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Essentials of Computer Architecture
Douglas E. Comer

This book began when I was assigned to help salvage  an undergraduate  computer organization course.  The course had suffered years of neglect: it had been taught by a series of professors,  mostly  visitors, who had little or no interest or background in digital hardware, and  the  curriculum  had deteriorated to a potpourri of topics that were only loosely related to hardware architectures.  In some semesters,  students  spent  the  entire  class  studying  Boolean Algebra, without even the slightest connection  to  actual  hardware. In  others,  students learned the arcane details of one particular assembly language, without a notion of alternatives.

     Is a computer organization course worth saving?   Absolutely!   In  many  Computer  Science programs, the computer organization course is the only time students are exposed to fundamental  concepts that explain the structure of the computer they  are  programming.   Understanding  the  hardware makes  it possible to construct programs that are more efficient and less prone to errors.  In a broad sense,  a  basic knowledge  of architecture helps programmers improve program efficiency by understanding the consequences of  programming choices.   Knowing  how  the hardware works can also improve the programming process by allowing programmers to  pinpoint the  source  of  bugs  quickly.   Finally, graduates need to understand basic architectural concepts to pass job application tests given by firms like Intel and Microsoft.

     One of the steps in salvaging our  architecture  course consisted  in looking at textbooks.  We discovered the texts could be divided into roughly  two  types:  texts  aimed  at beginning  engineering  students  who  would go on to design hardware, and texts written for CS students that attempt  to include topics from compilers, operating systems, and (in at least one case) a complete explanation of how Internet  protocols  operate.   Neither approach seemed appropriate for a single, introductory course on the  subject.   We  wanted  a book  that (1) focused on the concepts rather than engineering  details  (because  our  students  are  not  focused  on
hardware   design);   (2)   explained  the  subject  from  a
programmer's point of view, and emphasized consequences  for
programmers;  and  (3) did not try to cover several courses' worth of material.  When no text was found, it  seemed  that the only solution was to create one.

The text is divided into five parts. Part 1 covers the basics of digital logic, gates, and data representation. We emphasize the representation chapter because notions of two's-compliment
arithmetic and ranges of integer values are essential in programming. Parts 2, 3, and 4 cover the three essential areas of architecture: processors, memories, and I/O systems. In each case, the chapters give students enough background to understand how the mechanisms operate and the consequences for programmers.
Finally, Part 5 covers advanced topics like parallelism, pipelining, and performance.

     An Appendix describes an important aspect of the course: a hands-on lab where students can learn by doing. Although most lab problems focus on programming, students should spend the first few weeks in lab wiring a few gates on a breadboard.  The equipment is inexpensive (we spent less than fifteen dollars per student on permanent equipment; students purchase their own set of chips for under twenty dollars).

The text and lab exercises have been used at Purdue; students have been extremely positive about both. We received notes of thanks for the text and course. For many students, the lab is their first experience with hardware, and they are enthusiastic.

My thanks to the many individuals who contributed to the book. Bernd Wolfinger provided extensive reviews and made several important suggestions about topics and direction. Dan Ardelean, James Cernak, and Tim Korb gave detailed comments on many chapters. Dave Capka reviewed early chapters. Rajesh Subramanyan taught from the book and provided his thoughts about the content. In the CS 250 class at Purdue, the following students each identified one or more typos in the manuscript: Nitin Alreja, Alex Cox, David Ehrmann, Roger Maurice Elion, Andrew Lee, Stan Luban, Andrew L. Soderstrom, and Brandon Wuest.

Finally, I thank my wife, Chris, for her patient and careful editing and valuable suggestions that improve and polish each book.



                            Douglas E. Comer

                             


For queries about the site, please contact <comer@cs.purdue.edu>