CSCI 6461 Section 10 Fall 2024
CRN 82989
Meets in 1776 G St. C-103 Mondays
6:10PM-8:40PM
Instructor:
Morris Lancaster (703.400.6408)
Office Hours: After class and by appointment. This Webex link will be used for
office hours that will be established shortly after we begin classes.
Meeting Location: Tompkins 208 Wednesdays 6:10PM-8:40PM* (Note
that this US location uses Daylight Savings Time)
COVID Policy: https://compliance.gwu.edu/covid-19-campus-health-and-wellbeing-policy
Announcements:
Class
announcements will be placed on this web page.
For detailed class schedule, homework assignments and
downloads of lecture slides
use this Syllabus/Schedule link.
To determine if class will be held, use the Inclement Weather Closing Status Link
(bottom of web page)
Description:
CSCI 6461. Computer System Architecture. 3 Credits. Concepts in processor, system, and network architectures; architecture of pipeline, superscalar, and VLIW/EPIC processors; multiprocessors and interconnection networks. Cache coherence and memory subsystem design for multiprocessor architectures. Parallel and distributed system architecture; internetworking. Prerequisites: CSCI 1311, CSCI 1112, CSCI 2461 Cited from GWU University Bulletin
Prerequisites:
CSCI 1311 Discrete Structures
CSCI 1112 Algorithms and Data Structures
CSCI
2461 Computer Architecture I
Texts:
|
Author |
Title
|
Edition
|
|
Kaisler, Stephen and Lancaster,
Morris |
Class
Notes provided online. Primary Source for study |
Online,
adjusted per required |
|
Rampolla, M. L |
A
Pocket Guide to Writing in History |
9th
(or any) Edition, MacMillan Press ISBN-10: 1319113028
ISBN-13
978-1319112025 |
|
Hennessy, John L. and
Patterson, David A. (Not required but a good reference) |
COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE: A Quantitative
Approach. |
6th Edition Paperback
ISBN: 9780128119051 |
Course Workload/Average
amount for guided direct instruction plus independent learning:
15
weeks of 2.5 hours instruction – online lectures in person for all students
15
weeks of 10.0 hours independent/project work – note that startup 2 weeks may be
more intensive
Assignments and Grades:
Team project, Term Paper,
and Final (See table below)
|
Assignment |
Description |
Total Points |
|
Class session warm up Tests |
Brief tests to be done by
the student before class on the slides for that class |
5% of overall grade |
|
Programming Project Part 0 |
|
|
|
Programming Project Part I |
Basic part of computer
simulator as described in the project handout. |
10% of overall grade |
|
Programming Project Part II |
Part II of computer
simulator project as described in the project handout. Extension of
instructions that can be executed. |
15% of overall grade |
|
Programming Project Part III |
Part III of the computer
simulator project as described in the project handout. Beginning of
performance improvements |
15% of overall grade |
|
Term Paper or Small
Reports |
An original term paper of
approximately 15 – 20 pages doubled spaced. Format determined by the
Rampolla text. Topic should be computer
architecture related and should go beyond the depth of the topic area as
covered by the course. Alternatively we may
have a series of smaller research papers. For Development of Term
Papers If English is NOT your
primary language, you are encouraged to make use of the GW Writing
Center, http://www.gwu.edu/~gwriter/ |
25% of overall grade (2% is on time submission of topic)
|
|
Final Exam |
Closed Book – 2 hours |
25% of overall grade |
|
|
Total |
100% |
Late Work:
It
is understood that from time to time student schedules
will be difficult to manage and meet. I have a late policy which provides that
each student will be allowed 3 late days over the semester without penalty on
work. Note that no late work will be accepted after the last day of classes. If
a team project is late, each student on the team is assessed the same number of
late days, based upon the days late for the project. Note that no due
dates coincide with class dates (except for term paper topic)
. After use of the 3 late days, each deliverable will be assessed at 6%
per day late up to a maximum of 36%. Late points are deducted in addition
to point deductions for errors and other quality issues. See syllabus schedule for last day of acceptable work.
Learning Outcomes:
As
a result of completing this course, students will be able to:
1. Describe the functional architecture of various
computer systems and the advances in computer organization that lead to
increased performance.
2. Analyze published materials describing specific
computer system architectures to determine tradeoffs made in their
organizational structure and functions with respect to performance, and
efficiencies.
3. Apply lessons learned from historical successes and
failures in the design of computing systems.
4. Perform comparative analyses of computer
architecture alternatives based on cost, performance, reliability and
efficiency constraints.
University Policy on
Religious Holidays:
1. Students should notify faculty during the first
week of the semester of their intention to be absent from class on their day(s)
of religious observance.
2. Faculty should extend to these students the
courtesy of absence without penalty on such occasions, including permission to
make up examinations.
3. Faculty who intend to observe a religious holiday
should arrange at the beginning of the semester to reschedule missed classes or
to make other provisions for their course-related activities
University COVID Policy
Current
GWU Policy may be found at https://compliance.gwu.edu/covid-19-campus-health-and-wellbeing-policy.
Students should consult this web site for current status of operations with
respect to the GWU COVID response and act accordingly.
Support for Students
Outside the Classroom: Disability Support Services (DSS)
Any
student who may need an accommodation based on the
potential impact of a disability should contact the Disability Support Services
office at 202-994-8250 in the Rome Hall, Suite 102, to establish eligibility
and to coordinate reasonable accommodations. For additional information please
refer to: https://disabilitysupport.gwu.edu/
Mental Health Services:
202-994-5300
The
University's Mental Health Services offers 24/7 assistance and referral to
address students' personal, social, career, and study skills problems. Services
for students include crisis and emergency mental health consultations
confidential assessment, counseling services (individual and small group), and
referrals. https://healthcenter.gwu.edu/mental-health
Academic Integrity Code
Academic
dishonesty is defined as cheating of any kind, including misrepresenting one's
own work, taking credit for the work of others without crediting them and
without appropriate authorization, and the fabrication of information. For the
remainder of the code, see: https://studentconduct.gwu.edu/code-academic-integrity