CSE 141 and 141L -- Introduction to Computer Architecture
Homework Assignments
Lab Assignments
Lecture slides
Announcements:
- Lab 3 due date extended to Tuesday, Feb 24
- Final Exam 11:30-2:30 Tuesday, March 17, York 2622
- cheat sheet provided with final will look pretty much
like the one from the midterm.
- previous midterm
- previous final
Basic Course Information:
- Instructor: Dean Tullsen
- AP&M 4250
- tullsen@cs
- 534-6181
- office hours: M 10, Th 2:15-3:15
- 141 TA: Anand Balachandran
- AP&M 5402
- anandb@cs
- officehours: MW 2-3
- 141L TA: Simone Santini
- SERF 242, or basement (Mac lab or uAPE lab)
- ssantini@cs
- office/lab hours: WF 1-2
- Meeting times and places -- please note that the distinction between
the class and the lab will be fuzzy at best. I reserve the right to discuss
the lab during lecture or discuss core class content during the lab section(but
only with advance warning), or to make lab assignments due during lecture
times. Please contact me if this is going to be a problem.
- Lecture
- York Hall 2622
- TuTh 12:45-2:05
- discussion:
- Center Hall 214
- F 2:30-3:20
- Lab
- Center Hall 105
- F 3:35-4:25
- Course textbook
- Patterson & Hennessy, "Computer Organization and Design --
The Hardware/Software Interface", Morgan Kaufmann, Second Edition
- Other recommended reading
- Stallings, "Computer Organization and Architecture --Designing
for Performance", 4th edition, Prentice Hall
- Hennesy&Patterson,"ComputerArchitecture:AQuantitativeApproach",MorganKaufmann
- a more advanced treatment of many of the same topics in the textbook
- CPU Info Center
- everything you'd ever want to know about available commercial CPUs
- WWW Computer Architecture
Home Page
- a comprehensive guide to research and general information on computer
architecture available on the web.
- Computer
Organization and Design, the website
- Assignments:
- Homeworks will be assigned on Tuesday and due Thursday of the following
week.
- Labs will be due two weeks after they are assigned.
- Once it is set up, the class mailing list will be used by me and the
TAs for announcements, etc. All students will be held responsible for announcements
and information that go out over the class mailing list. Make sure
you are on it. If you are not getting email by the second week of class,
send mail to anandb@cs.
- I will lecture using overhead transparencies, and will try to make
copies of them available to you before class, both online in postscript
format (we've had a lot of problems with doing this in the past, but we'll
try again) and through Soft Reserves.
Course Outline:
I. Instruction Set Architecture
II. Computer System Performance and Performance Metrics
III. Computer Arithmetic and Number Systems
IV. CPU Architecture
V. The Memory/Cache Hierarchy
VI. Pipelining
VII. Superscalars
Grading Information:
- The grade for 141 will be based on homeworks, one midterm, and a final,
as follows:
- homeworks: 20%
- midterm: 30%
- final: 50%
- subjective influences like class participation will have an impact
in the margins -- it does pay to let the professor know who you are!
- The final will be inclusive of all course material.
- The grade for 141L will be based solely on 4-5 lab reports. I expect
that most students will complete the lab assignments as specified; thus
the quality of the lab reports will likely be the most important factor
in determining grades.
- Late assignments are not encouraged. You will have two grace days during
the quarter. I.e., you can turn one assignment in two days late, or two
assignments in one day late. That is combined for both homeworks and labs.
I recommend not spending those days frivously early in the quarter. After
you have spent your grace days, there will be no late assignments accepted.
No exceptions. We will make every effort to return assignments to you in
a timely manner -- limiting your ability to turn things in late is, unfortunately,
critical to that goal.
- You have the right of appeal for grading on all tests; however, an
appeal (except for scoring errors) covers the entire test, and may result
in an unfavorable judgment on another problem. You have one week from the
time the midterms are returned to make appeals, including addition errors
on your score. Check it over carefully when you get it.
- There is no appeal on homeworks, except for addition errors. No single
problem will have a significant impact on your grade.
Integrity:
- Cheating WILL be taken seriously. It is not fair to honest students
to take cheating lightly, nor is it fair to the cheater to let him/her
go on thinking that is a reasonable alternative in life. Don't test me
on this one.
- The following is not considered cheating:
- discussing homework in groups.
- The following is:
- discussing homework with someone who has already completed the problem,
or looking at their completed writeup.
- Copying lab designs from someone who is not your partner, or lab report
text from anyone.
- Receiving, providing, or soliciting assistance from another student
during a test.
- Altering timing data produced by LogicWorks to make a non-working design
appear to be working.
- Homework is not intended to be a grade-maker, but to prepare you for
the tests, which are the grade-makers. Cheating on the homeworks is just
stupid.
The Lab (141L)
- There will be 4-5 lab assignments. Each will require a written report.
There will be no midterms or finals associated with the lab portion of
the class. The final grade will be determined by the quality of the lab
reports and the completeness and quality of the lab work (as demonstrated
in the reports).
- Some but not all of the labs will require LogicWorks, which everyone
should be familiar with.
- Labs can be done in groups of 1 to 3. Lab reports are to be done collaboratively
with your fellow group members.
- Lab resources:
- LogicWorks is available in the AP&M Mac labs, 325, 337, and 2101.
- personal copies of LogicWorks are available in the bookstore.
- Suns will be available in the uAPE lab in the AP&M basement.
If you have comments or suggestions, email me at tullsen@cs.ucsd.edu