251-0051: Computer Architecture

News

• 2008-01-31: Both exams will take place in room ETA F 5 for all registered students.
• 2007-10-23: Today's recitation in IFW B 42 (15-17) is cancelled due to illness of the assistant. Students of this group please join one of the other meetings from 13-15.
• 2007-10-04: The recitation group that took place in HG D 3.1 and HG D 5.2 has been cancelled. Students of this group please join the meetings in CAB H 56 (Monday, 13-15) and IFW B 42 (Tuesday, 15-17).
• 2007-10-01: Please bring your laptop to the recitation tomorrow. There will be an interactive Linux/Shell tutorial.
• 2007-10-01: Recitation starts today!
• 2007-09-27: Please sign up for a recitation group using ETH Course Registration. The registration for both courses (CA/SP) is open from 14:00 today until 10:00 on Monday, October 01.

Course overview

This course provides an overview of "computer architecture" as a platform for the execution of (compiled) computer programs. The course introduces the major structures that have direct influence on the execution of programs (processors with registers, caches, other levels of the memory hierarchy) and covers implementation and representation issues only to the extend that they are necessary to understand the structure and operation of a computer system. The course covers the basics of performance evaluation (with a focus on the practical aspects of data collection and analysis).

This course does NOT cover how to design or build a processor or computer. Students are advised to take the course in concurrently with "System-level Programming". Students are expected to have a basic knowledge of statistics and probability theory.

Topics include

• Execution of instructions
• Memory hierarchy
• Representation issues
• OS interface
• Performance evaluation

Course schedule

• The System Programming (SP) course meets in HG F1 every Monday 10:15-11:55 and in HG F7 every Thursday 11:10-11:55.
• The Computer Architecture (CA) course meets in HG F5 every Friday 10:15-11:55.

Tentative schedule of lectures

This is a plan. No plan survives contact with reality.

Groups and assistants

Recitation sessions

Assignments

Assignments are an important part of the course. You will not learn this material from listening to a lecture alone -- you have to do the assignments.

Note: Do not hesitate to ask your teaching assistant if you have troubles with the assignments!

Your grade will be based on the final (100%).

List of computer rooms with Linux installed

• Computer rooms of D-INFK: IFW C31 (24 PCs), IFW C35 (18 PCs), IFW D31 (24 PCs), CAB E37 (11 PCs)
• Computer rooms of ETH: HG D13, HG E26.1

Reading material

• Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective (CS:APP), Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron, Prentice Hall, 2003, ISBN 0-13-034074-X. Highly recommended.
• The C Programming Language (2nd edition), Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie, Prentice Hall, 1988, ISBN 0131103628.
• C: A Reference Manual (4th or 5th edition), Samuel P. Harbison and Guy L. Steele, Prentice Hall; 1994 ISBN 0133262243.
• Online books (available within ETHZ or over VPN):
  Practical C Programming, Steve Oualline, O'Reilly 1997;
  C Primer Plus, Stephen Prata, Sams 2004;
  C Pocket Reference, Ulla Kirch-Prinz and Peter Prinz, O'Reilly 2002;
  Advanced Linux Programming, Mark Mitchell, Jeffrey Oldham and Alex Samuel, Sams 2001
• Intel publishes a lot of material covering the IA-32 processors. The official web site for IA-32 and Intel 64 documentation is here, a few manuals are cached locally.