Course syllabus

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Prerequisites and Restrictions

Prerequisites:

  • COMPSCI 105 or 107

Restriction:

  • None

Course Description

The low level representation of data and algorithms in the computer. An introduction to computer organisation. The instruction execution model. Assembly and disassembly of instructions. Assembly language programming. How a high-level language is implemented at the machine level. Hardware support necessary to implement a secure multi-user operating system.

Staff involved in the course

Lecturers  

  • Dr Robert Sheehan (course coordinator)

r.sheehan@auckland.ac.nz
Room 303.409 
Office hours: whenever I am around or email me for appointment

  • Dr Xinfeng Ye

xinfeng@cs.auckland.ac.nz
Room 303.589
Office hours: whenever I am around or email me for appointment

Tutors

  • James Cooper

jcoo092@aucklanduni.ac.nz
Office hours: Mon 3-4 in 303-310, Tue 3-4 in 303S-561, Fri 9-10 in 303-610

  • Josh Hill

jhil955@aucklanduni.ac.nz
Office hours: Tues 10-11, Wed 12-1, Thu 3-4

Class Representatives

Timetable

Lectures

Monday 5:00PM - 6:00PM - (General Library, Room B28)

Wednesday 5:00PM - 6:00PM - (General Library, Room B28)

Friday 5:00PM - 6:00PM - (Owen G Glenn, Room 098)

Laboratories

These start in week 2.

Monday

9:00AM to 10:00AM

Science Main, Room G75

Monday

4:00PM to 5:00PM

Science Main, Room G75

Wednesday

2:00PM to 3:00PM

Sci ENV, 302-190

Wednesday

4:00PM to 5:00PM

Science Main, Room G75

Thursday

4:00PM to 5:00PM

Science Main, Room G75

Friday

8:00AM to 9:00AM

Science Main, Room G75

Friday

12:00PM to 1:00PM

Science Main, Room G75

Friday

2:00PM to 3:00PM

Science Main, Room G75

Friday

3:00PM to 4:00PM

Science Main, Room G75

Friday

4:00PM to 5:00PM

Science Main, Room G75

Course Outcomes

A student who successfully completes this course should be able to:

  • describe elemental data structures, including characters, strings, signed & unsigned integers (various sizes), and pointers
  • convert between various representations of a number
  • describe the range and limitations of representations of numbers
  • describe the execution of basic instructions at the instruction set architecture level
  • write simple assembly language programs
  • describe the assembly process, and the information that is contained in assembly language instructions
  • explain the concept of a pointer and distinguish between the value of a pointer and the entity pointed to 
  • write simple programs in C
  • describe how an operating system and high-level languages provide abstractions that simplify the programming of complex systems
  • describe how the features of virtual memory, user/kernel mode, interrupts and exceptions make it possible to implement a secure multi-user system

Lecture Schedule

  • What is a computer system?
  • Bits and integer representation
  • Character and string representation
  • Arithmetic operations
  • Logic operations
  • Logic gates
  • Combinational logic
  • Storage elements
  • Sequential logic
  • The von Neumann model
  • An Instruction Set Architecture (ISA)
  • Assembly language
  • Input and Output including interrupts
  • Traps
  • Subroutines
  • Memory stack
  • Introduction to programming in C
  • Mapping C variables and operators to an ISA
  • Mapping C Control Structures to an ISA
  • Mapping C functions to an ISA
  • Handling C function calls
  • Mapping C pointers and arrays to an ISA
  • Mapping C structures to an ISA
  • Handling C’s dynamic memory allocation
  • User/kernel mode
  • Hardware support for context switching
  • Hardware support for synchronisation
  • Exceptions
  • MMU and virtual memory
  • Caching

Assessment 

Requirements for passing

In order to pass the paper, you must:

  • Pass test and exam combined - the pass mark is 50%
  • Get an overall pass of 50%

N.B. The assignments are worth 20% and if you don't do them you are automatically losing 20%. Also the test and exam will have questions based on the work in the assignments. If you miss more than one assignment you are making it very difficult to pass the course.

 Laboratories

There are labs every week, beginning in week two. There are no marks associated with the labs but you will get experience and assistance with understanding the material and programming in LC-3 assembly language and C.

Assignments

The assignments are worth 20% in total. (Numbers in brackets refer to corresponding BSc Graduate Profile themes.)

A1 5% due Tuesday the 20th of March (1, 2, 3)

A2 5% due Tuesday the 24th of April (1, 2, 3, 5)

A3 10% due Tuesday the 29th of May (1, 2, 3, 5)

Details of the assignments will be announced shortly.

Test (1, 2, 3)

The test is worth 20% of your final mark, and will be held from 6:30 to 7:30pm on Wednesday the 2nd of May in the following locations:

BLT100/106-100

HSB1/201N-346

LgeChem/301-G050

MLT1/303-G23

PLT1/303-G20

Information on which room you need to attend will be provided closer to the test date.

Exam (1, 2, 3)

The final exam is worth 60% of your final mark. Please check Student Services Online for the exam time and date. The exam is closed book, and calculators are not permitted. Provisional exam results can be obtained from Student Services Online.

Assistance
There are a number of places where you can seek assistance with your learning.

Office Hours

All staff have office hours when they are available to students (see above). You are encouraged to come and discuss any matters arising from the course during those hours. Staff are also frequently available at other times.

Lecture Recordings

All lectures are recorded. There may be a delay of 1-2 days before the lecture recordings are distributed through Canvas. You can find the lecture recordings on the Lecture Recordings page (COMPSCI 210 > Pages > Lecture Recordings). Note that although the lectures are recorded, some learning activities conducted in class do not translate well to the recordings. To maximise your learning opportunities, you are encouraged to attend the class in person.

Discussion Forums

The Piazza discussion forums within Canvas are regularly monitored by teaching staff. Please make use of the forums to ask any questions that you think might be of interest to other students. If your question is of a personal nature, or relates to a unique situation that will be of little interest to others, then please contact the teaching staff directly.

Textbook

Introduction to Computing Systems: From Bits and Gates to C and Beyond, 2/e
Yale N. Patt, University of Texas at Austin
Sanjay J. Patel, University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign

http://highered.mheducation.com/sites/0072467509/index.html

Help with Canvas

For help with Canvas see:

http://www.canvas.ac.nz

Handling illness or absence

If you must leave for family emergencies etc., PLEASE talk to the lecturer, or somehow get a message to the department. Very few problems are so urgent that we cannot be told quite quickly.
For problems affecting assignments or tests, see the lecturer, as soon as reasonably possible.
For illness during exams (or other problems that affect exam performance) students MUST contact the University within one week of the last affected examination, to apply for an aegrotat pass (for illness) or compassionate pass (other problems). The one week limit is strictly enforced.
Refer to the University information about Aegrotat and Compassionate Considerations:
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/for/current-students/cs-academic-information/cs-examination-information/cs-aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html

Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting his or her learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the world-wide web. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.
Please refer to http://www.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/home/about/teaching-learning/honesty.

Course summary:

Date Details Due