4300 COMP Computer
Architecture
Dr. Xiao Qin
Auburn University
http://www.eng.auburn.edu/~xqin
[e-mail]
Fall, 2010
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Outline
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Course Objectives
Course Content & Grading
Laboratory Assignments
Technology Trends
COMP 4300: Semester Calendar
See the class webpage for the most up to date version!
http://www.eng.auburn.edu/~xqin/courses/comp4300
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Download Lab 1, done individually.
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Lab 1 due Wednesday.
What is Computer Architecture?
Computer architecture is the conceptual design and
fundamental operational structure of a computer system.
Hardware Designer
Computer Architect
thinks about circuits,
components, timing,
functionality, ease of
Debugging
thinks about high-level
components, how they fit together,
how they work together to deliver
performance.
building architect
construction engineer
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Sony PlayStation 3
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Resistance Fall of Man
Source: images.playsyde.com
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PS 3 vs. PS 2
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Cell Multi-Core Processor
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IBM's Blue Gene/L Supercomputer
14 Sixteen racks of can perform 70.7 trillion calculations per second.
Cellular architecture for
IBM's Blue Gene/L Supercomputer
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A cellular architecture is a type of computer architecture
prominent in parallel computing
PS3 Supercomputer
Source: http://gammasquad.uproxx.com/2009/12/department-of-defense-loves-the-ps3
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Parallel Applications on
Supercomputers
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Why Study Computer Architecture?
Position
Software Engineer - Services Research
Location
San Jose, California
Company
IBM
Part of the Work in Services Design efforts.
Job
Computer Science skills in: Software design, Implementation,
Description Documentation skills, Software Programming (Java), XML, Virtual
World experience, Eclipse RCP skills, Information Analytics,
Machine Learning, System Design & data mining area, Software
development, RDBMS, Web application development, Text mining,
Databases, computer architecture, Artificial intelligence,
programming languages, business data analytics, text analytics,
Information Retrieval Skills. C Programming is a bonus.
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Why Study Computer Architecture?
Position
Senior Software Engineer
Location
Washington, DC
Company
Intel
Part of the You should possess at least a Bachelor of Science degree and
Job
possibly more advanced degrees with extensive experience as
Description graphics programmer in the video game industry. Additional
qualifications include:
- Solid understanding of Direct X*, OpenGL*, and Shaders*
- Strong experience with C/C++ language and Windows*
development environment
- A good communicator and comfortable with public speaking
- Multithreading experience and computer architecture knowledge
would be an added advantage
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Why Study Computer Architecture?
Position
Software Engineer, Compilers
Location
Mountain View, CA
Company
Google
Part of the
Job
Descriptio
n
Responsibilities:
* Performance analysis
* Development of advanced tools
* Implement state of the art compiler optimizations
* Integration into the GCC public repository
Requirements:
* Comprehensive and recognized knowledge in compilers,
optimization technology, and algorithms
* understanding Deep of computer architecture
* Strong debugging/analytical skills
* Solid practical C/C++ experience
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Why Study Computer Architecture?
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Why Study Computer Architecture?
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Will it be worthwhile?
Absolutely!
even through few of you will become CA
designers
The fundamental issues and solutions
translate across a wide spectrum of
computer systems.
Crisp solutions in the context of
RISC/CISC/Parallel machines.
Pioneered at the thin-end of the platform
pyramid on the most-demanding
applications
migrate downward with time
SuperServers
Understand implications for softwareDepartmenatal Servers
Workstations
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Personal Computers
What will you get out of COMP4300?
To learn the principles behind the design of modern
computer systems (e.g., tradeoffs: cost vs. performance,
speed vs. flexibility)
To understand the design of instruction sets
To learn pipelining techniques
To understand issues in hierarchical memory system
design
To classify and describe storage systems
To demonstrate the ability to develop simulators for
processors
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Topic Coverage
Textbook: Patterson and Hennessy,
Computer Architecture: A Quantitative
Approach, 4th Ed., 2007.
Covers (These topics may change)
Basics of machine organization
Principles of instruction set design
Instruction set principles and examples
Pipelining
Memory hierarchy design
Storage systems and clusters
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Am I going to read the book to you?
NO!
Book provides a framework and complete
background, so lectures can be more
interactive.
You do the reading
Well discuss it
Projects will go beyond
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Course Syllabus
Prerequisite: COMP 3350 Computer Organization and assembly
Language Programming
2-3 homework assignments and 4 lab
assignments.
Due at the start of class.
Late assignments will NOT be accepted without prior
arrangement.
1 midterm exam and 1 final exam
Grading
Quizzes
Midterm
Final Exam
Home
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15%
20%
20%
15%
30%
Course Syllabus (cont.)
Scale
Letter grades will be awarded based on the following
scale. This scale may be adjusted upwards if it is
necessary based on the final grades.
A [90, 100], B [80,90), C [70,80), D [60,70), F
[0,60)
Cheating
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All assignments have to be done individually.
Students may discuss with their friends.
Assignments submitted must be yours.
Please do not attempt to recycle answers from the
Internet (plagiarism).
Office Hours
Office hours: MWF 1:50-2:30pm
TA: Yun Tian, Yun Tian, [e-mail]
Office Hour: MW 9:00pm-10:00pm.
Office: 2319 Shelby Center
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Laboratory Assignments
Four lab assignments (30% of final score)
Programming languages (C, C++, or
Java)
All projects should be made to compile
under a compiler on Linux.
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Simulating Simple Machines
Implement instruction set architectures
Develop single and multi-cycle machines
Design and implement pipelined datapath
with interlocks and forwarding
Controlling a diverse pipeline with a
scoreboard
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For Next Time
1. Read Chapter 1 - Fundamentals of
Computer Design
2. Technology Trends
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Questions
Please ask at any time!
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