EECE 321: Computer Organization

• Prerequisites: EECE 321 Computer Organization
• Lecture Times:  TT 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
• Room: 545
• Student Study Hours Per Week: 9
• Contact Hours Per Week: 3
• Private Study Hours Per Week: 6
• AY / Semester:  2005– 2006 / Spring
• Professor:  Dr. I. Damaj
• Contact Details: id01@aub.edu.lb
• Professor's Website: http://www.idamaj.net
  
• Summary of Assessment Method:  Project, 2 Quiz, and a Final
  
• Textbook:CDavid A. Patterson and John L. Hennessy, Computer Organization and Design: the Hardware/Software Interface, Third Edition, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2004.
  
• References: Carl Hamacher, Zvonko Vranesic, and Safwat Zaky, Computer Organization, Fifth Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2002. J. Bhasker, A VHDL Primer, Third Edition, Prentice-Hall, 1999.
  

This course covers the organization of modern computer systems. In addition to learning how to program computers at the assembly level, students learn how to design the main components of a von Neumann computer system, including its instruction set architecture, datapath, control unit, memory system, input/output interfaces, and system buses. To consolidate the material presented in class, students work on assembly-language programming and datapath design assignments, and a major computer interfacing project.

A course on the organization of modern computer systems. Basic hardware and software components of von Neumann computers. Machine instruction sets and assembly language programming. Fixed- and floating-point computer arithmetic. Processor datapath and control unit design. Instruction pipelining. The memory system. Input/output interfacing techniques. System buses.

On successfully completing this course, students will be able to:

Understand the basic organization of modern computer systems.

• Identify the hardware components of a computer system.
• Explain how machine instructions and the data they operate on are represented, stored, and executed.
• Explain the roles of the operating system, compiler, assembler, loader, and linker.
• Identify key milestones in the evolution of computer systems.

Understand how computer programs are organized, stored, and executed at the machine level.

• Identify the basic components of an instruction-set architecture.
• Explain the differences between machine programming models.
• Explain how basic arithmetic, logic, memory, and control operations work.
• Write simple programs in MIPS R2000 assembly language.
• Explain how subroutines are commonly linked.
• Explain why interrupts and exceptions occur and how they are handled.

Understand the operation of fixed- and floating-point arithmetic units.

• Represent real numbers in fixed-point notation.
• Explain how fixed-point notations affect the dynamic range of numerical values and the precision of arithmetic operations.
• Represent real numbers in the single- and double-precision formats of the IEEE-754 floating-point notation.
• Demonstrate how basic floating-point arithmetic operations are performed.
• Explain the operation of fixed-point and floating-point arithmetic circuits.

Analyze an instruction-set architecture and propose a suitable datapath and control unit implementation.

• Identify the factors affecting execution performance.
• Identify the steps needed to fetch and execute the machine instructions of a given instruction set architecture.
• Identify the datapath elements needed to implement a specific instruction set.
• Explain the principles of hardwired and microprogrammed control.
• Design the control units for single-cycle and multi-cycle implementations of a given instruction set.
• Explain how datapath elements and control units are implemented in hardware.
• Measure the impact of various architectural implementation strategies on performance.
• Explain how exceptions are handled in the control unit.

Understand how instruction pipelining enhances processor performance.

• Explain the principle of pipelining.
• Explain the interdependencies between instruction set design and pipelining.
• Identify the different types of pipeline hazards.
• Describe how different pipeline hazards affect performance.
• Describe different techniques for dealing with pipeline hazards.
• Measure the impact of pipelining and pipeline hazards on performance.
• Design the datapath and control unit of a pipelined implementation of a given instruction set.
• Describe the effect of an exception on a pipelined datapath.

Understand the basic organization of the memory hierarchy.

• Identify the main components of the memory hierarchy.
• Explain the differences between key semiconductor memory technologies.
• Explain the organization of a DRAM chip.
• Design and expand a simple memory system.
• Explain how cache memories increase the apparent speed of memory.
• Explain how virtual memory increases the apparent size of memory and supports the enforcement of memory protection mechanisms.
• Explain how different secondary storage devices function.

Understand the input/output mechanisms used to connect computers to their external environments.

• Explain the differences between program-driven, interrupt-driven, and direct memory access (DMA) input/output mechanisms.
• Identify the components of serial and parallel input/output interface circuits.
• Design simple input/output interface circuits.
• Explain the operation of common peripheral communication protocols and controllers, like RS-232C, FireWire, USB 2.0, Centronix, Ethernet, Bluetooth, infrared, and WiFi.

Understand how system buses link the components of a computer system.

• Explain how different devices coordinate the use of a bus.
• Explain how information is transferred over synchronous and asynchronous buses.
• Explain the operation of common bus protocols like PCI, and SCSI.