COURSE SYLLABUS AND OUTLINE
CSE 431.301
COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE

PURPOSE AND APPROACH:

The purpose of this course is to teach the students about the architecture and organization of modern computer systems. This will be accomplished by reviewing the design of different components in a system. In addition, we will examine various performance improvement techniques used in different areas of a system. As part of the material we will compare a contrast the Pentium architecture with the Power PC architecture. The comparison between the systems will allow the student to learn the benefits and limitations of different techniques. Some of the topics to be discussed as part of the class include:

– System Buses
– Internal Memory
– Input/Output Modules
– Operating System Support
– Computer Arithmetic
– Instruction Addressing Modes
– CPU Structure & RISC Architectures

The course will consist of lectures, demos, and homework exercises. Lectures will serve as the vehicle to introduce new information to the students. Demos will be use to enforced the material given in lectures and to show some of the techniques discussed in class. Participation is encouraged during the class. Homework exercises will help the student get familiar with material covered in class.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

• Examine techniques used in the design of modern Computer Systems.
• Compare and contrast Pentium and Power PC Architectures.
• Review performance enhancements of components in the system.

REQUIRED TEXT:

Textbook: Computer Organization and Architecture, 5th Edition,
William Stallings, Prentice Hall, 1996.

Other References:

1. Structure Computer Organization, 4^th Edition, Andrew S. Tanenbaum, Prentice Hall, 1999.
2. Computer Architecture; A Quantitative Approach, John L. Hennessy & David A Patterson, Morgan Kaufmann, 1996.
3. Computer Architecture and Organization, J. Hayes, McGraw Hill, 1988.

GRADING:

1. Midterm I: 30%
2. Midterm II: 30%
3. Final Exam: 40%

CURVE:

• 93.0 - 100.0 -- A
• 90.0 - 92.99 -- A-
• 87.0 - 89.99 -- B+
• 83.0 - 86.99 -- B
• 80.0 - 82.99 -- B-
• 76.0 - 79.99 -- C+
• 70.0 - 75.99 -- C
• 60.0 - 69.99 -- D
• < 60.0 -- F

SCHEDULE:

Practice Exercises for the course.

Day 1-4:
    Overview, History, and Performance - 2.1, 2.2, 2.3
    Computer System - 3.1, 3.2
    Computer Arithmetic - 8.1, 8.2, 8.3(pg 282-286 only), 8.4, Appendix 8A 

Day 5: Midterm I Examination

Day 5-9:
    CPU Instruction Set Architecture- 10.3
    Addressing Modes- 10.1, 10.2
    8086 Assembly Summary
    CPU Structure- 11.1, 15.1, 15.2, 15.3
    Bus interconnection- 3.3, 3.4

Day 9: Midterm II Examination

Day 10-13:
    Exception processing - 3.2 (pp 61-69), 11.5, 11.6
    I/O - 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5
    Memory systems - 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 7.1, 7.2
    Virtual memory systems, RISC Machines - 7.3, 12.4, 12.5, 12.8
    Pipelines, Superscalar Processors - 11.3(pages 419 – 425), 12.5, 13.1, 13.2, 13.4, 16.1

Day 14: Final

1. Ghostscript & GSview: Public domain tool to display and print Postscript (PS) files.
2. Adobe Acrobat Reader: This tool allows the user to display and print PDF™ files.
3. Kermit data sheets (in MSWord™ ).
4. Frequently asked project questions (Zipped MSWord™).
5. Basic Kermit emulation program.
6. Enhanced Kermit emulation program (with JSR and stack).
7. Kermit project FAQ.

PROJECT TOPICS:

The project for this course is designed to be self-challenging depending upon your interest and background. You may choose any one of the projects that are listed below. The projects are listed in order from easiest to hardest.

It is highly recommended that you work in a self-selected team of up to four students (maximum) but you may work individually if desired. If you are working in a team, a single project is to be handed in and the grade for the project will be applied to all team members.

Possible projects:

1. Compare and contrast the Intel 8086 microprocessor with the Motorola 68000 microprocessor. If choosing this project, the instructor can provide data sheets on the two processors.
2. Compare and contrast the Intel 80X86 family with the Motorola 680X0 family. If choosing this project, the instructor can provide some data to begin the comparison. The following web sites may also be of interest for this project and project number 3:
   
   http://www.motorola.com
   http://www.intel.com
   
   The data sheets and user’s guides for the Intel and Motorola products are in pdf format and require Acroread software to view them. Acroread is widely available for download on the world wide web.
3. Investigate the area of Quantum Computing and provide a detail overview of the topic. Contrast it with Von Neumann architectures and provide examples of practical Quantum Computing applications.
4. Investigate the topic of DNA Computing. Provide a detail overview of the topic and contrast it with Von Neumann architectures. Provide examples of DNA Computing applications.
5. Compare and contrast the Intel Pentium, Pentium Pro and Pentium II processors.
6. Compare and contrast the Intel Pentium, Pentium II and Pentium III processors.
7. Compare and contrast the purpose and approach of two benchmarks of your choosing. The benchmarks must measure system performance for the CPU, FPU, Memory, and/or Video subsystems. Collect data from three systems running with the same processor speed and build by different computer manufacturers. Provide a description and analysis of your results.
8. Compare and contrast two microprocessors of your choosing. As an example, you could choose to compare the PowerPC 601 and Alpha 21064. Note that a comparison of the Pentium and Power PC will NOT be accepted for this project.
9. Program a simulation of the fictitious Kermit Computer. The simulation is to use integer math and integer addressing. The system simulation will run from a floppy diskette (on a Pentium PC) and MUST:
   
   allow a machine language program to be input and edited
   allow the program to be saved and loaded from disk
   emulate the execution of the code
   display the execution on a mimic graphic on the screen
   selectively produce a printed trace of the execution
   
   You should supply a test program called "TEST.ASM" to demonstrate the functionality of your program.
   
   See FAQ under TOOLS which covers the program to be developed and the accompanying paper.
10. This is identical to project 7 except the math and addressing are performed in hexadecimal.

Note: A FAQ is posted under TOOLS for the architecture comparison projects which covers such topics as paper length, level of detail, format, etc.

Note: The data sheets downloaded from the internet are typically large in size and contain many pages of hardware information such as pin configurations, operating temperature ranges, etc. This sort of information is of little interest to this class. You should not abuse the printing privileges in the computer center by printing out entire data sheets. Instead, save the files to diskette or hard drive, browse the files and print out the pages of interest only.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

"Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception and is an educational objective of this institution. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating of information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work for another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students. At the beginning of each course it is responsibility of the instructor to provide a statement clarifying the application of academic integrity to that course". (1989-90 Policies and Rules for Students, p.25). 

The Pennsylvania State University encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Kathy Mingioni at 610-648-3315 in advance of your participation or visit.

SECURITY PLAN:

In the event of an emergency of any kind, you are advised to proceed to an agreed upon meeting point in a safer location - probably in the car park area. If you need special consideration in evacuating the classroom, please inform your instructor who will attempt to accommodate your special needs.

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Emergency Evacuation Exercises or Actual Emergency Events:

Periodic fire/evacuation exercises are conducted in all occupied PSU Great Valley buildings. Every PSU Great Valley faculty, staff, and student is expected to exit the building and remain outside until the drill or actual event is completed. Drills are a safe opportunity to test the building emergency plan, insure that the fire alarm is working properly, and allows every employee a chance to experience the procedures.

Guidelines in the Event of a Drill or Emergency:

• Please familiarize yourself with the emergency evacuation plan posted in each classroom.
• Do not use elevators. Use stairs.
• Fire doors close but do not lock or trap a person in an area.
• Should evacuation be necessary, go to the nearest exit or stairway and proceed to a pre-designated evacuation meeting area (150 feet away from building) outside the building. Stay with your instructor and class.
• Please do not leave the meeting area, return to your classroom, or go to your vehicle unless instructed to do so.

Walter Cedeño ©1998-2006
Last revised: Saturday, January 14, 2006 01:18:13 PM