CS 135: Computer Architecture I

Fall 2010 Lecture Notes.

You should also refer to the lecture notes available from the textbook website.
The lecture notes posted are not meant to substitute for the text -- you are required to read the textbook before (and after) each class.

The lecture notes posted are a superset of what I will go over during the lecture -- the notes posted here provide, in some cases, more details than what we will cover in the lecture. You are required to read the textbook and, preferably, the posted notes before coming to class. In some cases, in addition to the lecture notes (from powerpoint format) I will post detailed notes that will go into more detail than the book and you are expected to read them and read links that I will post to other websites. For example, the textbook does not cover memory design in any depth and I will provide detailed notes that you will be expected to read before class.

Course Introduction
Number Representations -- Datatypes and Operators
Introduction to Digital Logic

An easy to use digital logic design simulator is available here. Download it and use it to get a better understanding of how circuits work and to try out your design.
Some examples of circuit designs.

Design of Combinational Circuits
Design of Sequential Logic Circuits

Von Neumann Architecture Model and Intro to LC3
The LC3 Architecture
Low-level Programming and problem solving constructs
EXAM 1: October 7 in-class. All material upto (including) introduction to von Neuman model and LC3 instructions.
Assembly Language Programming

Sample Code:

Simple Addition

Multiply a number by 6

Read, Add and Display Assembly Code

Assembly Programming: I/O, Traps and Subroutines

Sample Code:

IO Example

More IO Code

A Third IO Code

Multiplication

Vector Inner(Dot) Product Code

Data for Array/Vector 1

Data for Array/Vector 2

Solution to Vector Inner (Dot) product problem - assembly code

Assembly Programming: Stack
Introduction to the C language (part 1/2)
Introduction to the C language (part 2/2)
Run-time Stack and Allocation of C variables, Implementation of functions.
Run-time Stack: Pointers and Arrays
Dynamic Memory allocation: malloc and dynamic data structures in C
Exam 2: November 18th. All material from LC3 (Chapter 5) until implementation of C operators (Chapter 19). Focus on materials covered after Exam 1.
Instructions for using the C to LC3 Compiler
Program Performance and Code Optimization
Memory Organization: Cache, Main Memory, Disk, Virtual Memory
Course Summary

Here is a link to some online notes that I found to be well written and quite useful -- they were written by the instructor for
a similar course at Univ. of Maryland. They come highly recommended.

Link to Notes on Computer Organization

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