Introduction to Computer Architecture

Computer Science 210
Spring, 2019

Instructor: John Donaldson (john.donaldson@oberlin.edu)
Office: King 231
Office hours: MWF 1:30-2:20 pm (or by appointment)
Meeting time and place:

section 01: MWF 11:00-11:50 King 243
section 02: MWF 2:30-3:20 King 243

Prerequisite: CSCI 241 (Systems Programming)
Textbook: Patterson and Hennessy, Computer Organization and Design: The Hardware/Software Interface, 5th edition, Morgan Kaufmann, 2014. ISBN 978-0-12-407726-3

Course Objectives

To learn about the hardware architecture of computer systems, with an emphasis on instruction set architectures and their implementation.
To learn fundamental background topics needed for the study of computer architecture, such as number systems and digital logic.
To learn the basics of assembly language programming for the MIPS architecture.
To learn how design decisions impact performance in today's systems.

Grading Procedures

Your grade will be based on labs, problem sets, and and two exams.

Point breakdown (approximate):

Labs and problem sets	200
Midterm Exam (March 20)	100
Final Exam section 01: May 16, 7-9 pm section 02: May 18, 7-9 pm	150
Total	450

Policies

Assignments in the course will consist of written problem sets and hands-on labs. Problem sets must be turned in at the beginning of (or prior to) lecture on the day they are due. Late problem sets are not accepted.

Late labs are strongly discouraged, but will be accepted subject to the following limitations:

Labs that are submitted one day late will be assessed a 10% penalty.
Labs that are submitted two days late will be assessed a 40% penalty.
Labs more than two days late will not be accepted.
However, you have 2 Late Lab Exceptions that allow you to hand in a lab up to 2 days late without penalty. To use such an exception, include a text file in the folder you are handing in, with file name LateLabException.txt. The body of this file should say "This is my 1st (or 2nd) exception." Note that these exceptions cover any reason for being late with your work, from "I was sick over the weekend" to "My dog ate my laptop."

Regular class attendance and participation is expected. Excessive absence may result in a lower final grade.

Student Disabilities

If you have a disability that might impact your performance in this course, or requires special accommodation, please contact me as soon as possible so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Support is available through Student Academic Services. You will need to contact them to get your disability documented before accommodations can be made.

Academic integrity

All work in this course is to be performed in accordance with the college's Oberlin Honor Code. You must write the Honor Pledge and sign it at the end of every submission. Electronic submissions must include the honor pledge in the comments and your name. The pledge is "I have adhered to the Honor Code in this assignment."

In particular, on all of the exams you are responsible for your own work; you may neither give nor receive aid during the course of the exam. No electronic devices are permitted in exams.

That being said, in a hands-on course such as this one, some discussion of lab assignments is expected and encouraged. A few specific do's and don't's:

Do:

ask questions about the requirements of an assignment
discuss with your classmates general approaches to solving a problem prior to starting your own design and coding
get/give help from/to another student in solving a particularly tough debugging problem

Don't:

obtain a copy of another student's code or problem set answers (including a student who has taken the course before)
give a copy of your code or problem set answers to another student (including a student taking the course in the future)
collaborate with a partner or group to work on an assignment together
leave your machine unattended; log out or lock the screen
discuss an exam in any way with another student who may be taking the exam at another time

In the end, the work you submit must be your own. If you're not sure what is acceptable in a given situation, please ask me about it.

Course outline

Introduction to computer architecture. Basic computer components. Levels of abstraction. (chapter 1)
Data representation. (chapter 2)
The MIPS architecture. Assembly language programming. (chapter 2)
Digital logic. (appendix B)
CPU design. (chapter 4)
Advanced CPU design. Pipelining. (chapter 4)
Memory systems. Cache memory. (chapter 5)