INSTRUCTOR: Ken Chan; William Cheng

CREDITS: 3

FORMAT: 4 hours of lecture and 1 lab hour per week

OBJECTIVE/DESCRIPTION:

Describe the general organization and architecture of computers. Identify computer’s major components and study their functions. Topics will include: processor organization; control logic design; memory systems; instruction set architecture, and architectural support for operating systems and programming languages. A hardware description language will be used as a tool to express and work with design concepts.

TOPICS:

• Overview of the general organization and architecture of computers.
• Review of combinational logic circuits and design.
• Review of sequential circuits and design.
• Processor architecture:
  
  • A closer look at instruction set architecture.
  • Integer arithmetic.
  • Floating-point arithmetic.
  • Pipelining
• Design of control logic.
• Memory Organization:
  
  • Registers.
  • Cache memory.
  • Main memory.
  • Rigid disks.
  • Virtual memory.
• Input / Output Interfaces:
  
  • Bus concepts.
  • Interrupts.
  • Serial and parallel I/Os.
  • Direct memory access.
• Modeling with a hardware description language.

TEXTBOOKS:

• Logic and Computer Design Fundamentals, M. Morris Mano, Charles R. Kime, Prentice Hall, 2008 (9780131988269)

RECOMMENDED:

• Computer Architecture: From Microprocessors To SuperComp..., Parhami, Behrooz, Oxford Univ. Press, 2005 (9780195154559)
• LogicWorks 5: Interactive Circuit Design Software, Capilano Computing, Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2004 (9780131456587): Only 5th ed. provides simulation software for VHDL

REFERENCES:

·         The Student's Guide to VHDL, Ashenden, P., Morgan Kaufmann, 1998 (9781558605206)

·         Computer Architecture and Organization, John P. Hayes, McGraw-Hill, 1997 (9780070273559)

·         Computer Organization and Design, 3rd ed, David A. Patterson, John L. Hennessy, Morgan Kaufmann, 2007 (9781558606043)

·         Computer Organization and Architecture 7th ed, William Stallings, Prentice Hall, 2006 (9780131856448)

·         Fundamentals of Digital Logic with VHDL Design, Stephen Brown, Zvonko Vranesic, McGraw Hill, 2000 (9780070125919)

·         Computer Systems Design and Architecture, 2nd ed, V.P. Heuring, Pearson/Prentice hall, 2004 (9780130484406)

EVALUATION PROFILE:

Final grades for the course will be computed based on the following schedule:

Home Assignments and Labs 30%

Term Tests 30%

Final Examination 40%

Letter grades will normally be assigned according to the following guidelines:

You should refer to the College calendar for the effect of the above grades on GPA.

LATE ASSIGNMENTS:

Penalty for late submission of assignments is 10% for the first day, and an additional 20% for each day thereafter.

PREREQUISITES/COREQUISITES:

Pre-requisite: CSCI 150.

MISSED EXAMS

a)      Excuses for missed examinations, quizzes, tests, labs, etc. are accepted only under exceptional circumstances (eg. Illness, death in the family, etc.).

b)      The student is responsible to ensure that the instructor (or the Math and Science office staff, if the instructor is not available) is notified about the missed examination, quiz, test, lab, etc. Such notification MUST occur in advance if possible, or at the latest, the day of the examination.

c)      The student will be required to provide proof, such as a medical or death certificate to validate the excuse.

d)     Once (a), (b), (c) above are satisfied, it is the instructor’s option as to how the missed examination, quiz, test, lab, etc. is made up.

MISSED LAB(S): In addition to the above, students should also make themselves aware of individual department policies on missed lab(s).

Cheating and Plagiarism

Columbia College expects all students to uphold the principle of academic honesty. Cheating and plagiarism (presenting another person’s words or ideas as one’s own) are not acceptable behavior at any academic institution. Depending on the severity of the offense such acts can result in a grade of zero on the test or assignment, a failing grade (F) in the course or expulsion from the College. In all cases, the circumstances and the penalty are recorded in the student’s file.