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Course Catalog 00/01


Computer Science, Electrical Engineering

SMD077 Computer Architecture 6.0 ECTS credits

TIMEPERIOD:
Quarter 2

LANGUAGE:English/Swedish

EXAMINER
Per Lindgren Univ lekt


PREREQUISITES
Digital Design (SMD033 or SMD069) and Processor/Software Interface (SMD066 or SMD082).

COURSE AIM
The course is designed to give a deeper understanding of and ability to evaluate design principles for modern computers, with particular weight on modern multiple processor systems. Toward this, the student will also become familiar with the principle components used in modern computer architectures for storage and transfer of data, for example memory hierarchies, bus structures, DMA, secondary storage, typical hardware protocols and electrical properties where appropriate.

CONTENTS
Memory and memory hierarchies. Parallelism at the instruction level (superscalar execution). Bus and I/O systems. Hardware support for operating systems.

Classification of computers. Multiprocessor and multicomputer systems. Communication networks. The data coherency problem. Vector processors. Processor arrays. Reconfigurable computer systems. Programming languages for parallel computers.

Seminar assignment.

TEACHING
Instruction consists of lectures and laboratories. The course also includes an obligatory seminar, in which each student must read and report (both orally and written) on articles which deal with some aspect of computer architecture.

EXAMINATION
The final grade is based on the written final examination and on the student's performance in laboratories and seminar assignment.
COURSE GRADE SCALE: U,3,4,5

ITEMS/CREDITS

Written exam 6.00ECTS

COURSE LITERATURE
To be determined later; journal articles.

Further information: International Office
Valid for the academic year 00/01.

Web Editor: Karin.Lindholm@dc.luth.se

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LULEÅ UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
University Campus, Porsön, 971 87 Luleå. Tel. +46 (0) 920-91 000, fax +46 (0) 920-91 399
Last edited 2000-12-18