ISE390
Special Topic
Introduction to Computer Organization
(updated 6/2)

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Course Information

Semester: Fall 2010
Time: Monday and Wednesday, 6:50PM - 8:10 PM
Location: CS2311
Text:
  1. The Architecture of Computer Hardware, Systems Software, & Networking: An Information Technology Approach , Fourth Edition, Irv Englander, Wiley Press, ISBN#978-0471715429.
On-line texts (Safari)
  1. None yet
ISE390 Textbook

Contact Information

Instructor: Dr. Robert Kelly
E-mail: Robert.Kelly@stonybrook.edu
Office hours:

Tuesdays, 1:00PM-2:30PM
Wednesdays, 11:15AM-12:45PM

Office location: Computer Science 2427, 2nd floor.

Course Description

This course introduces computer organization to students interested in the relationship between computer hardware and information systems. The course examines components found in high use computing devices such as desktop computers, smart phones and navigation systems. The focus of the examination is understanding the underlying technology of each component, along with price/performance curves and competing technologies. Upon completion of the course, student should be proficient in reading device specifications, particularly the functional and performance implications. Students should also be able to use that knowledge to compare competing devices.

Course Objectives

After successfully completing this course, you will:

  1. Understand how numerical and non-numerical data are represented in digital computers,
  2. Understand the functions performed by components of a computer-based device,
  3. Indicate strengths and weaknesses inherent in different components and different architectures, and
  4. Understand the specification sheet of a typical computer-based device.

Lectures and Assignments

We will be following the syllabus closely. The assigned reading for the class is primarily contained in the textbook. However, you will be expected to prepare for certain class discussions by reading additional material, usually found in documents (articles, standards, etc.) available on the Internet. The readings are included in the class notes and in a page on the class Web site.

Click on the lecture topic below to download a PDF file containing the class notes.

Date Topics Textbook Assignment
1/31 (M) Introduction Due 2/5
2/2 (W) Background Chapter 1  
2/7 (M) Systems Chapter 2 (read lightly)
2/9 (W) Number Systems Chapter 3 (except 3.7)
2/14 (M) Data Formats Chapter 4 (except PostScript )  
2/16 (W) Integers Sections 5.1-5.2 (except BCD and base base 10 arithmetic)  
2/21 (M) Quiz and Floating Point Sections 5.3-5.4 (except details of floating point operations)  
2/23 (W) Review    
2/28 (M) Mid-term Exam    
3/2 (W) LMC Chapter 6  
3/7 (M) Review    
3/9 (W) CPU Chapter 7  
3/14 (M) Quiz and CPU (continued)    
3/16 (W) Advanced CPU and Memory Chapter 8 (except VLIW and EPIC)  
3/21 (M) CPU Examples    
3/23 (W) Advanced CPU    
3/28 (M) Quiz and CPU Trends    
3/30 (W) Project Review    
4/4 (M) I/O    
4/6 (W) Peripherals    
4/11 (M) Quiz and Project Discussion    
4/13 (W) No class (off-site University meetings)    
4/18 (M) Spring Break    
4/20 (W)
Spring Break    
4/25 (M) Networks I    
4/27 (W) Quiz andSpecialized Components    
5/2 (M) 1) MacBook Air
1) Ante Dobra and Talei Rukstad  
5/4 (W) 1) Samsung Galaxy S Android smartphones; 2) iPad 1) Jon Uleis, Adam Marczewski, Ryan Walsh and Diggy Gohil; 2) Aamir Mukhtar and Dhruv Singhal  
5/9 (M)
1) Wii; 2) Nintendo DS Lite 1) Foti Filacouris, James Hollywood, and Kayvaan Saghati; 2) Richard Hoffman, Angel Contreras, and Matthew Zimmer  
5/11 (W)
1) Playstation 3; 2)Dell Inspiron Mini 1012 1) David Fishman, Nicholas Montanez, Peter Sheh; 2) Richard Knight, David Lebron, and Johnny Wu  
5/16 (M) Project Presentations (5:15PM-10:00PM) 1) Victor Chen and Philip Tuan (iPod Touch, 3rd generation); 2. William Fong and Eric Fong (Kindle); 3. Minsoo Cho, Yuri Pereira, Ender Oztimurlenk, and Daniel Tomasiak (iPod Nano); 4. Christos Pantelis; Chris Gianetto (MS XBox 360)  

Class Assignment Information

Most class assignments will involve preparation for a class discussion. Typically, this preparation will involve reading material beyond the text book as it relates to a single assigned topic. For many class sessions, 2-3 students will be asked to prepare for a discussion on a particular topic. This preparation typically will involve reading references cited in the text, usually about 20-30 pages.

Term Project

Your term project will be a detailed analysis of a computing device of your choice. You will present your work in class, using PowerPoint slides. The presentation will be approximately 30 minutes including questions. You can elect to work on the project as part of a team composed of up to three students.

You will also submit some early material, related to your project (e.g., selection of a patent and a brief summary of that patent). You will receive approval if the project is appropriate to the class and if there are no other students analyzing the same patent. When you submit a component of the project, please include the following in the body of the e-mail.

Grades and Exams

This is a three credit graded course. Your final grade is based on a combination of quizzes, a mid-term exam, class presentations, oral communications, and final project. The weighting of the these components is 30/20/10/10/30.

The mid-term exam and the quizzes will be closed book, however most of the questions will be selected from among the review material in the textbook. Your total quiz grade is computed as the total of each quiz grade, with the lowest grade dropped.

Be sure to be there for the assigned examination time since there will be no make-up exams.

The Pass/No Credit (P/NC) option is not available for this course.

Labs and TAs

TA Photo

Moussa Ehsan

TA Photo

Jiemin Zeng

The class TAs are available to help you in understanding the material in many ways. They will provide hints and suggestions when they respond to your submission of a homework assignment. They will also be available in teaching sessions given in the Computer Science Teaching Lab. Click the link in the TA names below to pop up a mail window.

Academic Integrity & Behavior

As a student at Stony Brook, you have agreed to follow the university's rules regarding academic honesty and appropriate conduct. You should read both the academic honesty information and procedures and the student code of conduct.

Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong. Any suspected instance of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Academic Judiciary. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty, please refer to the academic judiciary web site.

Stony Brook University expects students to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of Judicial Affairs any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, or inhibits students' ability to learn.  

Special Assistance

If you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may impact on your ability to carry out assigned course work, I would urge that you contact the staff in the Disabled Student Services office (DSS) in the ECC building (where the Computer Store used to be), 632-6748v/TDD. DSS will review your concerns and determine with you what accommodations are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation of disability are confidential.

If you need general computer help, you can use the Computer Science Help Desk. Services offered include setting up an account on a department server, using Windows NT, using a browser, and connecting to the campus network. The Help Desk office is located in the SBCS Office - Room 2110.

References

  1. Computer Organization and Design: The Hardware/Software Interface by David A. Patterson and John L. Hennessy, Morgan Kaufman Publishers, 2009, ISBN#978-0-12-374493-7.
  2. Computer Organization and Architecture, 3rd Edition by Linda Null and Julia Lobur, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2012, ISBN#9781449600068. The Null and Lobur companion site contains lots of useful information.
  3. WIkipedia list of device data rates.
  4. Conversion calculator
  5. HxD - This hexadecimal text editor is a free download.
  6. EditPad Lite - a free download that is useful in displaying files with various character encodings.
  7. Image Analyzer - a free download that is useful in displaying information about digital images.