You are here: Home > Study > Course units, transferable skills, MOOCs > Course unit catalogue > 2016/2017 Computer Architectures M

72996 - Computer Architectures M

Academic Year 2016/2017

  • Docente: Giovanni Neri
  • Credits: 6
  • SSD: ING-INF/05
  • Language: English
  • Moduli: Giovanni Neri (Modulo 1) Giovanni Neri (Modulo 2)
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures (Modulo 1) Traditional lectures (Modulo 2)
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Electronic Engineering (cod. 0934)

    Also valid for Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Telecommunications Engineering (cod. 8846)

Learning outcomes

Memory hierarchies and related problems of speed vs capacity. Virtual memory concept, paging (one or more levels), TLB, inverted paging systems. Cache architectures: full associative, directly mapped and set associative. Cache coeherence problems. Single and multiprocessor MESI. Directory based coeherence. Branch Target Address systems. Multilevel BTBs. Replacement policies: hardware, counters, random. Pipelines with multiple execution units, Scoreboarding, Tomasulo and ROB solutions. Register renaming. P6 architecture and Pentium II analysis. Pentium IV and its architecture. Centrino and Core 2. Bus problems: parallel vs serial. Quick Path Interconnections. Topologies and in depth ISO level analysis. MESIF. QPI based microprocessors. Nehalem, Sandy Bridge, Haswell.

Course contents

See http://gneri.deis.unibo.it

Readings/Bibliography

None

Teaching methods

Lectures. The lectures are broadcasted in real time in Internet, recorded and made available in http://gneri.deis.unibo.it where the student can find the course slides too.

Assessment methods

The exam consists of a written test followed by an oral examination if the written test is passed. The written test (2 hours) consists of 3/4 questions related to the program of the course which can be either simple exercises or answers to specific questions. The oral exam (which is held on the same day) consists of questions about all subjects of the course. If the written test is not passed no notice is taken. The oral exam on the contrary is any case registered no matter whether passed or not passed. If not passed the written exam must be repeated in the next session. The written exam is valid only for the current date. No cell phones, tablet, notes etc. are allowed

Teaching tools

Slides and recorded lectures in http://gneri.deis.unibo.it

Links to further information

http://gneri.deis.unibo.it

Office hours

See the website of Giovanni Neri