TSYSSchool of Computer Science
ColumbusStateUniversity
Course Title: CPSC 2105–Computer Organization
Instructor
Dr. Edward L. Bosworth
Center for Commerce and Technology, Room 443
(706) 507 – 8183
E-Mail:
Homepage:
Office Hours – Fall 2011
Monday5:30 PM– 7:30 PM2 hours
Tuesday9:00 AM– 11:00 AM
2:00 PM–4:00 PM4 hours
Wednesday9:00 AM– 11:00 AM
2:30 PM– 4:30 PM4 hours
Thursday9:00 AM– 11:00 AM2 hours
FridayI am not in the office on Friday
Class Meetings:
Tuesday and Thursday, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Room 406 CCT (Center for Commerce and Technology)
Textbooks
Required Text
Computer Systems Architecture, A Networking Approach
Dr. Rob Williams, University of the West of England
Pearson/Prentice–Hall, 2006, ISBN 978 – 0 – 321 – 34079 – 5.
Catalog Course Description
Overview of basic computer organization. Representation of data in computers. Brief
introduction to Boolean algebra, basic logic gates, MSI components, and a Full Adder.
Overview of computer arithmetic. Instruction set of a simple computer. Overview of the
major software and hardware components of a typical computer, including the CPU. I/O
system, memory, and system software. Interaction of the machine and computer languages
including discussion of the compilation, assembly, and loading processes. Overview of the
Java run-time system. Introduction to networking and the computer interface to the Internet.
Course Prerequisite
CPSC 1301 (Computer Science I) and CPSC 1301L (Computer Science I – Lab)
It is assumed that the student has programmed in some higher level language,
preferably either Java, C, or C++.
Page 1 of 7 pagesCPSC 2105Revised July 15, 2011
CPSC 2105Computer OrganizationFall 2011
Course Objectives:
Upon completing this course, the students will demonstrate an understanding of the
organization of computer components, instruction sets and their operation, binary and
decimal number systems, simple Boolean operations, simple logic gates and their operation,
interrupts and their uses, and the basic levels of computer languages.
Course Outcomes:
At the end of the course the student will be able to describe and explain the following:
1.The top-level architecture of a computer: CPU, Memory, and I/O Component.
ABET Criteria Covered:A, C, I
Program Objectives Covered:2
2.Description of the instruction set of a simple computer; the Fetch-Execute cycle.
ABET Criteria Covered:A, C, I
Program Objectives Covered:2
3.The defining characteristics of the first four generations of computers.
ABET Criteria Covered:A, C, I
Program Objectives Covered:2
4.Different number systems: binary, octal, decimal, and hexadecimal.
ABET Criteria Covered:A, C, I
Program Objectives Covered:2
5.Data representation in modern computers: two’s-complement arithmetic,
Floating point representation in computers: the IEEE-754 standard, and
Character representation in computers: ASCII, EBCDIC, and UNICODE.
ABET Criteria Covered:A, C, I
Program Objectives Covered:2
6.The Basic Boolean functions and gates used to implement above functions.
ABET Criteria Covered:A, C, I
Program Objectives Covered:2
7.The function of simple combinational circuits: Adders, Multiplexers,
Demultiplexers, Encoders, and Decoders.
ABET Criteria Covered:A, C, I
Program Objectives Covered:2
8.Computer arithmetic: Numeric Overflow and Saturation Arithmetic.
ABET Criteria Covered:A, C, I
Program Objectives Covered:2
9.The four basic types of flip-flops and the tables characterizing each type.
Introduction to the design of sequential circuits.
ABET Criteria Covered:A, C, I
Program Objectives Covered:2
10.The basic ideas of an instruction set, including instruction types,
addressing modes,and instruction-level pipelining.
ABET Criteria Covered:A, C, I
Program Objectives Covered:2
11.The difference between RISC and CISC architectures and the advantages of each.
ABET Criteria Covered:A, C, I
Program Objectives Covered:2
12.Basic concepts of computer memory: ROM, RAM, the memory hierarchy (cache
and virtual memory), and Big–Endian vs. Little–Endian addressing.
ABET Criteria Covered:A, C, I
Program Objectives Covered:2
13.Address structure of a computer disk and associated security problems.
ABET Criteria Covered:A, C, I
Program Objectives Covered:2
14.The four basic classes of I/O devices: Program-Controlled, Interrupt-Driven,
Direct Memory Access, and I/O Channel.
ABET Criteria Covered:A, C, I
Program Objectives Covered:2
15.The low-level details of the interaction of a computer with the Internet, including
IRQ’s, the DMA transfer, and role of the TCP program and its ports.
ABET Criteria Covered:A, C, I
Program Objectives Covered:2
16.Interaction of the various levels of computer languages: high-level languages,
assembly language, and machine languages.
ABET Criteria Covered:A, C, I
Program Objectives Covered:2
17.The basic structure of the Java Virtual Machine, including Java byte-code.
ABET Criteria Covered:A, C, I
Program Objectives Covered:2
18.The basic role of database software, including the use of a transaction manager.
ABET Criteria Covered:A, C, I
Program Objectives Covered:2
Course Methods
This will be an in-class course, taught face-to-face. There will be a lab component, in
which the student will learn by several hands-on experiences, including:
1)Design and test simple digital circuits, using a commercial circuit simulator.
2)Investigate the internal code and data structures of a modern computer, by writing
very simple C/C++ programs and debugging them in MS Visual Studio. All
necessary syntax and features of C/C++ will be explained in lab handouts.
The lab for the course will meet in CCT 450, the same room as used for software labs. The
student will be able to complete a lab any time the lab is open and a qualified lab instructor
is available. Students who have downloaded the appropriate software on their personal
computers may do the labs at home, or anywhere else. Most students enjoy the lab.
Instructor Responsibilities
1.Assign appropriate homework that illustrates the concepts of the course,
and grade and return the homework in a timely manner with adequate explanation.
2.Give tests over the material and grade and return the tests in a timely manner.
3.Present lectures on the material and answer questions at the time of lecture.
4.Post lecture notes on the web to assist those students who missed the class.
5.Schedule laboratory sessions at times convenient to the students and provide
for assistance to the students as they complete the lab assignments.
6.Provide websites that support the course.
7.Provide at least four hours of office time primarily designated for assistance of
students in this class, at times expected to be convenient for the students. It is
expected that the instructor be available to the students during these hours.
Student Responsibilities
1.Attend class regularly.
2.Complete all reading assignments and all homework assignments.
3.When requested, give an in–class presentation of the solution to a problem
assigned as homework. Students are expected to be able to explain their solutions.
4.Participate in the hands-on laboratory for this course. The student should expect to
spend approximately two hours per week in lab work.
5.Ask the instructor questions.
6.Notify the instructor in advance when an excused absence will be requested.
The class attendance policy is explained later in this syllabus.
Quizzes and Exams
There will be two in–class quizzes and a final exam for this course. The quizzes are
scheduled tentatively for Thursday, September 15 and Tuesday, October 25. There will be
no mid–term exam. There will be a final exam for the course. It will be given in class at
the time scheduled for the class by the CSU Registrar.
Methods for Evaluating Students
The evaluation methods will include homework, three or more quizzes, lab experiences,
and a final exam. The relative grading is shown below.
Homework and Labs30%
Quizzes40%
Final Exam30% Thursday, December 8 at 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Assignment of Letter Grades
The method of assigning letter grades based on overall course averages is CSU standard:
The basic method is described as follows:
A90 – 100D60 – 69
B80 – 89FBelow 60
C70 – 79
Tentative Course Schedule
Here is the tentative list of lecture topics for the course, assuming the standard semester
with thirty class periods. The chapter references are to the textbook.
LectureTopics Chapter
1Overview of the course1
What is a computer? Software, hardware, & GUI
2Historical development of early computers (to 1952)1
3Structure of a von Neumann machine2
Top level discussion of computer organization
4Data representation2
Integers: Unsigned and Two’s–Complement Signed
5Real numbers: Floating–Point and Packed Decimal2
ASCII, EBCDIC, and Unicode
6Computer functional units and the Fetch-Execute Cycle3
CPU, Memory, and Bus. Memory organization.
7Boolean algebra and Boolean expressions.4
Truth tables and equivalence to normal expressions.
Basic logic gates and the tri–state buffer.
8Multiplexers, decoders, and sample control units4
9The structure of the ALU, especially the 3–bus ALU.5
Addition, subtraction, and shifting.
10Quiz 1 (Chapters 1 – 5)
11Data storage: flip–flops, registers, and simple memory6
SRAM, DRAM, and SDRAM, I/O port mapping
12Overview of computer ISA (Instruction Set Architecture)7
13The Intel IA–32 ISA. Evolution of the Pentium7
14The Intel Pentium7
15Subroutines: recursion vs. no recursion, linkage examples,8
the stack, the stack frame, SP & FP, early & late binding.
Subroutines vs. ISR (Interrupt Service Routines)
16Simple input and output: polling, interrupt, and DMA.9
Significance to a time–sharing environment.
17Parallel connections: Centronics, IDE, ATA (now PATA)11
PCI, and PCI Express. Plug and play.
LectureTopics Chapter
18Serial connections; protocols, data formats, timing issues,10
data signaling and error control, the UART, USB, and SATA.
19Disk organization and performance issues.N/A
More on USB and SATA disks.
20Quiz 2 (Chapters 6 – 11)
21The memory hierarchy: caches, multi–level caches, 12
split caches, cache mapping, virtual memory
22LAN (Local Area Networks): Ethernet and MAC addresses, 14
layering and encapsulation, the TCP/IP stack.
This may cover socket programming.
23WAN (Wide Area Networks): IP, UDP, and TCP. Errors 15
and flow control in TCP. The DNS.
24Introduction to Operating Systems: historical development,17
process management, scheduling, task communication,
exclusion and synchronization, memory allocation, and
device handlers. Security issues of the OS buffer files.
25Windows: Windows XP and Windows 718
26The file system and security: data storage, databases, 19
the FAT, NTFS, Unix Inodes, and RAID.
27RISC processors: design philosophy and implementation21
pipelining, register files, compiler support.
28Parallel processing: Amdahl’s law, cache coherency, 23
multicomputers, and multiprocessors.
29Multicore designs: the Intel iCore series.N/A
30Review for the final exam.N/A
Other Course Policies
Attendance Policy
I usually do not take roll, but believe that it is important for students to attend class regularly.
If you find it necessary to miss one or more classes, you are still responsible for all material
covered in the class, and for submitting the homework on time (prior to the start of class).
Students absent without excuse on a day that homework is due will get a 0 (zero) on that
homework assignment, unless it is submitted early.
Students should notify me in advance of expected class absences to avoid penalties on
homework due on the date you miss. Excuses will be granted after the absence only for
cases of medical emergencies etc. as defined in CSU policy. For more information on
class attendance and withdrawal, refer to
Dropping the Course
We hope that you will complete the course and profit from it. If it is necessary for you to
withdraw from the course during the semester, you must follow all official CSU procedures
for withdrawing. It is not sufficient to notify the instructor; you must use the ISIS system
and withdraw officially. For details on how to withdraw from a course, see the web page
NOTE: The
deadline to drop courses is Friday, September 9.
Policy on academic integrity: Students are encouraged to study together; however, each
student must individually prepare his/her own submission. Cheating or plagiarism is not
permitted and will be sanctioned according to the CSU policy on academic standards. You
should carefully read the section on Academic Misconduct in the Student Handbook. Your
continued enrollment in this course implies that you have read it, and that you subscribe to
the principles stated therein.
Policy prohibiting sexual harassment: As your instructor, one of my responsibilities is to
treat all studentsfairly and equally and to abide by the policies and procedures governing
faculty/student relationships, including those concerning sexual harassment as stated in the
Faculty Handbook.
Students with a documented disability as described by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
(P.L. 933-112 Section 504) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that affect their
ability to participate fully in class or to meet all course requirements are encouraged to
bring this to the attention of the instructor so that appropriate accommodations can be
arranged. Further information is available from the Office of Disability Services in the
Schuster Student Success Center – Room 221, 706 – 507 – 8755. Course requirements
will not be waived but reasonable accommodations may be provided as appropriate.
Page 1 of 7 pagesCPSC 2105Revised July 15, 2011