CDA 3101
Topics

The following is a rough outline of the subjects we will cover during the semester:

Chapter 1: computer technologies

• abstract computer systems
• motherboards and peripherals
• integrated circuits

Number systems [presentation interleaved with chapters 2 & 3]

• unsigned, variable width: binary, octal, decimal, hexadecimal
• base conversions
• signed, fixed width: sign-magnitude, 1's complement, 2's complement
• binary arithmetic
• IEEE 754 floating point representation and arithmetic

Chapters 2-3: MIPS assembly language

• MIPS assembly programming
• translating C to MIPS assembly code
• supporting function calls with stackframes
• hand execution
• instruction encoding
• pseudo instruction -> native instruction(s)
• two-pass hand assembly

Chapter 4: performance

• performance measurement: Time_exec = CPI * IC * Time_cycle
• benchmarking: types and theory
• Amdahl's law

Chapters 3, 5, and Appendix B: building blocks

• logic gates
• multiplexors, encoders, decoders, adders, d flip-flop
• sequential and combinational logic circuits
• inner working of the ALU
• inner workings of the register file

Chapter 5: single & multicycle datapaths

• functional units
• how instructions propagate through the datapath
• control lines and the MC control state machine
• adding support for new instructions

Chapter 6: pipelined datapath

• the theory of pipelining
• building a pipelined datapath
• understanding the pipeline registers fields: which instructions use what fields.
• how a single instruction propagates through the datapath
• identifying dependencies and hazards in a sequence of instructions
• mitigating the impact of dependencies: forwarding and hazards detection
• adding support for new instructions

Chapter 7: memory hierarchy

• caches and why they are used
• types of caches: associativity
• cache size/topology v. performance
• the common framework for memory hierarchies: the 4 questions
• virtual memory

This website is an original work, Copyright © 2008 by Dave Small. All rights reserved.