Topics in Computer Architecture

Course Outline

Α. Lectures and Tutorials

 Introduction: Hardware, software, Computer architecture, Computer structure and organization, input and output units, Computer performance.

 Information representation:

• Data
  •  constant point arithmetic
  •  floating point arithmetic
  • alphanumeric
  • image
  • sound
• instructions
  • machine instruction types
  • addressing modes
  • operands size and type
  • machine instructions encoding
  • machine instructions based computer classification

 Central processing unit:

• data path
  • ALU
  • register file
  • shifter
  • divider
  • multipier
• floating point unit
• control unit (structure and implementation)

 Memory system:

• memory technology
  • semiconductor
  • magnetic
  • optical memories
• memories hierarchy
• main memory implementation.

 Interconnection and input-output system:

• bus
• bus types
• synchronous and asynchronous busses
• bus arbitration

 input-output process

• polling
• interrupts
• direct memory access

Β. Laboratory

 ARM programming model

 Instruction set of ARM

 Programming at assembly language level

Program debugging