Instructor:

Office:
E-mail:
Office Hours:
Phone:

 Montek Singh

245 Sitterson
montek(at)cs.unc.edu
Mon./Wed., 3:15-4:15pm, and by appointment
(919) 962-1832

 

Required Text:

John L. Hennessy and David A. Patterson, Computer Architecture:  A Quantitative Approach (3rd Edition), Morgan Kaufmann (2002).  Please be sure not to buy the 2nd edition!

 

This book is available from several online bookstores, including:
bulletwww.amazon.com
bulletwww.bn.com
bulletwww.mkp.com

Additional readings may be assigned, comprising of journal and magazine articles, other texts, as well as Web-based material.  All such supplementary reading material will either be handed out in class, or made available in electronic form.

Prerequisites:

  1. COMP 120 (Computer Organization) or equivalent coursework covering processor design, assembly language, pipelining, caches, and basic I/O.
  2. PHYS 102 (Electronics II) or equivalent coursework in basic digital logic.

Representative books (available in Brauer Library):

bulletPatterson & Hennessy: Computer Organization and Design: The Hardware/Software Interface (2nd edition).  Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 1997
bulletBaron & Higbie: Computer Architecture.  Addison Wesley, 1992
bulletKuck: The Structure of Computers and Computations (Vol. 1).  Wiley 1978
bulletStallings: Computer Organization and Architecture: Designing for Performance (4th edition).  Prentice Hall, 1996

If you are not sure you satisfy the prerequisites, please see the instructor.

Grading Policy:

Your grade in this class will be determined by your performance on the following:

bullethomework (25%)
bulletmid-term exam (25%)
bulletfinal exam (35%)
bulletsmall project (15%)
bulletno hardware system building or extensive programming involved

Any material covered in the lectures, handouts, assigned readings, or homework assignments may appear in exam questions.

Course Policy

Late Policy:  Homework assignments are due at beginning of class on the due date, unless specified otherwise.  Late assignments will be assessed a penalty of 20% per day.  If you have a compelling reason for seeking an extension, please do so well in advance.  I would prefer to give an extension to the entire class, rather than to an individual student.

Honor Code:  You are encouraged to discuss with other students any of the concepts discussed in class.  However, all work on exams and homework assignments must be your own; collaboration on solutions is not allowed.  For more details, you may refer to the following document:  Honor Code Observation in Computer Science Courses.