CS 304 - Computer Architecture

Shai Simonson    306 Stanger    (508) 565-1008

Email:  shai@stonehill.edu

Homepage: http://www.stonehill.edu/compsci/shai.htm


Lectures:  MWF 10:30 - 11:20, 001 Stanger

Text:  Computer Organization and Design, 3rd edition, by Patterson and Hennessy, Elsevier.
           Text web site - Review, Extra practice problems and Solutions.

Exams:  There will be one midterm (25%) and one final examination (35%).

Assignments:  Homeworks will be worth 40% of your grade.   You may (but are not required to) do these with a partner, and one grade will be given to both people in each group.  All programs should be written using SPIM, a simulator for the MIPS architecture.  You can download your own copy of SPIM for whatever computer you own.  PCSpim, the version for PCs, should already be loaded on the machines in the lab.  Make sure the settings are set as below:

You should email your assignments to cs303@stonehill.edu, and not to my personal email.  Please send each program and problem set as a separate text file attachment, and Zip them all into one directory with your nameon it.  For problem sets, please type or scan and include as a separate file.

Course Description:  What goes on behind the scenes after you compile your program?  Students learn how a computer is put together, and the relationship between the hardware and the instruction sets.  We study the MIPS machine language and the high level organization of a fully pipelined modern RISC machine:  including: ALU design, CPU design, pipelining, memory organization, cache and virtual memory, I/O, and methods of measuring the successfulness of these features.

Goals:  To understand the gap between programming and computer hardware design. To appreciate how understanding computer architecture will make you a better programmer.

Special Dates:  Due to Jewish holidays, I will not be in class on September 14 and 28, and October 5.  I will announce in class what alternative arrangements I will make for these days.


Reference Links

Wikimedia Review for MIPS     Download PCSpim        SPIM Quick Reference

Sample Programs

avg     io     traverse_array   multiply       strings       branches       loop       palindrome       long_mult         sort

Assignments

Read Paul Hsieh's Code Optimization Page
Concentrate on the last page.

Assignment 1   Assignment 2   Assignment 3    Assignment 4    Assignment 5   Assignment 6   Assignment 7
 
 

Brief Syllabus

Week

Topics

 Reading
1 Overview.  Assembly Language.  Building a Simple Computer.  Measuring Performance.  CISC versus RISC.
 Chapters 1, 4, Online
2-4 Instruction Sets and Data Representation -  Two's complement, Sign Magnitude,  Floating Point, ASCII.  
Using the SPIM Simulator -  Data and Directives, Arithmetic and Memory Operations, Control Structures, Arrays.
 Chapters 2, 3
5-6 Registers and Address Modes.  Data Structures, Procedures, Activation Records, Parameter Passing, Stacks.
 Chapter 2, Appendix A
7
 Machine Language and MIPS Instruction Formats.   Assemblers - One and Two Pass.
 Chapter 2,  Appendix A
8
 Midterm Examination 

Exceptions
 October 26

Appendix B
9-10
 Data Path and Control Architecture - Single versus Multi-cycle.  Hardwired vs. Microprogramming.
 Chapter 5, Appendix C
11-12 Pipelining -  An Efficient CPU, Performance Measures and Hazard Handling.  Implementation. Chapter 6
12-13 Memory Architecture - Hierarchical Structures:  Cache and Virtual Memory. Chapter 7
14 I/O Architecture - Design and Performance. Chapter 8
15 Review