Boston University College of Arts and Sciences Computer Science Department

111 Cummington Street Boston, MA 02215 Phone: (617)-353-8919 / Fax: 353-6457 Web: www.cs.bu.edu

Prerequisites

This course assume that students have a solid background in Java or C++ programming from CS 111. CS 112 is also recommended, but not essential for students with strong programming skills.

Course Description

This course is a required introduction to the hardware and systems software of modern digital computers. We study the computer as a series of hierarchical layers, starting with wires and semiconductor devices such as transistors, and ending with the operating system and application programs. Our focus, as computer scientists, is on the fundamental algorithms and data structures, whether instantiated in hardware or software. In the first part of the course, we shall "build" a simple computer system from the gates up to a MIPS CPU, considering at each stage the fundamental data structures (e.g., bits, bytes, integers, instructions) and algorithms necessary to manipulate the data. We shall design this CPU in a CAD environment called MaxPlus which enables us to both draw circuits and run them by generating waveforms (bit streams) and seeing what waveforms result. In the second part of the course (integrated to some extent with the end of the first part) we shall learn to program the MIPS processor and learn how a real MIPS processor works, including such features as memory organization, interrupts, and I/O. In the third part of the course, we will continue outward from the CPU to add memory devices (cache memory, DRAM), buses, and I/O devices such as disks, and then, in the final phase of the course, consider the design and role of the operating system and appropriate system software (such as the TCP/IP protocols). In this last phase, we shall program in the C language in the Unix environment. If time permits, we will consider what factors influence performance, and how performance should properly be measured.

Course Books and Materials

The required textbook is the following:

• Computer Organization and Design, by William Stallings, 7th Edition;
• The C Programming Language, by Kernighan and Ritchie

Policies

Lectures

• You are responsible for all the material covered in lecture and in the readings. I will clarify what material is most important before tests, however, it is important that you do all the readings and review your class notes periodically.
• Class attendence is very important. I will take attendence at random intervals to check on your attendance and to learn your names. I reserve the right to lower your final grade if you miss more than 10% of the classes.
• Class participation is also very important. I encourage questions, and will usually start class with a review of the last class, and a request for questions on that material. Please don’t be afraid to ask a question during the lecture, as often this means that many people may have a similar question, and it is worth stopping me to get clarification. If we are running out of time, I may defer your question for after class or email.

Homework Assignments and Labs

• Labs takes place at the times listed above, and are mandatory. Lab writeups are posted on the web site, and you can make up an lab by arrangement with the TF. Typically, the lab involves some activity that becomes the final problem in that week's homework assignment; hence there is no separate lab assignment to be handed in.
• Labs will typically take place in the teaching classroom next door to the CS lab, but may occasionally take place in the assigned room listed above. Go to the teaching classroom unless I specify otherwise.
• There are no labs the first week of classes; however, you should go to the lab and obtain a CS cluster account if you do not already have one.
• Homeworks and labs are extremely important, as you can not learn these concepts (and especially you can not learn programming) by simply reading a description of them---you MUST get your hands dirty and learn by manipulating the concepts.
• There will regular homework assignments, normally one every week (except for the first week); the last may involve a largish programming assignment executed by a team of 2-3 students. Please see the Topics link on the web page for the ongoing schedule of assignments.
• Further particulars of assignment submission, the late penalty, and my policy regarding academic honesty will be found on the first assignment and posted on the class web site.

Tests

• The final exam is scheduled for Saturday, 12/16, 9:00a.m. - 11:00a.m. Pplease make your travel plans accordingly. If there are religious reasons for taking the exam early, please see me in the last week of classes and we will make suitable arrangements.. You will have two quizzes and a midterm, which will be announced at least a week in advance.

Grades

• 10% Two quizzes
• 20% Midterm Exam
• 25% Final Exam (cummulative)
• 35% Homeworks
• 10% Final Project (if project is not done, your final will be worth 30% and your homeworks 40%)

Miscellaneous

• The last day to drop classes with a W is October 6th; the last day to drop with a W is October 27th. b>
• There will be no incompletes in this class except for reasons of dire illness near the end of a semester in which all previous work has been completed satisfactorily.
• You can not redo any assignment, or do extra work after the semester is over to improve your grade, as this arrangement would then by fairness have to be extended to the rest of the class (an impossible situation).

Homework Policies

• Submission Instructions: Please hand in a hard copy of your solutions to all problems, with a suitable cover page with your name, the date, the course, and the number of the assignment. Do each problem on a separate sheet clearly labelled at the top (e.g., "Problem 3"), and staple all pages together in the upper-left-hand corner (do NOT submit solutions separately or update your solutions after handing in your assignment). For any problem statement that asks multiple questions, answer each in a separate paragraph, labelled (a), (b), etc. Submit "pencil and paper" problems into the CS 210 mail slot (not the shelf) in the CS homework station; submit code or files produced by software using Gsubmit as specified on the course home page. A small penalty will be taken for any homework that does not follow these guidelines.
• Late Policy: Both parts of the homework (pencil and paper, and electronic submission) are due at 5 pm on Tuesday; late homeworks will be penalized at the rate of 25% for each weekday late (each day ending at 5pm, weekends not included).

Policy on Academic Misconduct

Whenever you submit a piece of academic work and sign your name to it, you are verifying that this work is the result of your own intellectual efforts; it is Plagiarism to submit work solely under your own name in which:

• You collaborated with another student in solving the homework problems;
• You copied the solution from a book, web site, or the work of another student; or
• You got significant help in solving the problem, but do not acknowledge this in your solution.

In this course, I will not allow you to submit any joint work, although in other courses and in other contexts you may be permitted to do this. In general, you must always provide proper attribution of authorship by naming all persons, books, or resources that provided intellectual content towards the final result. In some cases, you will need to describe the extend of the contribution, particularly when literally copying the words or artistic artifacts of another. To fail to provide proper attribution is plagiarism. Plagiarism demeans the seriousness of what we do in class, and does not allow you as a student to obtain a fair grade for the results you worked hard for.

I will discuss the issue of plagiarism with the grader, and use, when appropriate, automated tools to check submitted programs and files for copying. I don't like to be involved in this, but it is necessary in order to provide a fair environment for your work. In cases of suspected plagiarism, I will discuss the matter with the student(s) involved and, when warrented, submit the case to the Academic Conduct Committee (of which I was chairman for three years). Unfortunately, students in my classes violate these policies several times a year on average; it is my hope that by being completely clear and straight-forward about my policy that I can reduce this number. Please take this issue serious and talk to me if you have any concerns or questions.