4003-520/4005-720 Computer Architecture Spring 20013

What's New

• May 5th: Added a faq for the dlx project.
• May 2nd: I've posted the signup sheets for the 720 presentations and practice presentation outside my door. Make sure to sign up if you haven't done so. The practice presentations begin Monday May 6th after class. All graduate students must sign up for both a practice presentation time and an in class presentation slot.
• April 24th: Homework 5 is now available.
  I've made the overheads for the next couple classes available.
• April 18th: Try should now be working for both the code and EVAL submitions. Please let me know if you have any problems with it.
  I've also put some more test files out in the pub directory.
• April 18th: I've edited the project to correct the try command to submit the team EVAL file. The old command had you submitting to icsg720 (which is incorrect). The new, correct, command is:
  
  try 720-grd dlx-team EVAL
• April 17th: I've placed the answer to question 3.1a outside my door. This is to give an idea of what I'm looking for for the rest of question 3.1.
• April 15th: Posted HW4 questions and solution for HW3.
• April 10th: Added the sample solution, some test files and some code to help with decoding DLX opcodes to the course pub directory.
• April 8th: Added Pipelining and Advanced Pipelining overheads.
• April 7th: Added Homework 3
• April 7th: Added Project 2 and some notes on the DLX ISA.
  NOTE I have not placed any sample code, the executable or any .obj files in the public directory yet. Also, try isn't set up yet either. I will get to all of this as soon as possible.
• March 27th: Started a FAQ for the mano project.
• March 26th: Added a new test file to the pub directory.
  Fixed try so that it now should allow you to submit your porojects. Please let me know ASAP if something is not working.
  Important Notes
  • A series of tests will be run against your project submission; however, only some of these will be displayed as they are run.
  • IF YOU INTERRUPT 'try' BEFORE IT COMPLETES, NONE OF YOUR FILES WILL BE SUBMITTED.
• March 25th: Added 2nd homework assignment
  Added the demo programs to the icsg720 pub directory.
  Added a ReadMe.txt file to the pub/small_mano directory.
• March 19th: Added the link to the next set of overheads.
  Placed the supporting files for project 1 out in the pub directory of the icsg720 account.
• March 14th: A bunch of additions to the Document section.
• March 4th: New quarter

Syllabus

• 4005-720 Grad Syllabus
• 4005-720 Termpaper Requirements
• 4003-520 Under-grad Syllabus

Plagiarism Paper

NOTE I WILL NOT grade any of your work until you have submitted this paper

• Plagiarism Paper Requirements

ICSS520 Homework

NOTE all homework is due at the beginning of class.

• Homework 1 Due date: Mar. 25
• Homework 2 Due date: April 8
• Homework 3 Due date: April 13
  To turn in HW 3 you will need the following coding sheets (pulled from the homework to simplify using).
  Solution for Homework 3
• Homework 4 Due date: April 24
  I've placed the answer to 3.1a outside my door to give an idea of what I'm looking for in the rest of that question.
• Homework 5 Due date: May 8
  Solution for Homework 5

Projects

NOTE all Projects are electronically submitted and are due at 11:59:59pm on the specified date.

• You may find Prof. Carithers common project Q/A from previous quarters file to be helpful.
  
  
• Project 1 Due date: April 3rd.
  Supporting Documentation
  • Computer Architecture: Design Using RTL, Document containing the description of Mano's simple machine.
  • Pub directory of the icsg720 account. Of interest for this project are the small_mano and the bin.solaris/small_mano directories.
    NOTE the provided sample object files do not cover all the possible instructions, no less all the possible interesting conditions of the instructions. I highly recommend that you create some of your own files for testing.
  • FAQ for Mano's simple machine
• Project 2 Due date: May 6th.
  Supporting Documentation
  • A set of DLX architecture and control flow diagrams: PDF
  • The DLX instruction set and addressing modes
  • RTL descriptions of the DLX instructions:
    • bit 0 in the low-order (LSb) position
  • FAQ for DLX

Exams

The planned date for exam 1 is during week 6

Planned date is April 17th

The planned date for exam 2 is during finals week?

Exam 2 will be on May 20

Class Overheads

• Comp. Arch. introduction
• Comp. Arch. cost and performance
• Notes on the Arch library
• Instruction Set Architecture
• Control Unit Design
• Pipelining
• Advanced Pipelining
• Memory 1
• Memory 2
• Memory 2

Documents

• NOTE, make sure your NAME is on every document and file you send to me.

• Refence book for information on control sequencers:

  Computer System Architecture 3rd edition by M. Morris Mano, Prentice-Hall Inc. 1993

  Specificly look for information in:

  • Chapter 5, Basic Computer Organization and Design
  • Chapter 7, Microprogrammed Control

  Note this book is used by the Computer Organization class (4003-352) so should be available in the bookstore.

• Notes about the arch library:
  • A simple document describing the structure of the arch library: PostScript, PDF
  • C++ Architecture Library documentation produced by Rational Rose is available in HTML and MSWord format.
    For those who want a better view of the relationships between the various classes in the arch2-2 library.
  • You may find Prof. Carithers answers to common questions about the arch library to be helpful.
  • Prof. Carithers description of the arch library object module format may be useful if you want to build your own test programs.

• Computer Architecture: Design Using RTL, an introduction to the use of RTL in design (from 0603-352, Computer Organization)).

• Computer Architecture: Microprogrammed Control Units, an introduction to microprogrammed design (from 0603-352, Computer Organization)).

• Errata lists for the textbook, in PDF and PostScript form. Note that there are separate lists for different printings of the text.

• Preparing color transparencies for printing
  • The color printer is loaded with transparencies, which are fairly expensive commodities, so it is important that you prepare your slides properly and preview them before printing to avoid waste (and to keep us from having a lab fee!)

• WML services: preparing color transparencies

• CS 4 standards document for C++.
  Note these are only a guideline for how I want your code to look. Specifically I want your code to be neat, clear, and consistant. I'm looking for:
• reasonable length functions
• program file headers with your name
• function and class headers
• clear and consistant indentation
• Jim Heliotis has a public directory containing a large number of useful files for the "arch" package and this course. The path is:
• /usr/local/pub/jeh/Architecture
• Beginners guide to high performance computing (some nice definitions). High Performance Computing . A little simple, but it could be useful.