Computer Organization

- Advanced topics: Multicore processors, Cache Coherence, Out-of-Order execution, Hardware Multithreading, GPGPU's.

Objectives

- To provide - along with its preceding course, Digital Design - the minimum required knowledge in the field of computer hardware, organization and architecture, that are needed in order to meet the requirements of the other areas in Computer Science and Engineering. - To teach basic knowledge about the Assembly languages. - To demonstrate how to build an entire computer (initially a simple one, then with pipelining), using only the logic gates and flip-flops that the student already knows from the Digital Design course. In this way a solid foundation for understanding the material basis of Computer Science and Engineering is given, also demystifying the computer in the process. - To provide an elementary introduction to the advanced architecture of current computing systems, and to simplified methods of understanding their performance. To provide a ground upon which to base more advanced courses in digital systems architecture.

Prerequisites

Digital Design

Syllabus

- Assembly language and machine language; example: a subset of these languages for the MIPS processor. Elementary Assembly programming: if-then-else, loops, arrays, pointers, and introduction to the run-time stack and procedure call. - Processor implementation using registers, multiplexors, adders, ALU's, memories, combinatorial logic, and FSM: datapath and control unit design, interrupts-exceptions. - Introduction to pipelining. Processor performance, CPI and related equations. - Memory System: introduction to cache memories, virtual memory, user-kernel mode, system call, protection. - Peripheral devices and their communication with the central unit: memory-mapped I/O, polling, interrupts, DMA. - Advanced topics: Multicore processors, Cache Coherence, Out-of-Order execution, Hardware Multithreading, GPGPU's.