Lecture 1 – Introduction
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
Digital System Design 4
Lecture 1 – Introduction
Dr Chang Liu &
Dr Stewart Smith
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
Why are you here?
• Q: How does a computer programme work
at the digital logic level?
• Q: How do you design a computer using
digital logic?
• The answers lie at Hardware/Software
interface
‣ i.e., THIS COURSE!
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
Course Content
• DRPS: http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/20-21/
dpt/cxelee10007.htm
• Topics
‣ Computer Architecture (hardware perspective)
‣ Components of Computers
‣ Microprocessor Design
‣ Parallel Computing Architectures
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
Course Content
ATtiny4 uDFN & SOT-23-6
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
“It’s turtles all the way down”
A well-known scientist (some say it
was Bertrand Russell) once gave a public
lecture on astronomy. He described how
the earth orbits around the sun and how
the sun, in turn, orbits around the center
of a vast collection of stars called our
galaxy. At the end of the lecture, a little
old lady at the back of the room got up
and said: “What you have told us is
rubbish. The world is really a flat plate
supported on the back of a giant tortoise.”
The scientist gave a superior smile before
replying, “What is the tortoise standing
on?” “You’re very clever, young man, very
clever,” said the old lady. “But it’s
tortoises all the way down!”
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
MIPS
R3000A
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_technical_specifications
“It’s tortoises all the way down”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_technical_specifications
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
Course Content
class HelloWorldApp
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
System.out.println(“Hello World!”);
}
}
# include
int main()
{
std::cout << "Hello, world!\n";
}
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
Course Structure
• 10 Credit Course
• 100% Examination (no coursework)
• 2 video lectures each week
• Accompanying exercises, quizzes etc.
• 1 hybrid seminar each week - Friday,
14.10-15.00 in Teaching Lab C (Alrick) or
on Teams.
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
Course Structure
• 10 Credit Course
• 100% Examination (no coursework)
• 2 video lectures each week
• Accompanying exercises, quizzes etc.
• 1 hybrid seminar each week - Friday,
14.10-15.00 in Teaching Lab C (Alrick) or
on Teams.
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
Course Outline
Week Lecture Topic Chapter SSQ
1 1 Introduction
2 2 An Historical Perspective §1.12
2 3 Modern Technology and Types of Computer §1.1-1.5
3 4 Computer Perfomance 1 §1.6-1.11 1
3 5 Digital Logic Review B
4 6 Instruction Set Architecture 1 2 2/3
4 7 Instruction Set Architecture 2 2 2/3
5 8 Processor Architecture 1 4 2/3
5 9 Processor Architecture 2 4 2/3
Flexible Learning Week
6 10 Instruction Set Architecture 3 2 2/3
6 11 Processor Architecture 3 4 2/3
7 12 Processor Architecture 4 4 2/3
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
Course Outline
Week Lecture Topic Chapter SSQ
7 13 Memory and Caches 1 5 4/5
8 14 Memory and Caches 2 5 4/5
8 15 Memory and Caches 3 5 4/5
9 16 Parallel Architectures 1 All! 6
9 17 Parallel Architectures 2 6 6
10 18 Parallel Architectures 3 6 6
10 19 Revision 1
11 20 Revision 2
11 21 Revision 3?
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
• Computer Organization and Design
– The Hardware / Software Interface
– Patterson & Hennessy
– 5th Edition Revised Printing (White cover,
MIPS)
• NOT:
– 4th Edition (Green or Blue)
– 5th Edition ARM or RISC-V
– Computer Architecture:
• Hennessy & Patterson
Course Textbook
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
• Computer Organization and Design
– The Hardware / Software Interface
– Patterson & Hennessy
– 5th Edition Revised Printing (White cover,
MIPS)
• NOT:
– 4th Edition (Green or Blue)
– 5th Edition ARM or RISC-V
– Computer Architecture:
• Hennessy & Patterson
Course Textbook
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
• Computer Organization and Design
– The Hardware / Software Interface
– Patterson & Hennessy
– 5th Edition Revised Printing (White cover,
MIPS)
• NOT:
– 4th Edition (Green or Blue)
– 5th Edition ARM or RISC-V
– Computer Architecture:
• Hennessy & Patterson
Course Textbook
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
Course Book
• Ebook link (5th Edition)
‣ https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ed/detail.action?
docID=5376640
• All examinable material will be in the book
• Not all material in book is examinable!
• Extra material online:
‣ http://booksite.elsevier.com/9780124077263/
• ISBN: 9780124077263 (Print)
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
Prohibited Course Combinations
• If you have taken, or are currently taking,
Computer Architecture INFR09009, or
Computer Architecture and Design
INFR10076 you cannot take this course.
• If you are in this situation, please meet
with your PT as soon as possible.
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
Surgery Hours
• Surgery Hours will (probably) be Thursday
from 13:00-14:00 each week.
• We will both be setting up separate online
meetings for these and access details will
be published on Learn.
• Additional sessions may be offered before
the exam.
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
Exam
• Questions will be largely based on the
exercises from the course book
• Past papers are available - But question
format may be quite different this year
• Designed to test your understanding, not
your language skills
• 2 Hour Paper (over 24 hours)
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
Exam
• Section A – [20 marks]
‣ Must answer whole question
‣ Covers material from whole course
• Section B – [2x20 marks]
‣ Answer 2 questions
‣ Multi-part / longer answers
‣ Each question covers a major topic
• Yes: marks add up to [60]
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
How to do well in this course
• Get the book and READ IT!
‣ Ideally read ahead each week (see course guide)
• Watch the lecture videos
‣ Slides and additional notes will be available.
• Attempt self study questions and other activities
before the hybrid seminars each week
‣ These are most useful for asking questions
• Make sure you really know the prerequisites
• Revise!
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
A Word of Warning
• This course is tough.
• It is both broad, and deep.
• If you think it’s easy, you are only
skimming the surface.
• But last year 100% of the class passed!
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
DSD4 Lab
• A completely separate course! – There is some
overlap, but DSD4 does not accompany DSDL4.
• Objectives of DSDL4:
‣ Build some devices in hardware
- 2-way protocol (PS2 mouse)
- VGA interface to a monitor
- Output device (Infra-red LED: ‘TV remote control’)
‣ Design a microcontroller
‣ Integrate with the hardware devices
‣ Program the microcontroller
‣ Drive a remote controlled car with a mouse + simple GUI
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
Other Useful Resources
• MIPS Green Card (VERY IMPORTANT)
• SPIM.
• ProcSim – a MIPS Simulator.
• Open r2000 core (for the very keen).
Stewart Smith Digital Systems Design 4
Popular Science Books
(Highly Recommended Reading)
• Turing’s Cathedral by George Dyson
• The Information by James Gleick
• The Google Story by David A Vise