ELEC2310 Computer Architecture [UG]

The availability of units in Semester 1, 2, etc. was correct at the time of going to press but may be subject to change. For the most up-to-date information click on the Timetable link below.

Credit: 6 points Availability: Semester 2 (See Timetable) Old unit code: ENGT2310

Outcomes: Students gain skills in evaluating, experimenting with, and optimising the performance of computer architectures from single processors to parallel computers; understand the foundational concepts needed for learning about computer systems and describing the technological context of current computer organisations; and understand the foundation concepts of various classes of parallel computers, which is expanded to evaluating and optimising their performance.

Content: This unit covers components of a computer, classification of computer architectures, Von Neumann and Harvard architectures, Flynn's classification, benchmarking and performance measurement, instruction set architecture, CPU components, CPU internal buses, microprogramming, hardwired control, input/output (I/O), bus organisation, DMA I/O, memory-mapped I/O, memory systems, caches, virtual memory systems, memory speed and cost-performance issues, pipelining and RISCs, processor design and performance issues. It also includes an introduction to parallel computing; requirements for parallelism—data dependencies, precedence graphs; measuring parallelism—level, degree and granularity of parallelism; measurement of performance; speed-up laws; MIMD multiprocessing; SIMD computing; multi-pipeline systems and pipeline chaining; control and scheduling of arithmetic and instruction pipelines; and inter-processor connection networks.

Commercial and prototype systems, both historical and current, are used throughout to illustrate various topics.

Assessment: This comprises laboratory assignments and reports, a research essay and an examination. The tests, quizzes and examination assess understanding of the fundamentals of computer architectures. The laboratory reports test students' ability to articulate, experiment and report findings and the essay develops independent learning skills as well as written communication skills.

Supplementary assessment is not available in this unit except in the case of a bachelor's degree student who has obtained a mark of 45 to 49 and is currently enrolled in this unit, and it is the only remaining unit that the student must pass in order to complete the course.

Location: UWA (Crawley)

Mode: on-campus

Unit Rules:

Prerequisites: ELEC1300 Digital Systems 1

Advisable prior study: ELEC2303 Embedded Systems

Contact hours—54 (lectures: 24 hrs; tutorials: 12 hrs; labs: 18 hrs)

Unit Web Page: http://student.ee.uwa.edu.au/units/elec2310

Note: Some unit web pages are still under construction and will be available in 2008.

Assistance with study skills, including English language skills, is available free of charge from Student Services for all enrolled students (see http://www.studysmarter.uwa.edu.au/). Student Services location: Second Floor, South Wing, Guild Village; telephone: 6488 2423.

Books and other material wherever listed may be subject to change. Book lists relating to 'Preliminary Reading', 'Recommended Reading' and 'Textbooks' are, in most cases, available at the University Co-operative Bookshop (from early January) and appropriate administrative offices for students to consult. For first-year units the Bookshop will endeavour to make available photocopies of book lists for individual units. Books marked with an asterisk (*) are available in paperback.