CSC-2410 Computer Systems

Fall 2023

Course Description: An introduction to instruction set architecture, microarchitecture, and system architecture. Topics include basic computer organization, central processor and memory, addressing techniques, data representation, fundamental programming techniques in assembly and machine language as it relates to operating systems and high level languages. The course also includes exposure to networking and communication as well as parallel and distributed computing.

Prerequisites: CSC-1720

Course time expectation/week: This is a 4 four hour course. According to SACs, our accrediting body, we are required to meet 200 minutes per week for 15 weeks. In addition, you are expected to work on projects and assignments for at least 8 hours (480 minutes) outside of class per week. A portion of the 8 hours should be spent in the computer lab each week in relation to this course.

Course Materials:

1. Required: An on-line resource Dive into Systems , Suzanne J. Matthews, Tia Newhall, Kevin C. Webb

2. Required: Logisim A graphical tool for designing and simulating logic circuits. Also available in the computer lab.

3. Recommended: Plantz, Robert G., Introduction to Computer Organization with x86-64 Assembly Language & GNU/Linux. Web version found here at author's web site along with an ARM Assembly Language on a Raspberry Pi. For a small charge an ebook/pdf and paperback versions are available at lulu.com

4. Optional: Aho, Alfred and Ullman, Jeffrey, Foundations of Computer Science - C edition, Computer Science Press. Resource found at here at author's web site. Chapters 12 and 13 will be usefull.

5. The department will provide all software necessary to complete the course. This will require the student to have an account on the departmental server. This account will give them access to the software and space to store solutions to assignments. Access to the server will be provided through a workstation in the departmental lab as well as from any remote location on and VPN access when off campus.

Course Objectives: After successfully completing this course, the you will have

1. Understand how characters, integers, real numbers, text, images, and sound are stored and processed digitally.

2. Develop an understanding of the relationship between code written in C or assembler then translated into conventional machine language.

3. To understand and analyze the costs associated with application performance.

4. To become more proficient in the use of debugging tools such as gdb and lldb.

5. Develop an understanding of how assembly programs implement the run-time stack in a high level language such as C/C++.

6. Developed an understanding of the digital logic level of a computer system.

7. Design, simplify, test, and build sequential and combinational circuits to solve a variety of problems.

8. Develop an understanding of the network stack to the extent of implementing a socket program.

9. Describe how the CPU control unit interprets a machine-level instruction either directly or as a microprogram.

10. Demonstrate an understanding of how performance can be increased by utilizing multiple processors, multiple cores, threading, or with multiple GPUs.

Class Preparation: It is assumed that you will read the assigned chapters. Although the material may be summarized, lectures will be used mainly to further demonstrate other approaches to problem solving and to answer specific questions.

Lab Topics: There is a lab associated with this class. Each lab will involve some aspect of computer organization. Lab topic examples:

1. Low level C code/Assembly Language Programming.

2. Installing and configuring Linux on a Raspberrry Pi.

3. Transistors, basic gate logic and Karnaugh Maps.

4. Sequential and Combinational circuit design.

5. Design and implement the Fetch-Decode-Execute for a simple assembly language in Logisim.

6. Parallel distributive computing utilizing openMP and openMPI.

NOTE: Part of your grade on all labs will be documentation. If you submit a solution and the solution is lacking clear and concise documentation, your grade on the project will suffer. This includes excessive documentation.

Course Policy:

Assessment: The course objectives will be assessed through major tests, the final exam and problem set assignments. The final grade will be determined as follows:

Quizzes/Worksheets 10%

Lab Projects 30%

2-3 Major Tests: 45%

Cumulative Final Exam: 15%

Total: 100%

Range	93-100	90-93	87-90	83-87	80-83	77-80	73-77	70-73	67-70	63-67	60-63	0-60
Grade	A	A-	B+	B	B-	C+	C	C-	D+	D	D-	F

You must score at least the minimum of a category to be given the associated grade, i.e. an average of 80 is a B- not a C+.

Major tests and Final Exam: All tests and final exam will consist primarily of problem solving type questions similar to the homework assignments and quizzes. No make up test will be given unless prior arrangements have been made with excusable reasons. If you miss a test your final grade will be used in place of the missed grade. This means the percentage of the final exam will increase. If you miss the final exam, a 0 will be placed in all missing tests.

Quizzes, class worksheets and assignments: In addition to the major tests and final exam, students will participate in series of problem sets to further develop skills and understanding of the material. Each assignment will focus on a collection of problems that target each learning objective individually or a combination of learning objectives. Successful completion of the assignments will prepare the student for major tests and final exam. There will be at least 12. There is no makeup for these items. For this reason, two will be dropped to accommodate an occasional absence.

Attendance: High Point University recognizes and honors the value of the face-to-face classroom experience for enhancing student engagement and academic outcomes. Attendance will be taken daily at the beginning of class. As such, you are expected to be present in every class meeting with the exception of an illness that requires quarantine or other reasons pre-approved by the instructor. In those cases, approved online accommodations will be provided. If absent from class, you are responsible for all lectures, in-class exercises, assignments, and handouts. Caution: Being absent from class does not change the due date of assignments. Before a student is dropped for non-attendance, I will give a notification as a warning to a student that he/she is in danger of violating the attendance requirements.

Honor Code: All students are expected to follow the University Honor Code, Full details of the High Point University Honor Code are found here: https://www.highpoint.edu/community-standards/university-honor-code. All academic work should be completed with the highest level of honesty and integrity.

Professionalism: The Mission Statement of the Webb School of Engineering is: To provide an extraordinary engineering education through the delivery of a hands-on, practical education that prepares graduates for a rewarding career or admission into graduate school. The School of Engineering is committed to:

• Providing an environment that encourages curiosity.

• Developing technical competence within a Liberal Arts framework.

• Fostering independent thought and critical thinking to solve modern engineering and computing problems in an ethical, socially-responsible, and sustainable manner.

Please treat this class as if it were a company or organization for which you are working. You can exhibit professionalism by attending consistently, arriving on time, communicating your full or partial absence in a timely fashion, completing assignments on time, maintaining engagement, and respecting your peers and the professor.

Classroom etiquette:

• Cell phone usage during class is prohibited. Turn off cell phones (or silence mode) and place into backpack, i.e. remove phone from access during class.

• Do not listen to your digital media during class or lab time.

• Profanity will not be tolerated. Lewd remarks printed on your clothing are also not tolerated.

• Hats should not to be worn during class.

• Laptops are allowed during class and can only be used for class related instruction. Inappropriate use of a laptop, desktop or other electronic computing device during class will result in you being asked to leave the room.

Lab etiquette:

• The labs were created with student input. Please help respect and maintain the lab.

• Do not eat while sitting at a workstation. If you must eat while in the lab, sit a the larger table where no equipment may be damaged except your own. Clean up the area after you finish eating.

• Clean up your area before you leave the lab. Unless you are planning to return in a few minutes, please take all books, paper, etc with you.

• DO NOT lock your workstation when you leave!

Students with Disabilities: High Point University is committed to ensuring all students have equal access to all services and benefits at High Point University. If you are a student with a disability and require academic accommodations due to a diagnosed disability, you must register with the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (OARS) and submit the appropriate documentation. Requests for accommodations should be made at the beginning of a course. Accommodations are not retroactive. Contact us at oars@highpoint.edu or by telephone at 336-841-9026, for additional information. The Office of Accessibility Resource and Services is located on the 4^th Floor of Smith. Library.

Face covering: Wearing a face mask reduces the risk of COVID-19 transmission and is a step we can all take to care for the members of our HPU family. This class will abide by the guidelines that are set forth by the University. Please note this may change as the semester progresses.

Course Topics:

1. Introduction

2. Computer Systems Organization - Chapter 0 Introduction

3. Relevant Historical Computer Architecture/Organization.

4. Conventional machine level and assembly language level - Chapters 4, 6, and some of 3.

   • Data types - representation of numeric data.

   • Processor architecture - instruction types, register sets, addressing modes.

   • Instruction type, sequencing, flow-of-control, subroutine call and return mechanism.

   • I/O fundamentals.

   • Interrupt mechanisms - vectored and prioritized.

   • Assembly to machine code translation.

   • Low-level architecture support for high-level languages.

   • Using debuging tools - gdb, lldb, ddd.

5. Digital Logic level - Chapter 5

   • Gates, Circuits, Sequential and Combinational Logic.

   • boolean algebra, De Morgan's theorem, and Karnaugh maps.

   • Multiplexer, Demultiplexer, and the program logic array.

   • Flip-flops and memory.

   • Adders/Shifters.

   • Simple CPU with buses, registers, and memory.

6. Microprogramming level - Chapter 5

   • The control unit - hardwired or microprogrammed.

   • CPU simulation.

   • RISC vs CISC.

   • Instruction pipelining and instruction-level parallelism.

   • Processor and system performance.

7. Performance Chapter 11 and 12.

   • Caching and Memory Hierarchy

   • Code Optimization

8. Operating System - Chapter 13-14

   • Booting the OS kernel

   • Process and process states

   • Vitrual Memory

   • Interprocess Communication - signal processing

   • Kernel modules

9. Multiprocessing - Chapter 15

   • Multicore and multithreaded processors.

   • Multiprocessor structures and architectures.

   • GPU and special purpose graphics processors.

   • Programming multiprocessor systems.