In this course, you will understand the basic operation of computing systems. Upon completing this course, I expect you to have a high-level understanding of the role played by each major component of the system, including compiler, operating system, assembler, instruction set, and hardware.

In the first part of the class we will focus on low-level hardware; switches, transistors, logic gates, memory elements etc. After that we will learn how to put these components together to build simple circuits like counters. You will also enjoy learning how to formally specify logic functions, how to simplify logic functions etc.

The second part is even more fun than the first part. You will learn about internals of a modern processor like the Intel or AMD processor. We will tease apart each part, understand the functionality provided by each part, discuss a simple pipeline processor and talk about caches, memory systems and I/O systems. As we go along you will also pick up some assembly programming and learn to program in VHDL. I expect this class to be a lot of fun (=> lot of work ;-)). See you in class.

Note: This course is a joint EE/CS course.

• Fundamentals of Digital Logic with VHDL Design, 2nd ed, Stephen Brown and Zvonko Vranesic, McGraw-Hill, ISBN #0-07-249938-9
• Computer Organization and Design, The Hardware/Software Interface, David A. Patterson and John L. Hennessy, Morgan Kaufmann, ISBN #1-55860-604-1