Computer Architecture and Lab A - E

Module Computer Architecture

Knowledge and understanding: To acquire knowledge and understanding of fundamental concepts of computer systems architecture and of methodological principles that drive its development, in the historical perspective of their evolution.

Applying knowledge and understanding: To acquire problem solving capabilities in computer system design, by trying to solve on-purpose proposed problems, and abilities to make use of, to design and to implement software tools, such as simulators and interpreters, for abstract machines at the lowest levels of computer system organization.

Making judgements: To be able to compare and evaluate the quality of solutions to design problems for computer systems.

Communication skills: To acquire communication skills and proper language to communicate, even with nonexpert people, about problems relating to functioning, design, implementation, and evaluation of computer systems.

Learning skills: To develop the ability to adapt one's own knowledge to the rapid evolution of the discipline and to keep up-to-date through specialized sources in the field.

• Classroom lectures and lab tutorials with exercises

Nessuno

1. Computing machines: historical background
2. Computing machines: functional units, architectures
3. Algebraic structures, Boole algebra
4. Logic gates, sequential circuits, flip-flops
5. RISC and CISC architectures, addressing modes
6. Type and format of instructions, examples of real assembly languages
7. I/O operations, interrupt control and service
8. Supporting software, assembly languages and C language, operating systems
9. Basic structure of a processor, microarchitectures RISC and CISC
10. High-performance processors, prediction techniques, superscalar processors
11. Main memory devides, DMA, hierarchy of memories
12. Efficient circuits for binary arithmetic

1. C. Hamacher, Z. Vranesic, S. Zaky & N. Manjikian : Introduzione all'architettura dei calcolatori. Third italian edition, McGraw-Hill Education (Italy), 2013
2. Supplementary notes provided by the teacher during lecture development.

• Practical test
• Oral examination
• Optional project

• binary/decimal/hexadecimal conversion
• Two's complement sum
• Floating point representation
• Logic function analysis
• Logic function synthesis, Karnaugh maps
• Binary adder circuit
• Multiplier and divider circuits
• Word alignment in memory
• Instruction-Set Architecture
• Data Path
• Pipeline
• CISC Processors, microprogrammazione
• RISC/CISC Comparison
• Cache Memory
• Exercises in assembly on vectors
• Sum of vectors
• Linear search in a vector
• Filtering of a vector