CSCE 230: Computer Organization, Fall 2009

Department of Computer Science and Engineering

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

9:30-10:20 PM, MWF, Avery Hall, Room 119

Quick Links: Web Handin: (for Lab, HW, etc.) 230L Web Page 230 Class Wiki Scores Distribution  UNL BlackBoard

News & Announcements

Instructor:  Sharad C. Seth, Avery Hall, Room 359

Phone: 472-5003
Email: seth at cse dot unl dot edu
Office Hours:  @AvH 359, 1:30-2:30 pm, M,W,F (send email to see me, otherwise)

Teaching Assistant: David Anthony 

David will help me grade 230 homework and tests and assist you in the 230 recitation and 230 Lab sessions.

Email: danthony at cse dot unl dot edu
Office Hours: @SRC, Tuesday, 1:00-2:00 pm and 4:00-5:00 pm (by appointment, otherwise)

Teaching Assistant: Dan Riedler

Dan will help you with work related to the 230 Lab and the group project.

Email: driedler at gmail dot com
Office Hours: @SRC, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:30 am - 1:30 pm

Required Text Book: Computer Organization and Design: The Hardware/Software Interface, Fourth Editionby David A. Patterson and John L. Hennessy, Morgan Kaufmann 2009, ISBN: 978-0-12-374493-7 (pbk).

Important: The fourth edition is a substantial revision of the third edition therefore beware that buying the third edition will be to your disadvantage. The second and earlier editions are  even more outdated and  not recommended. Here is a link to the Companion Website for the textbook.

Syllabus: Often, answers to your questions about grading etc. can be  found in the syllabus, therefore make it a habit of  reviewing it from time to time


Course Schedule

Lecture Schedule

Week of Monday Wednesday Friday
Topics
Assignment Topics
Assignment Topics Assignment
8/24 First-day administrivia: Syllabus, etc.  Read Sections 1.1-1.3 and try Exercises 1.1 and 1.2 on your own Computer Abstraction and Technology-1 Read Sections 1.4-16 and try some of exercises  1.3-1.10 on your own Computer Abstraction and Technology-2, Example Double-Elimination Tournament (related to prereq sample problem) Read Section 1.7-1.10 and try some of exercises 1.11-1.16 on your own.
Prerequisite Test - Format TBA
8/31 Computer Abstraction and Technology - 3, Example: Why geometric mean? Homework 1 (due 9/9/09, before class) Logic Design Introduction (Appendix C) Read pp. C-3 to C-10, C-17 to C-18 Quiz 1 on logic design
Logic Design (Appendix C): Performance measures (literal cost and delay), iterative-array design of adder for n-but unsigned binary numbers
Read pp. C-18 to C-20, Sec C.5 (pp. C-26 to C-33)
Do practice problem on structured design
I will be posting online (Maple TA) prerequisite test on BlackBoard later today
9/7 Labor Day Two's-complement representation
Logic Design (Appendix C) Bit-sliced ALU design
Review Section 2.4, pp. 87-94, Section C.5 (C-26 to C-33)
Homework 2 (due 9/16/09, before class)
Boolean algebra and applications Read pp. C-6, C-7
9/14 Sequential Logic: SR and D Latches, Latch Registers Read Sec C.8, pp. C-50 to C-53 Setup and hold times, Metastability, Read/Write registers,  Sec. C.8, up to p. C-54 to C-56; Sec C.9, pp. C-58 to C-65.
Homework 3 (due 9/23/09, before class)
Registers, Register Files, and RAM Read pp.C-54 to C-56; Sec C.9, pp. C-58 to C-65.
9/21 Registers, Register Files, and RAM (contd.) Registers, Register Files, and RAM (contd.) Test 1 on Chapter 1 and Apps. C & D
9/28 Introduction to hardware algorithms: Serial Adder Sec C.10 Hardware algorithms for arithmetic: Serial adder and multiplier Read Sec 3.3, pp. 230-234

Homework 4 (due 10/7/09, before class)
Hardware algorithms for arithmetic (updated)
Completion of RTL design method, General procedure for designing finite state machines; Examples of using Espresso, the logic minimization tool (see the man page)
10/5 Intro to MIPS (Ch. 2) Read Ch. 2, pp. 74-82 Intro to MIPS assembly lComponents of assembly language, assembly and linking of program modules up to Section 2.3 Intro to MIPS assembly language (updated overheads), MIPS Green Card Sections 2.4-2.5
10/12 Intro to MIPS (lw, sw) Intro to MIPS: branches; Read logical operations (Sec 2.6 on your own). Read Sec 2.6 and 2.7

Homework 5 (updated 10/16) (due 10/21/09, before class)
MIPS Procedures, leaf procedures, register-use and call conventions Read Sec. 2.8
10/19 Fall Break Recursive procedures, stack and activation frame Read Sec. 2.8 Midterm Test
10/26 Process synchronization, Intro to MIPS assembly language (updated overheads), Translating and Starting a Program, Putting it altogether Read Sec. 2.11-2.13 Processor Design Introduction (Ch. 4) Read Secs. 4.1-4.4

Homework 6 (due 11/5/09, before class)
Processor Design - Single cycle datapath
11/2 Processor Design: Singl-cycle datapath +control, In-class exercise In-class exercise (contd),  Introduction to Pipelining Read Section 4.5
11/9 Introduction to Memory Hierarchy & Cache Homework 7 (Ch 4: Processor Design) 
11/16
11/23 Homework 8 (Ch5: Memory Hierarchy) Thanksgiving Break
11/30
12/7
FINAL EXAM: Tuesday, December 15, 10 am - 12 pm

Reference Material

MIPS Green Card
Boolean Identities

Homework

1 (Ch. 1) 
2 (App. C) 
3 (App. C)
4 (Apps. C & D, Ch. 3)
5 (Ch. 2)
6 (Ch. 2)
7 (Ch. 4)
8 (Ch. 5)

Project

Overview
First Milestone
Second Milestone
Assignment
Processor Handout (zip file)

Third Milestone
Fourth Milestone


Web Links


Last updated August 4, 2009