With this subject and the first semester course, Principles of Digital Systems Design, the branch of Computational Architecture begins. This branch is very important in the degree of Computer Engineering since it presents the internal functioning of the machines, essential to design and develop efficient computer systems. It goes without saying whether what you're trying to design is actually a computer.



In the first semester, in the last topic of the subject Principles of Digital Systems Design, a simple computer is designed starting from the digital circuits studied. Many of the concepts learned in this part of the subject will be used in the second semester course in the subject Computer Structure (EC). However, CE does not work at the circuit level: the computer is presented at the level of blocks or subsystems, and the basic functioning of these subsystems is studied.



The subsystems that are studied in depth are the Input/Output subsystem and the Processor instruction set (in addition to the bus subsystem and an introduction to the memory structure). The structure of the Memory in depth, together with its performance and the techniques used to accelerate the execution of the instructions in the Processor will be seen in the second course subject Computational Architecture. The following subjects of the Computational Architecture branch will expand the knowledge of architecture worked so far and study methods to improve computer performance, including parallel architectures.



In Computer Structure a real machine, the NINTENDO DS, is used as a practical example. The specific characteristics of this machine are analyzed and it is mainly programmed using the programming language C. In the remaining subjects of the area, the programming language C continues to be used, expanding its knowledge by subject. Furthermore, the students also begin working on event-oriented programming, which is very important in areas such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Robotics.

The results of learning the subject are:

1. Understand the internal language of the machine and programs in assembly language.

including internal mechanisms for sub-routine management.

2. Know how to program input/output applications for environment control (hardware event-driven programming) using C programming language.

3. Understand the operation of standard computer peripheral devices.

4. Knowing how to analyze different bus protocols to determine their influence on the performance of data transfers in the computer.

5. To understand the internal architecture of the computer and the functions of each unit in the execution of instructions, with the consequences that this entails in the execution and occupancy times of the programs' memory.

1. VON NEUMANN ARCHITECTURE.

1.1 Von Neumann architecture.

1.2 Structure of memory. Addressing unit.



2. SET OF INSTRUCTIONS.

2.1 Machine language and assembly language: ARM.

2.2 Subroutines.

2.3 Instruction format.



3. INPUT/OUTPUT SUBSYSTEM.

3.1 Description of the Input/Output interface.

3.2 Communication and synchronization: survey and interruptions.

3.3 Managing the Nintendo DS peripherals.

3.4 DMA: direct access to memory.

3.5 Development of an Input/Output application for the Nintendo DS machine using C programming language.



4. CONNECTION BETWEEN SUBSYSTEMS: BUSES.

4.1 Introduction: definition and classification. Bus hierarchy.

4.2 Transmission protocols: synchronous, asynchronous, ...

4.3 Bus arbitration.

In this subject, more than one teaching methodology is used. Magister classes will be held to describe the conceptual contents of the subject. In general, explanations given in the magister classes will be brief, using as long as possible to resolve problems or exercises. The participation of students in class will be encouraged by making them resolve exercises on the board, which at the same time will encourage the discussion on the solutions of the exercises in the group.



Laboratory sessions, one per week, will work in groups, promoting group work. In some of the sessions students will resolve small exercises on the computer. These exercises will be collected for evaluation, and at the same time, to help students in their learning process, some of these corrected exercises will be returned to them. Many other laboratory sessions will be used to develop a project specific to the subject. They will closely monitor the design and implementation of the project in the laboratory, guiding them when necessary. The project will be submitted together with technical documentation.

• Continuous Assessment System
• Final Assessment System
• Tools and qualification percentages:
  • The different types of assessment and their weights with regard to the final note are explained in the following sections. (%): 100

The assessment systems envisaged are the continuous assessment system and the final (or overall) assessment system. The continuous assessment system is the one that will be used preferentially for students who can continuously monitor the subject within the established framework of dedication and attendance to face-to-face activities. Students who meet the conditions for continuous assessment may leave this method of assessment at any time by notifying the teaching staff by means of an eGela survey provided for this purpose, until the result of the theoretical examination of the third subject is known. From this moment on, the student will be assumed to be in continuous assessment and will not be able to give up the examination.



Both in final evaluation and in continuous evaluation, the subject is divided into several blocks and to overcome it, we have to achieve at least 35% of the score in each block. The subject was approved with an average of 5.



In the continuous evaluation the subject will be evaluated through several partial examinations and through work carried out mainly in practical sessions. There will be three partial examinations which will represent 35%, 10% and 20% of the final grade respectively (65% in total). The work carried out in the practical sessions will consist of laboratory exercises, classroom participation and laboratory sessions (15% of the total) and a programming project (20% of the total). The evaluation will have an educational character as the student will be instructed to improve the work he or she has delivered.



The last partial examination (the third, 20% of the note) will take place on the same day as the final examination. It will not be necessary at any time for the students to confirm their registration in the ongoing evaluation. On the day of the final examination they will decide whether to continue with the continuous assessment (it only performs the partial examination) or whether to choose the final evaluation (by resolving the full examination for the final evaluation).



In the final evaluation the examination will account for 80% of the note and it will be mandatory to carry out a project which will account for the other 20% (equal to the project carried out by the students under continuous evaluation).



It is enough not to assist to the examination to renounce the call.



The evaluations will follow the protocol on the prevention of misconduct and fraudulent conduct and academic ethics in the evaluation tests and academic work of the UPV/EHU. The detection of possible fraud, copying or plagiarism in an evaluation test and/or academic work shall at least lead to the suspension of such students and their collaborators and for other purposes such as disciplinary proceedings.

In the extraordinary assessment, 80 per cent will be assessed through an exam, and a project will be mandatory, accounting for the other 20 per cent of the note. Also in this case, the subject is divided into several blocks and to overcome it one has to get at least 35% of the score in each block.



It is enough not to assist to the examination to renounce the call.



The evaluations will follow the protocol on the prevention of misconduct and fraudulent conduct and academic ethics in the evaluation tests and academic work of the UPV/EHU. The detection of possible fraud, copying or plagiarism in an evaluation test and/or academic work shall at least lead to the suspension of such students and their collaborators and for other purposes such as disciplinary proceedings.

All the material you need to follow the subject is on eGela. The subject has notes that will be provided on this platform by the teachers.

Basic bibliography

1.NOTES ON THE SUBJECT STRUCTURE OF COMPUTERS.

Teresa Miquélez, Edurne Larraza, Iratxe Soraluze. http://egela.ehu.eus/



2.ORGANIZACIÓN DE COMPUTADORES

V.C. Hamacher, Z.G. Vranesic eta S.G. Zaky. McGraw-Hill Ed., 2003 (5ª edición)



3.ORGANIZACIÓN Y ARQUITECTURA DE COMPUTADORES

W. Stallings. Prentice-Hall Ed., 2006 (7ª edición)



4.LABORATORIO DE ESTRUCTURA DE COMPUTADORES empleando videoconsolas Nintendo DS.

Francisco Moya Fernández, María José Santofimia Romero, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha.

http://www.bubok.es/libros/190123/Laboratorio-de-Estructura-de-Computadores-empleando-videoconsolas-Nintendo-DS

In-depth bibliography

1.STRUCTURED COMPUTER ORGANIZATION (5th ed)
A.S. Tanenbaum. Pearson Prentice-Hall Ed., 2006.

2.COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN. THE HARDWARE/SOFTWARE INTERFACE (3rd ed.)
Patterson D. A., Hennessy J.L. Morgan Kaufman, 2005

3.INTRODUCCIÓN A LA INFORMÁTICA
A. Prieto, A. Lloris, J.C. Torres. McGraw-Hill Ed., 2006 (4ª ed)

Web addresses

http://www.davespace.co.uk/arm/
http://netwinder.osuosl.org/pub/netwinder/docs/arm/ARM7500FEvB_3.pdf