Comp 255
Principles of Computer Organization
Fall 2008

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Instructor:        Brian Shelburne - 329E Science - x7862  
bshelburne@ wittenberg.edu
Class Times:     Lecture - MWF 10:20 - 11:20; Lab - Tu 9:00 - 11:10

Textbooks:

Computer Architecture and Organization: An integrated Approach. - M. Murdocca & V. Heurling

Four Architectures: A Supplementary Text for COMP 255 - Computer Organization - Fall 2007; B. Shelburne

o PDP-8 Emulator User's Manual 

o The ARC (A Risc Computer) Instruction Set

o The Java Virtual Machine Engine User's Manual

o A Brief Introduction to Intel 80x86 Assembler Programming

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Links to Course Materials

• Course Syllabus Fall 2008
• Creating a Code Warrior C++ Project File: a .pdf document that describes how to create a project file for C++ programs. Since project files can be reused, you only need to do this once. (01/11/2006)
• Python to C++: A pdf document comparing Python language constructs to those in C++.
• Levels and Architecture: An overview of computer organization; von Neumann architecture; computer organization can be modeled as a hierarchy of 7 levels from applications down to transistors and wires.
• An Overview of the History of Computers. A brief list of important, people, computers, and events in the history of computers.
• From the U.S. Constitution to IBM:  How the problem of the 1880 census indirectly led to the formation of IBM - a demonstration of how the need for data procession drove the development of the computer.
• Four Bit Examples of Signed Integer Representation: a comparison of four-bit unsigned integer, sign-magnitude, twos complement, ones complement and excess representation representations.
• Two's Complement Wheel: a graphical example of how twos complement representation works. 
• Multiplication and Division of Binary Integers.
• An Overview of the Architecture of the PDP-8: updated 09/01/02. The PDP-8 as a von Neumann architecture. A zip file containing an executable copy of the PDP-8 Emulator program can be downloaded by clicking here.
• Self-Modifying Code on the PDP-8: An introduction to indirect addressing
• PDP-8 Assembler: A brief description of PDP-8 assembler and how assemblers work (AssemblerExample.pdf)
• Representing Binary Numbers: includes a description of floating point notation including 8 and 16 bit representative floating point notation as well the IEEE 754 Standard for Floating Point Numbers: A useful website from the Pittsburg Supercomputing Center also gives a nice overview of the IEEE 754 Standard.
• Companion Website to Murdocca & Heuring's Computer Architecture and Organization: An Integrated Approach (CAO)
• The ARC Instruction Set ARC stands for "A RISC Computer", an architecture based on the SPARC (Scalable Processor Architecture) developed at SUN Microsystems in the 80's
• A Java Byte Code Engine: A simulator that allows the user to assemble and run a subset of Java Byte code. The Java Engine Manual provides documentation for the assembler and simulator as well as a list of the Java Byte Code instructions used by the Java Engine.
• An Introduction to the Intel 80x86 Architecture: including an introduction to writing Intel 80x86 assembler
• An Introduction to MS-DOS: a simple command line operating system that "works" within a Command Prompt window.
• Quick & Dirty Debug: A brief one page cheat-sheet for using DEBUG
• Memory : basic structure of main memory, big-endian vs little endian memory, error-correcting codes, basic cache issues.
• Disk I/O: Physical and logical organization of a floppy diskette including a partial list of Intel 80x86 INT 13h, 21h, 25h, and 26h instructions for disk I/O.
• Intel 80x86 Branching: A brief introduction to conditional and unconditional branching on the Intel 80x86 architecture.
• Boolean and Arithmetic Instructions on the Intel 80x86: Shifts, rotates, boolean and arithmetic instructions plus code to read and write hexadecimal and decimal integers.
• Processors: Fetch-Execute Cycle, Datapaths, RISC vs CISC, and Pipelines
• Addressing Modes: Methods to calculate the effective address of an operand.
• Subroutines and Interrupts: What they are and how they are implemented on the Intel 80x86 and PDP-8 architectures.
• Parameters. Links to .pdf documents on parameter passing on the PDP-8 (using parameter slots) and on the  Intel 80x86 (demonstrating four different approaches but concentrating on using the stack)

Links to Other Sites

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