Syllabus

Introduction to computer organization: Structure and function of a computer - Processing unit: Characteristics of CISC and RISC processors - Performance of a processing unit. Memory subsystem: Memory hierarchy - Main memory unit - Internal organization of a memory chip - Organization of a main memory unit - Error correction memories - Interleaved memory units - Cache memory unit - Concept of cache memory - Mapping functions - organization of a cache memory unit - Fetch and Write mechanisms - Memory management unit - Concept of virtual memory - Address translation - hardware support for memory management. Input / Output subsystem: Access of I/O devices - I/O ports - I/O control mechanisms - Program controlled I/O - Interrupt controlled I/O - DMA controlled I/O - I/O interfaces - System buses - peripherals - Terminals - Video displays - Magnetic storage disks - magnetic tapes - CD ROMs. High-Performance processors: Instruction pipelining - Pipeline - Hazards - Superscalar processors - Performance considerations. Multi-processor systems: Shared memory systems - Interconnection networks - Caches in multiprocessor systems.