UNIVERSITY OF BELIZE
FACULTY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
COURSE OUTLINE FOR ADVANCED COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE
(CMPS 412) 3 CREDITS
SEMESTER 2, 2003
JANUARY - MAY
Instructor:
Dr. Dennis Vickers
Course Title:
Advanced Computer Architecture
Subject Area/Course No:
CMPS412
Prerequisite:
CMPS 246 or equivalent.
Office Phone No.
TBA
Email Address:
dvickers@ub.edu.bz
Office/Conference Hours: TBA
Sections/Class Hours:
Section 1
TTH
1:15-2:45 pm D3
Textbook:
Computer System Architecture, Third Edition, M. Morris
Mano
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course covers advanced topics in computer architecture such a micro program
organization and processing, instruction pipelining, central processor organization, I/O
devices and communication techniques, and memory organization.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Through successful completion of this course, students will have and understanding of:
 Major techniques for representing numeric and alphanumeric data in binary
form.
 Register transfer concepts and their use in the analysis and design of computer
systems.
 Internal and external characteristics of central processing units.
 Parallel processing techniques used to increase the computational speed of
computer systems.
 Differences between RISC and CISC architectures.
 Logic diagrams for complex arithmetic processes, including binary multiplier
and divider units.
 Various types of I/O interfaces and their effect on performance.
 Various types of computer memory and how these types are organized to
improve performance.
 Major characteristics of several current computer architectures.
Overall, this course is designed to equip students with an in-depth understanding of the
design characteristics of modern computers.
COURSE SCHEDULE:
Introduction:
 Class introduction
 Course goals, methods, content, procedures
Micro program control organization:
Reading: Chapter 7.
 Control memory
 Address sequencing
 Micro program example
 Design of control unit
Central processor organization:
Reading: Chapter 8.
 General register organization
 Stack organization
 Instruction formats
 Addressing modes
 Data transfer and manipulation
 Program control
 Reduced and complex instruction sets
Pipeline and vector processing:
Reading: Chapter 9.
 Parallel processing
 Pipelining
 Arithmetic pipeline
 Instruction pipeline
 RISC pipeline
 Vector processing
 Array processors
Computer Arithmetic:
Reading: Chapter 10.
 Addition and subtraction
 Multiplication algorithms
 Division algorithms
 Floating-point arithmetic operations
 Decimal arithmetic
Input/Output organization:
Reading: Chapter 11.
 Peripheral devices
 I/O interfaces
 Asynchronous data transfer
 Modes of transfer
 Priority interrupts
 Direct memory access
 I/O processor
 Serial communication
Memory Organization:
Reading: Chapter 12
 Memory hierarchy
 Main memory
 Auxiliary memory
 Associative memory
 Cache memory
 Virtual memory
 Memory management hardware
Multiprocessors:
Reading: Chapter 13:
 Characteristics of multiprocessors
 Interconnection structures
 Inter-processor arbitration
 Inter-processor communication and synchronization
 Cache coherence
EVALUATION:
Students will be assessed periodically on participation in classroom discussions.
These assessments will account for 10% of the final grade.
Homework questions (generally one set each week) will be turned in, graded, and
returned. The questions will consist of problems similar to those in the textbook,
as well as short-answer essay questions designed to give students the opportunity
to demonstrate their understanding of technical concepts in context. The average
of homework grades will account for 25% of the final grade.
Students will write a research paper of approximately 1,000 words (four pages,
double spaced), applying concepts presented in class to current-day computers.
The first drafts of these research papers are due at the end of the seventh week of
classes. Grades, notes and comments on these first drafts will be returned to
students at the end of the ninth week of classes. Students will rewrite based on the
notes and comments and turn in a final draft at the end of the thirteenth week. The
average of the grades for the first and the final drafts of the research paper will
account for 25% of the final grade.
There will be a comprehensive final examination consisting of questions similar
to those included in the homework assignments and interim examinations. The
final examination score will account for 40% of the final grade.
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION:
Most classroom hours will be used for lectures, class discussions, and resolution
of student questions, the latter two being driven by student questions and interests.
To benefit from classroom hours most effectively, students should:
 Complete reading assignments on time. Make notes regarding your
questions and topics you would like to investigate further. Bring these
notes to class.
 Complete homework assignments on time. Some homework questions will
be discussed and resolved in class.
GRADING SYSTEM:
Description
Letter
Range
Quality
Excellent
A
AB+
B
C+
C
D+
D
F
95-100
90-94
85-89
80-84
75-79
70-74
65-69
60-64
0-59
4.0
3.75
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0
Good
Satisfactory
Passing
Failure
CLASS POLICIES:
Drop/Add: Conforms to UB policies and schedules.
Assignments: Scores for assignments submitted late will be reduced
appropriately.
Academic dishonesty: Conforms to UB policies and penalties