Computer Systems

• Combinatorial circuits: switching patterns like invert, and, or; physical quantities, like voltages and currents, and discrete digital information,like bits; from relays and transistors to basic gates; truth tables, (algebraic) propositional calculus, Karnaugh maps, normal forms;designing two- and multi-level circuits;
• Sequential circuits: the concept of state to represent the past; finitestate machines; Mealy and Moore machines; feedback to implementstates; flip-flops: R-S, latch, clocked; designing sequential circuits;
• Number representations and conversions;
• Arithmetic circuits: adders, subtracters, multipliers, shifters;
• Computer building blocks: ALUs, registers, data paths, control units,memory, input & output, interrupts;
• Instruction sets: Machine Language and Assembly Language;
• instruction formats; programming in Assembly Language; translating programming language constructs;
• Aspects of Operating Systems: concurrency, synchronization, sema-phores, communication, buffering, virtual memory.

EUROTEQ STUDENTS:
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Knowledge : At the end of the course, students understand how both combinatorial and sequential digital circuits can be constructed using elementary logical gates. They understand how a data path of a simple processor with registers, busses and an ALU can be constructed and how assembly instructions can be implemented on this structure. They can write simple assembly programs and know how higher order languages can be translated to assembly programs. They understand the imbedding of a processor in a computer, including notions such as caches, multi-threading, networking, the operating system, security and virtual memory. They have an understanding of the history of the development of computing devices leading up to modern computers, including their system software.

Skills : At the end of the course students can perform the following tasks.

• They can reason with and simplify propositional formulas, using truth tables, algebraic rewriting, and/or Karnaugh maps;
• They can design simple combinatorial circuits;
• They can calculate with positive and negative numbers in difference number bases, especially in base 2. They can determine the flags that are set as outcome of such a calculation.
• They can construct state machines problem descriptions and are able to transform these into sequential circuits;
• They can implement assembly instructions onto simple processor layouts, including fetching the instruction from memory.
• They can construct assembly language programs for simple tasks using the PP2 or ARM32 instruction set and can translate algorithms in a Java like language into assembly

There are 3 practical modules (worth 30% of the final mark) and a final examination (worth 70% of the final mark). Each of the modules require submission of exercise answers for grading and feedback. To pass the course students need an average grade of 5.5 or higher for the 3 modules, and 5.5 or higher for the final examination.

This course is designed for 1st year students with a some experience of logic and set theory. It should not be taken by students who have already taken courses in digital electronic circuit design or processor architecture.

• J.F. Groote, R. Morel, J. Schmaltz, A. Watkins. Logic Gates, Circuits, Processors, Compilers and Computers. Springer Verlag 2021.
• Materiaal wordt later verstrekt Zie Canvas

Online lectures, online Q+A/ tutorials for feedback and grading.