Computer Architecture andOrganization

Catalog description

This course covers fundamentals of computer architecture and organization.Topics include classical von Neumann machine, major functional units, primarymemory, representations of numerical (integer and floating point) and non-numerical data, CPU architecture, instruction encoding, fetch, decode, andexecute cycle, instruction formats, addressing modes, symbolic assembler,assembly language programming, handling of subprogram calls at assemblylevel, mapping between high-level language patterns and assembly/machinelanguage, interrupts and I/0 operations, virtual memory management, and dataaccess from a magnetic disk. A number of other programming topics such as Cprogramming language constructs (control and data structures, pointers, arraysand functions) and their relationship to the underlying architecture are introduced.Instructor-led laboratory work involves programming and debugging usingmachine language, assembly language and C. (2 hrs. lecture, 2 hrs. laboratory)Prerequisite: CSE148 with a C or higher.