Computer Architecture and Organization: Introduction

• This course is titled Computer Architecture and Organization, and is level #1.
• The instructor is Dr. Samar A. Said, with email address samar_said@h-eng.helwan.edu.eg.
• The course code is CSE1612, with 2 hours of lectures and 2 hours of tutorials per week.
• The total degree for the course is 100 marks
• Grading is split with 50 marks for the Midterm Exam, Quizzes, Assignments, and Participation, and 50 marks for the Final Exam.
• The topics to be covered include why study this course, an introduction to computer organization and architecture, the history of computer, and an outline of course content.
• Computers/processors can be found in ATMs, iPods, traffic controllers, design & engineering, robots, PDAs, cars, music, cameras, watches, games, microwaves, medical (MRI) equipment, planes, and cell phones.
• Computers were developed as solutions to problems, considering cost, speed, energy/power, and efficiency.
• Types of computers include personal computers, servers, supercomputers, and embedded systems.
• The area of focus for computer architecture is from the compiler to the final result.
• The five components of any computer are: processor, memory, devices, keyboard/mouse, and disk/display/printer.
• Computer architecture provides functional behavior of computer systems, answers design questions, and shows the "low level" programmer's view. It involves types of instructions, number of registers, and types of operations.
• Computer organization provides structural relationships among parts of computer systems, explaining how they work and how designers implement designs, and involves layout and interconnection.

Computer Architecture and Organization

• Software includes the application, compiler, assembler, and operating system.
• Hardware includes the instruction set architecture, processor, memory, I/O system, datapath & control, layout & technology, digital design, circuit design, and transistors.
• Architecture is the broad structure, while organization details how components are interconnected.
• All Intel x86 and IBM System/370 families share the same basic architecture.
• Organization may highly differ between different versions of the same architecture.

Structure & Function

• Structure refers to how components relate to each other.
• Function refers to the operation of individual components.
• All computer functions include data processing, data storage, data movement, and control.

Functional View

• The operating environment, which acts as the source and destination of data, interacts with the data movement apparatus.
• This apparatus connects to the control mechanism, which is linked to both the data processing facility and the data storage facility.

Operations

• Data movement involves moving data between storage, processing, and control.
• Storage includes placing data into the storage component under control.
• Processing from/to storage includes fetching data from storage, processing it, and then storing the processed data back.
• Processing from storage to I/O involves retrieving data from storage, processing, and and then transferring the output.

Structure - Top Level

• The main components are the computer, peripherals, and communication lines.
• Inside the computer are the central processing unit, main memory, systems interconnection, and input/output components.

Structure - The CPU

• The CPU contains registers, the arithmetic and logic unit, internal CPU interconnection, and a control unit.

Structure - The Control Unit

• The Control Unit contain sequencing logic, control unit registers, decoders, and control memory

The Big Picture

• The Hardware/Software Division shows the relationship between different levels of system components.
• Applications sits at the outermost layer, with windows XP, Linux, mac etc running just inside.
• Finally the systems is controlled by the inner most layer of hardware.
• Example applications include Excel, Internet Explorer, and Visual Studio.
• Example operating systems include Windows XP, Linux, Solaris, and OS X.
• Example hardware includes, PCs, MACs and SUN systems.

Program Path to Execution

• Program execution consists of the following process: high-level language program (.c file), which is converted to the assembly language program (.asm file) using a compiler and which is then converted to the binary machine language program (.exe file) using an assembler.

The Five Components of a Computer

• Control, Datapath, Memory, Input & output components are combined within a computer

Computer history

• The evolution happened over several centuries.
• The evolution is classified into generations using technology.

First Generation (1940s-1950s): Vacuum Tube Computers

• First Generation main component-Vacuum tube.
• Main memory-Magnetic drums and magnetic tapes.
• Programming Language-Machine.
• Power Consumption- high power consumption with high heat.
• Speed and size-very slow with very big.
• Input and output devices- punched cards and paper tape.
• the Army's Ballistics Research Laboratory employed more than 200 people to solve essential ballistics equations using desktop calculators during World War 2.
• Professor Mauchly (EE) and his gradate student Eckert proposed to build general purpose computer using vacuum tubes for ballistics research laboratory.
• ENIAC built in world war II was the first general purpose computer
• ENIAC was used for computing artillery firing tables.
• ENIAC was 24 meters long, 2.5 meter high and several meters wide.

ENIAC completed in 1946:

• Used decimal (not binary) numbers.
• Employed 20 accumulators of 10 digits.
• Was programmed manually by switch.
• Used 18000 vacuum tubes.
• Weighed 30 tons.
• Measured 15,000 square feet
• Used 140 kW of power.
• Performed 5,000 additions per second.

Second Generation (1950s - 1960s) : transistors:

• transistor an electronic component that can be used as an amplifier or switch.
• smaller size with less heat.
• programming lanague- assembly lanuage.
• magnetic core and magnetic tape/disk used for memory.
• punched cards and magnetic tape used for input/output devices.

Third Generation (1960s - 1970s): Integrated circuits (ICs)

• main electronic component- integrated circuits (ICs): a small electronic circuit printed on a chip silicon which contains many own circuit elements (transistors, diodes, resistors, etc).
• size smaller, cheaper, more efficient called "minicoputers".
• speed- more efficent.
• large magnetic core, magnetic tape, disk used for memory.
• high level lanee used- FORTRAN, BASIC, pascal Cobol, C,etc/
• Magnetic tape keyboard, monitor printer for intput and output devices.

Fourth Generation (1970s - present) :VLSI

• VLSI- very large scale integration in microprocessor.
• Very large scale integrated circuits more than 10,000 components per chip.
• Enabled creation of microprocessors.
• First was 4 bit Intel 4004.
• Versions such as 80860 and 8088 spawned the "personal computering ".
• in 1970 supercomputer with 22 processors.
• supercomputers with 1,000 processors in 1980s.
• IBM Blue Gene built with over 1 million processor in 1999.

Computer Generations

• semiconductor used for memory such as RAM, ROM, ETC
• RAM(random access memory)- a type used in computer for programs and data, contents are lost when computer is off.
• ROM(read only memory)- computers store data and permanently data, contents can not be retained data.
• high level programing Language- python CH Java JavaScript etc.
• Smaller, cheaper data size third enerationcomputers.
• 2+ systems linked, network examples IBM PC, Star1000, APPLE II, Apple machintosh etc.

5Gen: Present and future computers

• main electronic components:ULSI
• DNA computeand dataflowers quantun
• leonard adleman and DNA example and language.
• consumes less power generated.

in conclusion

• computer system continuously getting better improved .
• 2 times over 1.5 years in processors speed.
• 2Y Memory size with 1y disk capacity.
• 5 classical components are: control, data path, memory, input, output, data

Course Outline

• This course will cover introduction, Performance evaluation, top Level View of Computer Function and Interconnection, Design of CPU, Control Unit Design, Memory systems, Register transfer and computer operations, Input/output and communications, Parallel Processing.