University of Puget Sound - Spring 2007
CSci281 Assembly Language and Computer Architecture

Class Periods and Exam Schedule

Catalog description

Introduction to machine organization, machine structure, data representation, digital logic and assembly language programming on a RISC based architecture.

What we're really going to study:

"Computer architecture" is best defined as the aspects of a computer design visible to the assembly language programmer. At the minimum this includes reference to instructions, registers, memory organization, and peripheral access, but may also cover internal buses, common peripherals, etc. That's why "assembly language programming" appears in the description. All the rest helps us understand what's going on inside the machine.

In broad terms, this class will look at where we are, how we got here, and where we may go with respect to computer architectures. The evolution of the electronic computer has been driven by demands for more speed and smaller size. (It's fortunate that smaller size generally supports greater speed, but other, more subtle, tricks are used as well. These tricks often affect how we program the computer.) This evolution has had many side tracks and a few retreats, the study of which can illuminate a possible underlying grand scheme.

Textbook

The authors have provided some on-line materials students can reference including lecture notes and machine simulators. I've recreated the SRC Instruction Set shown in the textbook's back flyleaf and enumerated the list of opcodes.

Other worthwhile reading:

• Motorola MC68000 Programmer's Reference Manual and reference chart
• SPARCArchitecture Reference Manual
• Number Systems
• SI units of measurement, and more specifically
• prefixes relating to powers of 2
• how to study
• Secure Shell command line and file transfer
• ALUs
• ISAs
• Java Virtual Machine info
• Python
• Access to X Window System via MS Windows
  • startxwin.bat
  • startxwinOrion.bat
  • startxwinRbentson6.bat
• Supercomputing
  • the 500 fastest computers
  • Cray Red Storm

Other Resources

• help in a Unix environment
• Unix command line tutorial
• vim (vi improved) for Windows
• Revision Control System

Lecture Schedule and Notes

• week starting: 01/15 Chapter 1
• week starting: 01/22 Chapter 2, through section 2.2
• week starting: 01/29 Chapter 2, through section 2.4
• week starting: 02/05 Chapter 2, complete

• 01/16
• 01/17
• 01/19
• 01/22
• 01/23
• 01/24
• 01/26
• 01/29
• 01/31
• 02/02
• 02/05
• 02/06
• 02/07
• 02/09
• 02/14
• 02/20
• 02/26
• 02/27
• 03/19
• 03/26
• 04/02
• 04/03
• 04/13

Assignments

Grades will soon be recorded at moodle. (I'm in the process of creating entries for this term's courses.) Just login using your network/email password, then select this course, then select grades.

When submitted by email to rbentson@ups.edu, the subject line should start with CSci281, followed by the due date, e.g., 01/31

• Due 2007/01/17 1100 PDT: Exercises 1.7, 1.14, 1.22
• Due 2007/01/22 1100 PDT: read through section 2.2, hand-in Exercise 2.4
• Due 2007/01/24 1100 PDT: Exercise 2.6, 2.9
• Due 2007/02/02 2359 PDT: Exercise 2.7, 2.15
• Due 2007/02/12 1100 PDT: Exercise 2.27 (both parts)
• Due 2007/02/19 1100 PDT: Exercise 3.4 (using simulator)
• Due 2007/03/02 2359 PDT: Assembly program #1
• Due 2007/03/28 2359 PDT: Assembly program #2
• Due 2007/04/30 2359 PDT: Assembly program #3

Grading

Programming is not just about writing syntatically correct programs which compute the correct results. It is also about writing commentary and other documentation which will help others understand what you're doing. (This matches one of the University goals which emphasizes "the ability to communicate clearly and effectively".) Therefore you will also be expected to write clearly. Spelling, grammar, and style count.

Final grades will be based on the following components:

---

CSci281/index.html was last edited by Randolph Bentson, on 2007/04/30T13:04:30-07:00
This course syllabus is a work in progress, so be sure to visit again in the near future.