Syllabus for MCS-284: Computer Organization (Fall 2014)
Overview
MCS-284 will cover the architecture and organization of computer
hardware. We will look at the MIPS architecture as a representative
modern RISC architecture and do some assembly language programming
for that architecture. We'll see how numbers are represented within a
computer and how arithmetic operations are performed.
With a high-level overview of digital
logic design to support us, we'll look at how the datapaths and
control circuits of processors are designed.
We'll study pipelining and instruction-level parallelism,
the key
organizational principles at work in present-day processor cores.
We'll examine the use of memory hierarchy (cache memory and virtual
memory) to provide the illusion of a large fast memory from the
reality of limited fast memory plus a larger but slower memory. We'll
see how multiple processor cores are joined in Central Processing Units and Graphics Processing Units
and how multiple computers are joined in networks.
Throughout the course there will be an emphasis on the quantitative
performance characteristics of computer systems; we'll look at the
influence of architecture and organization on performance and take an
introductory look at the empirical and analytical tools appropriate to
the study of performance. Performance measurement will be one of the
main themes reinforced through the lab assignments; the other will be
assembly language programming.
Office hours
I welcome visitors to my office (OHS 304)
on a drop-in basis as well as by appointment.
You may send me electronic mail at sskulrat@gustavus.edu.
World Wide Web
All course materials will be available through my World Wide Web page.
The URL for this course is http://gustavus.edu/~sskulrat/Courses/2014F-284/.
After this syllabus I will give hardcopy handouts only to those
students who want them.
Text
Our text will be the fifth edition of
Computer Organization and Design: The Hardware/Software
Interface by David A. Patterson and John L. Hennessy, published
by Elsevier Science.
Homework assignment policy
I will assign a collection of homework problems for each chapter.
You may turn in by email or hardcopy
any individual homework problem whenever you think you have it
solved. I will return it to you as quickly as I can, but normally
with only an indication of whether it is acceptable or needs more
work. The reason why I won't write much on the work I turn back to
you is because I would like to talk with you face-to-face. If a problem needs more work, you should treat that as an invitation to
come talk with me about it. Once you've done the additional work, you
may turn the problem in again, attached to (or clearly marked on) the original. In fact, you may turn each problem
in as many times as you like, until it is marked as acceptable. Your
grade for the homework portion of the course will be based on the
fraction of homework problems that you eventually did acceptably.
The final deadline for rewrites of homework problems is at the start of class
on October 2nd for Chapters 1-3,
November 13th for Appendix C and Chapters 4-5, and December 11th for
Chapter 6-7 and Appendix A.
Unless I indicate that a particular problem must be done individually,
you may work on any problem in a group of two or three students.
One copy of the solution produced by the team should
be turned in, with all team members' names on it. Write “we all
contributed fairly to this solution” and have all team members sign
under that statement.
You must show your work; a numerical answer is not an acceptable solution to a homework problem.
Tests
There will be two intra-term take-home tests as shown on the
schedule and a final exam as scheduled by the registrar. If you have a conflict with a testing time, please
contact me as soon as possible to make an alternative arrangement.
My default assumption is that students will take the final together.
Therefore, I would ask you to please be
respectful and quiet, even after completing your exam, so that your
fellow students have a good test-taking environment.
However, if you prefer to take the exam in a
separate room, please contact me in advance and I will try to
arrange it.
Tests will be closed-book and mostly closed-notes. You may, however, use a
single 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper with hand-written notes for
reference. (Both sides of the sheet are OK.)
Honor
Students are encouraged to discuss the course, including issues raised
by the assignments. However, the solutions to assignments
should be individual original work unless otherwise specified. If an
assignment makes you realize you don't understand the material, ask a
fellow student a question designed to improve your understanding,
not one designed to get the assignment done. To do otherwise is to
cheat yourself out of understanding as well as to be intolerably
dishonorable.
Any substantive contribution to your solution by another person or
taken from a publication should be properly acknowledged in writing.
Failure to do so is plagiarism and will necessitate disciplinary
action.
The same standards regarding plagiarism apply to team projects as to
the work of individuals, except that the author is now the entire team
rather than an individual. Anything taken from a source outside the
team should be properly cited.
One additional issue that arises from the team authorship of
project reports is that all team members must stand behind all reports
bearing their names. All team members have quality assurance
responsibility for the entire project. If there is irreconcilable
disagreement within the team it is necessary to indicate as much in
the report.
You are expected to be familiar with the college academic honesty
honor code policy and to comply with that policy. If you have any
questions about it, please ask.
Late lab assignments
All lab assignments are due at the beginning of class on
the day indicated. Late assignments will be penalized by one “grade
notch” (such as A to A- or A- to B+) for each weekday late or fraction
thereof.
If you are too sick to complete an assignment on time, you
will not be penalized. Simply write “late due to illness” at the
top of the assignment, sign your name and hand it in. Other circumstances
will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Grade changes
Please point out any arithmetic or clerical error I make in grading,
and I will gladly fix it. You may also request reconsideration if I
have been especially unjust.
Grading
The course components will contribute to your grade in the following
proportion:
- Test 1: 15%
- Test 2: 15%
- Final exam: 20%
- Homework: 26% (based on fraction done: see above)
- Labs: 24% (4 @ 6% each)
Please see me if you have any
question how you stand. Class participation is not graded; however,
it allows you to find and repair the gaps in your understanding before
doing the assignments and thus can dramatically improve your grade.
You are responsible for all course material, whether or not you are
present when it was covered or distributed.
Style guidelines
All assignments should be readily readable, and should
not presuppose that I already know what you are trying to say. Use
full English sentences
and clear diagrams, programs, etc. Remember that your goal is to
communicate clearly, and that the appearance of these technical items
plays a role in this communication process. Be sure your assignments
are always stapled together and that your name is always on them.
Disability Services
Gustavus Adolphus College is committed to ensuring the full participation
of all students in its programs. If you have a documented disability
(or you think you may have a disability of any nature) and, as a result,
need reasonable academic accommodation to participate in class, take tests
or benefit from the College's services, then you should speak with
the Disability Services Coordinator, for a confidential discussion of
your needs and appropriate plans. Course requirements cannot be waived,
but reasonable accommodations may be provided based on disability documentation
and course outcomes. Accommodations cannot be made retroactively; therefore,
to maximize your academic success at Gustavus, please contact Disability Services
as early as possible.
Disability Services
(www.gustavus.edu/advising/disability/)
is located in the Academic Support Center.
Help for Multilingual Students
Support for English learners and multilingual students is available
through the Academic Support Center's English Learning Specialist
(www.gustavus.edu/advising/).
The ELS can meet individually with students for tutoring in writing, consulting
about academic tasks, and helping students connect with the College's support systems.
The ELS can provide students with a letter to
a professor that explains and supports appropriate academic arrangements
(e.g., additional time on tests, additional revisions for papers).
In addition, English learners and multilingual students can seek help from peer tutors in the Writing Center
(www.gustavus.edu/writingcenter/).