Computer Architecture

Code:

CC2002

Acronym:

CC2002

Level:

200

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Computer Science

Instance: 2019/2020 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Web Page:	http://www.dcc.fc.up.pt/~ricroc/aulas/1920/ac
Responsible unit:	Department of Computer Science
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Computer Science

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
L:B	0	Official Study Plan	3	-	6	56	162
L:CC	55	Plano de estudos a partir de 2014	2	-	6	56	162
L:F	0	Official Study Plan	2	-	6	56	162
			3
L:G	1	study plan from 2017/18	2	-	6	56	162
			3
L:M	6	Official Study Plan	2	-	6	56	162
			3
L:Q	0	study plan from 2016/17	3	-	6	56	162
MI:ERS	70	Plano Oficial desde ano letivo 2014	2	-	6	56	162

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

Introduce the basic working concepts of modern computer organization and design, namely, the internal representation of programs and data, the hardware components and their interactions, and ways to evaluate its performance.

Learning outcomes and competences

At the end of the course, the students are expected to know:

 

• the basic von Neumann architecture concept 
• the intimate relationship between code and hardware
• the main components of a CPU and their interaction
• the interaction between CPU and the memory sub-system
• the memory hierarchy model and its relevance to performance
• the basic performance analysis metrics and techniques

Working method

Presencial

Program

Computer history and evolution. The von Neumman architecture. Data and program representation. Languages, compilers, assembly and binary code. Instruction Sets. Basic CPU components. The data- and control-paths. Basic performance analysis. Memory hierarchy. Main meory and caches. Virtual memory.

Mandatory literature

Patterson David A.; Computer organization and design. ISBN: 1-55860-604-1

Teaching methods and learning activities

In the lectures, the fundamental concepts of computer design and organization are presented and discussed.

In the practical classes, students will get hands-on experience in solving problems that illustrate the concepts introduced in the lectures.

Software

MARS - Simulador do Microprocessador MIPS R2000

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Teste	100,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Frequência das aulas	56,00
Estudo autónomo	106,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Students must attend at least 2/3 of the practical classes.

Calculation formula of final grade

Students are assessed by their performance in two written assignments or in a final exam.

The first written assignment takes place in the middle of the semester and the second in the first exams epoch. Each assignment is worth 10 points out of 20. The final exam takes place in the second exams epoch and is worth 20 points out of 20.