Integrating research and e learning in advance computer architecture
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2. Here we present methods in teaching advanced
computer architecture courses. These methods
include presenting fundamental computer
architecture issues using e-learning; employing
visual aids to teach fundamentals concepts like
Caches, pipelining and scheduling.
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3. Advance Computer Architecture usually combines software and
hardware approaches that increase the performance of
microprocessor design.
Main concepts in this courses includes measuring performance,
Instruction Set Design, Memory Hierarchy and Caches, Pipelining
and its Hazards, Instruction Level Parallelism, I/O storage, and
latest contemporary computer architecture issues.
By using these concepts this course also presents the quantitative
approaches to measure the feasibility.
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4. These approaches also measure the performance emphasizing on
the differences between hardware and software approaches.
There are several books available on Computer Architecture
concepts.
Hennessy and Patterson’s are the one who gives a comprehensive
documentation on most of computer architecture topics.
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5. Concepts for e-learning are
Cache Associativity
Superscalar microprocessors.
Dynamic scheduling algorithms.
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6. Definition
It is the easy control of direct mapping cache and a fully associative
cache.
Each cache location can have more than one pair of tag and data
item that resides at same location in cache memory.
If one cache location is holding two pair of tag and data item that is
called two-way set associative cache.
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7. A 2-way set associative cache
having 8 lines will have 4 sets
and each set has two lines.
Figures show the set
associativity explain
This approach presents the
cache to be split into number of
sets and each set has equal
number of lines.
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8. Visual aid made the concepts easy to understand and we
can easily explained our point by adding visual aids and
graphics
Pipelining and its hazards
Superscalar design
Instruction Level Parallelism
Dynamic Scheduling.
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9. Pipelining
A Pipelining is a series of stages, where some work is done at each
stage in parallel.
The stages are connected one to the next to form a pipe
instructions enter at one end, progress through the stages, and exit
at the other end.
pipelining hazards
Prevent the next instruction in the instruction stream from
being executing during its designated clock cycle.
Hazards reduce the performance from the ideal speedup
gained by pipelining
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10. DLX is simple pipelining
architecture for CPU.
This is the seven clock cycle
that is required to execute the
instruction
K+(n-1) cycle
The pipeline could be also
shown in terms of cycles,
meaning display the events at
each clock cycle
DLX pipeline Starting stage
DLX pipeline 2nd instruction
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11. Pipelining hazards
For pipeline hazards, the visual aid could show bubbles
inserted in the pipeline figure show bubbles and data
forwarded using arrows.
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12. The concept of superscalars can also be explained with the
visual aids.
This figure show a 2-way issues for a DLX superscalar
machine
where one pipeline is assigned for integer and the other for
floating-point operations. Note that floating-point operation
takes 3 cycles to execute.
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13. Definition
Instruction level parallelism (ILP) is a measure of how
many of the instructions in a computer program can
be executed simultaneously.
In Dynamic scheduling hardware determines which
instructions to execute,
ILP and Dynamic Scheduling is made easy by using
visual aid.
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14. Tomasula’s algorithm
It is a computer architecture hardware algorithm for
dynamic scheduling of instructions.
It allows out-of-order execution and enables more efficient
use of multiple execution units.
At cycle =0 five instructions
scheduled
Student re-write each cycle
result.
This idea involve the
student in the process of
learning and solving the
problem.
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15. Advanced Computer Architecture is
rich with new topics that are in the
research stage.
The student must be aware of these
topics before completing any advanced
computer architecture course.
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16. Advanced Computer Architecture is rich with
advanced topics. The most advanced way of
learning is through visual aids and e-learning.
Future trends in teaching Computer Architecture
may lead to e-learning at a distance.
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