Syllabus - CSCI 311 - System Architecture

Basic Information

• Section: D1
• Semester: Spring 2022
• This is an asynchronous distance learning course. The only required meetings are one-on-one meetings with the professor for interviews (competency-based grading), which will be scheduled individually.
• Prerequisites: CSCI 211 and CSCI 216, both with a grade of C or better
• Credit Hours: 3
• Course Purpose: Introduces computer, data center, and system architectures at a high level.
• Intended Audience: Information Technology majors (required course)

Instructor Information

Dr. Mike Murphy

Please see the About Me page for contact information, and check my Schedule for office hours information.

Catalog Description

Introduction to the high-level architecture of computer systems and the hardware-software interface. Major design features of hardware components are discussed. Topics include instruction set architectures, processor designs, memory components, power, storage devices, device drivers, kernels, bootloaders, firmware, and partition tables.

Course Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Explain the basic operation of a Central Processing Unit.
2. Distinguish between different Instruction Set Architectures and identify benefits and weaknesses of various commercially available CPUs.
3. Describe the operation of memory and storage devices, including addressing and partitioning schemes.
4. Describe the hardware-software interface of a computer system, including the bootloader, kernel, firmware, and device drivers.
5. Calculate power and cooling requirements for equipment given thermal design power specifications.
6. Explain how multiple systems can be hosted within a data center in a safe and efficient manner.

Measured Competencies

The interview-based assessment mechanism in this course will measure the following competencies:

1. Understanding abstraction at the hardware, software, and system levels.
2. Ability to represent information using collections of digital switches.
3. Ability to construct a truth table for a logical expression composed of common gates.
4. Recognition of logical tautologies and fallacies.
5. Recognition of gray codes and Karnaugh maps.
6. Understanding number bases and counting in different bases.
7. Ability to use nine’s-complement (diminished radix complement) arithmetic to perform subtraction.
8. Ability to perform a left shift, logical right shift, and arithmetic right shift in binary.
9. Understanding the fundamental properties of the IEEE 754 standard for floating-point arithmetic.
10. Recognition of von Neumann (Princeton), Harvard, and Modified Harvard architectures.
11. Ability to describe the basic internal components of a CPU.
12. Recognition of speculative execution vulnerabilities within the CPU, including Spectre and Meltdown.
13. Understanding Instruction Set Architectures, including the distinction between RISC and CISC.
14. Recognition of memory-related terminology (ROM, sequential access, random access, volatile, non-volatile, PIO, DMA, RAS, CAS, CAS latency, AGU, MMU, TLB, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM).
15. Ability to describe the basic operation of SDRAM main memory, including CPU features that can improve performance.
16. Understanding basic security issues related to memory, including cold boot attacks, DMA risks, and use of an IOMMU.
17. Understanding the basic operation of hard disk drives and solid state drives.
18. Ability to create disk partitions using the MBR/DOS and GPT table types.
19. Understanding the difference between BIOS and UEFI system firmware, including the security implications of UEFI.
20. Recognition of common bootloaders, including the Windows Boot Manager, GRUB, SYSLINUX, and Das U-Boot.
21. Understanding the role of operating systems, kernels, and device drivers.
22. Understanding the role of the Graphics Processing Unit and its ability to be used for general-purpose computing.
23. Ability to identify common safety features in a data center.
24. Ability to perform basic back-of-the-napkin calculations for equipment cooling and power supply requirements.
25. Understanding Service-Oriented Architectures.
26. Ability to differentiate between IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS.
27. Recognition of cloud computing terminology (multitenancy, elasticity, private cloud, community cloud, public cloud, hybrid cloud).
28. Ability to explain the security benefits and risks inherent in cloud computing.

ABET Assessment

This course measures the following Performance Indicators:

• 1.1. Define requirements and/or specifications for a computing problem.
• 1.2. Analyze a complex problem by breaking it down into smaller components.
• 1.6. Analyze a component of a complex problem.
• 2.4. Compare multiple solutions against requirements.
• IT 6.3. Select systems appropriate for different user and environment requirements.

Texts and Materials

• No textbook is required for this course.
• Readings, reference materials, tutorials, and videos will be assigned, requiring Internet access.

Grading

This course does not use grades in the traditional sense. Instead, mastery of course competencies is measured through an interview-based evaluation system. You will have several interviews with me over the course of the semester, each of which will measure competencies related to the course material. At the end of the semester, letter grades for the course will be assigned based upon satisfying the course competencies:

During the semester, course competencies that have already been evaluated are assigned a status of “met,” “deferred,” or “missed.” For more detailed information, please see the Competency-Based Evaluation document.

Midterm Rule

Notwithstanding the above letter grade mapping, if you miss five (5) or more competencies before the last day to drop the course with a W, you will receive a course grade of F if the course is not dropped. Exceptions to this policy will be given only in circumstances that are both extensive and would otherwise meet the criteria for an excused absence under University Policy STUD-332: Class Attendance. An extensive circumstance is one that is ongoing for a period of two (2) or more weeks. For the purpose of this policy, you must give me documentation and request an exception no later than 5:00 PM ET on the day prior to the last day to drop the course with a W, unless you are hospitalized or deployed on active military duty on that date.

The purpose of this rule is to protect your GPA. In my experience, students who fall far behind during the first part of the semester rarely catch up in the end. Taking a D or F in a course has a significantly detrimental impact on your GPA, while dropping with a W has zero impact.

For the last day to drop a course with a W, please see the official Academic Calendar.

Grade Curve

In the event that unforeseen circumstances require a grade curve at the end of the semester, the number of satisfied competencies required to achieve a given final letter grade would be lowered. You should not expect such a curve. IF a curve is required, it might not be uniform with respect to each letter grade. Students who will be assigned a course grade of F as a result of the Midterm Rule, and students who are found to be in violation of the University Academic Integrity Code in this course, are NOT eligible for any grade curve.

Quarantine or Isolation

Since the interviews for this course are conducted electronically, quarantine or isolation by itself (e.g. for COVID-19) is not a valid excuse for any exception to a course policy or deadline, including the Midterm Rule. A symptomatic illness that is significant enough to interfere with your ability to complete your work would qualify for an exception, provided the illness lasts at least two (2) weeks. Documentation of the illness and its duration may be required.

Additional Policies and Information

The following policies and documents are incorporated into this syllabus by reference:

• Competency-Based Evaluation
• Common Course Policies
• Online Learning Expectations
• Contingency Plan
• First Week Checklist
• Student Services Guide

Disclaimer

Portions of this course may deal with issues related to cost analysis, laws, and ethics. The instructor of this course is not a lawyer, accountant, or financial advisor, and no portion of this class constitutes legal or financial advice. This syllabus and schedule are tentative and subject to change with notice to the student during the semester. If a portion of this syllabus is found to be non-compliant with University policies or applicable laws, the remainder of this syllabus will remain effective.