture
L2
  • History of Computers: IAS architecture-John Van Neumann machines
  • Levels Of Computer Description
L3
  • Computer Architecture Performance Measures/benchmarking
L4
  • Basic computer Organization and design:
  • Instruction Codes, Computer Registers, Common Bus Systems
  • Embedded systems
  • ARM revolution
L5
  • Computer Instructions
  • Instruction Set Completeness, Timing and Control
L6, L7
  • Instruction Cycle Fetch and Decode
L8-L10
  • Determine Type of Instructions:
  • Registers reference instructions
  • Memory Reference instructions
  • Input and output interrupt
L11-L13
  • Memory: hierarchy, cache memory, elements of cache design, address mapping techniques
L14
  • Memory error control
  • Hamming codes
  • Micro programmed Control
  • Control Memory
  • Address Sequencing
L15
  •   Micro program Example
  • Design of Control Unit
L16
  • Recap of the Course covered so Far, Mid Paper

 
L17-L18
  • Central Processing Unit Introduction
L19-L20
  •   General Register Organization
  • Stack Organization
  • Instruction Formats
L21-L23
  • Addressing Modes
  • Data Transfer and manipulation
L24-L26
  • Program Control
  • RISC
  • CISC
L27
  • Pipeline and vector Processing
  • Parallel Processing
L28
  • Pipelining
  • Arithmetic Pipeline
  • Instruction Pipeline
  • RISC Pipeline
L29
  • Vector Processing
  • Arrays Processors
L30
  • Input Organization
  • Peripheral Devices
  • Input –output Interface
L31-L34
  • Asynchronous Data Transfer
  • Modes Of transfer
L35-L39
  • Priority Interrupt
  • Direct Memory Access
  • Input-output Processor
L40
  • Serial Communication