Computer Architecture II

Exam 4, due August 29, 1999

SWI SPIM for Windows
SPIM for the Macintosh
Unix source for SPIM
SPIM Simulators
  1. Chapter 5
    1. 5.5. Microprogramming
    2. 5.6 Exceptions
    3. 5.7 -5.10 Pentium Pro Implementation
  2. Chapter 6: Pipelining
    1. 6.1 Overview
    2. 6.2 A pipelined datapath
    3. 6.3 Pipelined control
    4. 6.4 Data hazards and forwarding (dependency detection).
    5. 6.5 Data hazards and stalls
    6. 6.6 Branch hazards
    7. 6.7 Exceptions
    8. 6.8 Superscalar and dynamic pipelining
    9. 6.9 PowerPC and Pentium Pro pipelines
  3. Chapter 7: exploiting memory hierarchy
    1. 7.1 Introduction.
    2. 7.2 Caches
    3. 7.4 Virtual memory
    4. 7.5 A common framework for memory hierarchies
    5. 7.6 The Pentium Pro and PowerPC memory hierarchies
  4. Chapter 8: Interfacing processors and peripherals
    1. 8.1 Introduction
    2. 8.2 -8.3 Examples
    3. 8.4 Buses
    4. 8.5 Interfaces
    5. 8.7 Real-world example

Grading

There will be at least five examinations, the last one being cumulative (i.e., covering material from the entire semester). There will also be occasional graded homeworks.

Each exam will receive a raw grade (0-100) and a curved grade (0-4). The final grade for the course is computed by averaging the curved grades, subject to the rules

  1. the last (cumulative) exam is counted twice.
  2. the lowest of the exam grades is dropped (this might be a whole regular exam or half of the last exam).
  3. homeworks are given a weight of 1/10 of an exam.
The final (weighted) average (a number between 0 and 4) is converted into a letter grade using the rule 
           A >= 3.8
    2.8 <= B < 3.8
    1.5 <= C < 2.8
    0.5 <= D < 1.5
           F < 0.5
Note: By this rule, two A's averaged together with one B results in a grade of B.

Exams will be administered on web pages. Students take exams by entering answers into a fill-out form and clicking the submit button. At the discretion of the instructor, exams may be left up on the web pages after the deadline for submitting them, but the instructor reserves the right to deduct points from late exams.

If a student feels that an exam has not been graded correctly, he or she may request that it be regraded by printing out the exam and marking the question that has been misgraded.

Note: The taking of exams is a lonely process. Students are urged not to consult textbooks or other students while taking exams.

Answers that are not original (i.e., copied from another source) will receive a grade of 0, regardless of their validity. Students who submit exams for their friends will receive no credit for these exams.

Schedule of Exams