91.305 home
FINAL TUE DEC 21 8a OS407
• study guide : txt
MON NOV 29
• microprocessor report : pdf
• pentium history html
MON NOV 22
• assignment 11: performance lab
handout pdf
files tar
due Fri Dec 10
WED NOV 15
• assignment 10: cache memory exercises pdf
due Wed Nov 22
MON NOV 8
• assignment 9: archlab part C
due Mon Nov 15
FRI OCT 22 MIDTERM
• study notes txt
FRI OCT 15
• assignment 8: archlab parts A and B
due Wed Oct 27
tar
sum.ys starter file
pdf handout
FRI OCT 1
• assignment 6: x86 ISA html
due Oct 8
• assignment 7: bomblab pdf
due Oct 15
readme txt
gdb notes pdf
FRI SEP 24
• assignment 5: HC11 memory lab pdf files zip
• schematic hints pdf
• appendix b pdf
• cypress 6264 pdf
due Oct 1
MON SEP 20
• assignment 4: conversions, branching, the stack pdf
due Sep 24
FRI SEP 17
• assignment 3: HC11 beep lab pdf files zip
due Sep 24
FRI SEP 10
• assignment 2: HC11 boot lab pdf files zip
due Sep 17
• hardware pic jpg
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• as6811 assembler as6811.exe
docs
• intro to 6811 pdf
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WED SEP 8
• assignment 1: historic computer html
due Sep 10
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91.305 Computer Architecture Fall 2004
Contact
Prof. Fred G. Martin
http://www.cs.uml.edu/~fredm/
fred_martin@uml.edu
Olsen 208 (office) x1964
Olsen 306 (lab) x2705
TA
Karthik Ramanathan, kramanat at-sign cs dot uml
dot edu
Schedule
MWF, 10:30 11:20 am, OS 412
Office Hours
Monday 3:30 4:30 pm, OS 306 (Martin)
Wednesday 11:30 12:30 pm, OS 208 (Martin)
Thursday 3:00 4:00 pm, OS 208 (Martin)
Thursday 2:30 4:30 pm, OS 306 (Ramanathan)
Web Site
http://www.cs.uml.edu/~fredm/courses/91.305/
Discussion Board
The class will use the ikonboard system for web-based
threaded discussions of lectures, assignments, and other
course-related material. All students are expected to create an
account for themselves on the discussion board, and use it when
appropriate. Before sending me an email, please consider
posting your question to the discussion board. Private/personal
matters (e.g., academic standing in the class) should be addressed to me.
Look for the link to the course board at the top of any course web
page, in the pink resources menu.
Text
Computer
Systems: A Programmers Perspective, (C) 2003 by Randal E. Bryant
and David R. OHallaron, ISBN 013034074X,
Prentice-Hall.
The books web site on the
publishers page is http://vig.prenhall.com/catalog/academic/product/0,4096,013034074X,00.html.
The authors site is http://csapp.cs.cmu.edu/.
This is a 2003 textbook and takes a practical, hands-on approach to
the subject matter. In addition to learning particular topics in the
course (e.g., cache memory), you will learn how to write better code
to exploit this knowledge.
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You won't need the text until about 3 weeks into the
semester. If you haven't already bought it yet, you can get a good
deal on a used copy if you order it now.
I will hand out additional material in class (which will also be
posted to the course web site).
Course Description
From the UML CS brochure:
An examination of the basic functional components of a computer
system including the CPU, memory systems, and I/O systems. Each of
these three areas will be developed in detail with a focus on the
system design and component integration. Topics will include CPU
control and ALU operation, computer timing, data address and I/O bus
activity, addressing model, programmed and DMA I/O, and instruction
sets and microcode.
Now, my words. We will learn the structure of computers and how they
work. Well study computers as layered systems, like a Russian
nesting doll. From the inside of the doll (lowest level) moving
outward, heres one way to describe the layers:
0. semiconductor physicselectron flow; how transistors work
1. transistors as switches / logic gates / boolean operationsfor
our purposes, the most primitive element of a computational system
2. adders / math units / mutiplexers / decodersthe stuff you can
build with gates, which become the building blocks of the CPU (central
processing unit)
3. CPUthe heart of the computer. Its implemented by
whats called the microarchitecture level. Its
external interfacethe way you experience it as a
programmeris called the instruction set
archictecture or machine language.
4. memory, peripherals [input/output], and the other doo-dads the CPU
talks tologically, this isnt actually above the CPU, but
rather along side it
5. compilerssoftware that takes higher level code written by
people and generates machine code to run on the CPU. The compiler
matters because (1) if youre writing a compiler, you need to
intimately understand the CPU to do a proper job, and more commonly
(2) if youre using a compiler [who doesnt?] you need to
understand how it works to write decent code.
6. operating systemin a sense the most important program the CPU
will run. The OS doesnt do useful work by itself, but it
implements a rich set of services that application programmers
use.
In this class, we wont worry about my level 0, and
we probably wont get to anything too important in level
6. For level 0, see 16.423/16.523 Intro to
Solid-State Physical Electronics; for level 6, see 91.308,
Introduction to Operating Systems !
Syllabus
Broadly, the class has three sections:
Lab Kit Each student will be provided with a lab kit for
use in the first section of the class. Some of the work using the kit
will be able to be done at home (with your own PC), but hardware
lab assignments must be checked off on campus. Portions of
assignments will require the use of computers or other resources
(e.g., oscilloscopes) located on campus.
The kit must be returned in the same condition it was provided to
you (or better). Students who fail to return the kit will not be
awarded a grade in the class. The replacement cost (if the kit is
lost) is $100.
Grading
Assuming you complete all of the homework assignments, your grade in
the class is calculated primarily from your performance on exams:
mid-term exam, 30%
final exam, 50%
in-class participation, 10%
homework assignments, 10% see below.
Homework
Homework assignments are the core of the class. It is where I expect,
for most students, the most important learning will take place.
The key to success in this class is the following:
- Even though they do not count substantially toward your grade,
all homework assignments must exhibit significant effort and thought.
- Homework that is obviously prepared without effort
(lame), or is too late (see below), will be counted as
missing.
- After two missing homeworks, each subsequent missing homework
will cost you a half-letter grade in the class.
In other words:
1 or 2 missing/lame homeworks no penalty.
3 missing homeworks half-letter grade reduction (A becomes an AB,
AB becomes a B, etc.)
4 missing homeworks one-letter grade reduction (A becomes B,
etc.)
5 missing homeworks 1.5-letter grade reduction (A becomes BC,
etc.)
...
10 missing homeworks 4-letter grade reduction (A becomes F, a.k.a.
automatic failure)
Here is the reason for this policy. The homework is the place to
learn. So I dont want to penalize you if you didnt
understand something on the assignment. Hence, the grades on your
homeworks are only worth 10% of your overall grade. When you get your
corrected assignments back, check to make sure you understood the
material, or come see me or the TA to ask questions and debug your
thinking.
On the other hand, I expect you to make an honest effort in the
classnot to skate by, cram, and hope for a passing grade on the two
exams. If you are not willing to take the class seriously and do the
work, you should drop the class, because (with this policy) its
pretty hard to pass otherwise.
Finally, at the end of the day, if you understand what happened in
each homework assignment, you should do fine on the exams! I am not
going to surprise you with material on the exams that had nothing to
do with the homework. Quite the opposite: the exams will be based
specifically on the material on the assignments.
Also:
- There will be approximately one homework assignment per week. You
should budget 4 8 hours per week to do the assignments.
- We will make every effort to return corrected homework to you,
with an answer key as appropriate, within one week of its due date.
- Late homework will not be corrected. This is a practical matter of
respect to the professor and TA, who are responsible for timely and
thoughtful treatment of a significant number of students homework.
- If late homework is turned in before answers are handed out,
though, it will be counted as being done. This gives you a
non-deterministic period typically no longer than a week to get late
homework in. Dont push it.
- As discussed, homework grades are not counted significantly
toward your course grade.
- Exceptions will only be made for serious personal situations.
Copying
Short form: I encourage you to study groups and work with each other,
but all prepared work you turn in must be your own. Do NOT copy
code, solutions, or other text from your study partners or anyone
else.
Long form: In professional as well as academic life outside the
classroom, people seldom work completely on their own. They typically
work in teams and help each other extensively. I have no objection to
you getting help from me or your fellow students. I encourage you to
do so. However,
prepared work in this course is to be each students own.
Students should therefore be familiar with the Universitys
definitions and policies on academic dishonesty, found in the
University course catalog. [above adapted from Prof. Jesse
Heines copying policy]
The contributions of others to your thinking must be acknowledged
in all work you turn in. As UML Prof. Sarah Kuhn says, Using
works of others, or drawing extensively on their ideas, without
clearly stating that they are not your work (by using quotation marks,
and references to the cited work) is plagiarism, a very serious
academic offense. [Prof. Sarah Kuhn, syllabus for 65.790,
from Prof. Marian Williams 91.531 course syllabus.] With each
assignment, you must mention people whom you worked with, who you have
helped, or who have helped you.
Honors Program
Students enrolled in the honors program will be expected to do an
exemplary job with all coursework. Additionally, a term paper or term
project will be required. A due date will be set in early November.
Please schedule a meeting with Prof. Martin to plan the project by
November 1.
Last modified:
Tuesday, 07-Sep-2004 18:47:50 EDT
by
fred_martin@uml.edu
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