Overview

Included in degrees & certificates

• 286

Prerequisites

• EC2820

Learning Outcomes

• The student will understand how computer architecture is influenced by implementation technology, cost, performance, and the historical evolution of computer architecture.
• Given one or more processors and/or computer systems, the student will be able to design, conduct, and evaluate tests to determine performance and to compare performance results between different processors and/or systems.
• The student will understand the different levels of abstraction used in the design of processors and computer systems.
• The student will understand the rolls of assembly language and machine language for a computer and how the machine language is interpreted by the instruction set/architecture.
• Given a computational problem, the student will be able to design an instruction set/architecture capable of solving the problem with suitable programming.
• Given a specification for an instruction set/architecture, the student will be able to design a processor at the register transfer level, including both the data path and the controller.
• Given the specification for a processor controller, the student will be able to evaluate the engineering tradeoffs between the use of microprogrammed control and finite state machine control.
• Given the design for a processor, the student will be able to evaluate different implementation alternatives, including discrete components, programmable logic devices, and VLSI.
• The student will understand the operation of the memory hierarchy, including virtual memory and cache memory.
• Given a specification for a memory subsystem, the student will be able to design, at the register transfer level, a cache memory, the main memory, the memory bus, and to evaluate their performance.
• Given the specification for an input/output subsystem, the student will be able to design I/O controllers, the I/O bus, and to evaluate their performance.
• The student will understand the application of imbedded computers in military systems and the importance of reliability and radiation tolerance.