305382 Computer Architecture and Organization (2-2)

Academic year: 2549              Semester: 1

Instructor Contact Information

Instructor: Suradet Jitprapaikulsarn

Office: EE-408

E-mail: suradet at nu.ac.th

Course Overview

Computers are now in virtually every application from telephone through e-commerce.  To fully take advantage of the power of the computer technology, students need to understand both the interface and the internal structure of computer systems.  From the interface perspective or the computer architecture point of view, we will study the attributes that have direct impacts on the execution of a program.  At the same time, we will look into how the internal structures or the computer organization realizes those attributes.

Course Objectives

This is a course that bridging software and hardware to provide a complete understanding of a computer system.  After completing this course, students should have a basic practical understanding of the following:

1. The impact of hardware decision on the software.
2. The impact of software decision on the underlying hardware.
3. The collaboration between hardware and software.
4. The fundamental concept of modern computer systems.

Instructional Approach

Students are required to read through the textbooks before attending each class.  Since this is a pragmatic course, students will write programs to investigate the various aspects of modern computer systems.  Each month students will review literatures on computer architecture and computer organization to expand the knowledge beyond what available in the textbooks.

Textbook

• David A. Patterson and John L. Hennessy, Computer Organization and Design: The Hardware/Softwrae Interface, 3^rd Edition, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2005, ISBN 1-56860-604-1 or 81-8147-591-7

Reference

1. John L. Hennessy and David A. Patterson, Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach, 3^rd Edition, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2003, ISBN 1-55860-596-7
2. William Stallings, Computer Organization and Architecture, 7^th Edition, Prentice Hall, 2006, ISBN 0-13-201750-7
3. Andrew S. Tanenbaum, Structured Computer Organization, 5^th Edition, Prentice Hall, 2006, ISBN 0-13-196904-8

Course Outline

Course Evaluation

The course grade will be based on

Academic Policy

Notes

The above description is only tentative; it may be changed at the instructor’s discretion.