University of Waterloo

Term and Year of Offering: Winter 2012

Course Number and Title: CS251, Computer Organization and Design

Comp Sec Camp Loc Time Days/Date Bldg Room Instructor
LEC 001 UW U 11:30-12:50 T,Th RCH 305
 Richard Mann
LEC 002 UW U 8:30-9:50 T,Th RCH 305
 Richard Mann

Instructors

Instructor's Name Office Location Contact Office Hours
Richard Mann DC2510 mannr@uwaterloo.ca W 3:30-5

Instructional Apprentices

IA's Name Email Office Hours
Tommy Carpenter cs251@student.cs.uwaterloo.ca T 1:30-3, MC4065
Guangyu Feng cs251@student.cs.uwaterloo.ca

Instructional Support Coordinator

ISC's Name Office Location Contact
Olga Zorin DC 3119 ozorin@uwaterloo.ca, x33005

Course Description:

Overview of computer organization and performance. Basics of digital logic design. Combinational and sequential elements. Data representation and manipulation. Basics of processor design. Pipelining. Memory hierarchies. Multiprocessors.

Course Objectives:

To introduce students to theoretical and practical concepts relevant to the structure and design of modern digital computers. The course covers computer architecture from gate-level logic through processor design to multiprocessor and network issues.

Course Overview:

Introduction (2 hours)
Overview of computer organization. Measuring performance.

Digital Logic Design (6 hours)
Gates, truth tables, and logic equations. Combinational logic and basic components. PLAs and ROMs. Memory elements. Finite state machines.

Data Representation and Manipulation (6 hours)
Signed and unsigned numbers. Addition and subtraction. ALUs. Multiplication. Floating point representation.

Basic Processor Design (12 hours)
Datapaths. Single-cycle control. Multi-cycle control. Microprogramming.

Pipelining (5 hours)
Pipelined datapaths. Data hazards. Branch hazards.

Memory Hierarchies (3 hours)
Caches: direct-mapped, fully-associative, set-associative. Virtual memory. Page tables and TLBs.

Multiprocessors (2 hours)
Single-bus networks. Cache consistency. Networks and clusters.

Required text:

Computer Organization and Design, 4th ed. by D. Patterson and J. Hennessy, Morgan Kaufmann, 2008. Course notes are required.
Note: You may use earlier editions of the textbook, however, class and notes will refer to the latest version only.

Evaluation:

Your course mark M will be computed as follows: 
    A = % on assignments A1-A6
    E = % on exams (midterm + final)
    B = bonus for A0
    If A > E then A = E
    M = .15*A + .85*E + B
In any event, your course mark will not be higher than 100.

Course Policies

Assignment submission

Assignments should be submitted to the appropriate drop boxes in the hallway outside MC 4065.

You must include the course generated cover page for your assignment. Failing to do so will result in a mark of zero.

Assignment returns

Marked assignments can be picked up during the IA's office hours. Any unclaimed assignments will be shredded at the end of the term.

See the IA if you would like your assignment remarked.

Late Assignments

No late assignments will be accepted.

Missed Assignments

If you miss an assignment because of an unexpected reason (e.g., a medical reason) and you bring us documentation (e.g., a doctor's note), the grading formula will be adjusted to shift the missed percentage into the final exam weight.

Since assignments are posted in advance with deadlines stated in advance, no adjustments will be made for assignments missed because of co-op interviews, etc.

Missed Exams

If you miss the mid-term for an unexpected reason (e.g., a medical reason) and you bring us documentation (e.g., a doctor's note) or if you miss the mid-term because of an exam conflict or a co-op interview, the weighting of the midterm exam will be shifted to the final. If you miss the midterm for other reasons, your course mark will be computed with the standard formula with a mark of 0 used for your midterm mark.

Incompletes

An incomplete may be assigned if you miss the final exam for a medical reason (documented by a doctor's note). An incomplete will NOT be assigned if we feel you are unlikely to pass the course based on your homework and mid-term scores (as a rule of thumb, you would need to be getting at least a 60 on the assignments and the mid-term for us to assign an incomplete for missing the final exam, even with a doctor's note).

Cheating

We will use the standard CS penalty for cheating on an assignment, which for this offering of the course is zero on the assignment and a deduction of 5% from the course grade. In addition, a letter will be sent to the associate dean of undergraduate studies informing him of the matter; the associate dean may decide to impose additional penalties if he feels it is appropriate.

Rules for Group Work:

No group work is allowed. While you may discuss questions with other students in the course, you should write up your solutions without looking at what other students have written nor at any notes you took during such discussions. Solutions that are too similar will be considered cases of excessive collaboration.

Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. [Check www.uwaterloo.ca/academicintegrity/ for more information.]

Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4, www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy70.htm. When in doubt please be certain to contact the department's administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity [check www.uwaterloo.ca/academicintegrity/] to avoid committing an academic offence, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about 'rules' for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course instructor, academic advisor, or the undergraduate Associate Dean. For information on categories of offences and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71, Student Discipline, www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy71.htm. For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties, www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/guidelines/penaltyguidelines.htm.

Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70 (Student Petitions and Grievances) (other than a petition) or Policy 71 (Student Discipline) may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72 (Student Appeals) www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy72.htm.

Note for Students with Disabilities: The Office for persons with Disabilities (OPD), located in Needles Hall, Room 1132, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the OPD at the beginning of each academic term.