Course handout : Computer Architecture
Loading...
Date
2025
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of Sciences
Abstract
Computer Architecture studies the structure and organization of computer systems and how their components interact to execute programs efficiently. This course introduces the main components of a computer system, including the processor, main memory, cache memory, and system buses. It also provides fundamental notions of computer instructions, the compilation and assembly process, and instruction execution mechanisms such as the instruction cycle and pipelining. Emphasis is placed on the MIPS processor, which is used as a case study to examine its instruction set, explore both its external and internal structure, and practice assembly-level programming.
The courses Machine Structure 1 and Machine Structure 2, studied in the first year, constitute recommended prerequisite knowledge for this course.
The objective of this course is to clarify the functioning of a computer with a detailed presentation of computer architecture. To this end, this course is structured over five chapters. The first chapter is devoted to the presentation of some notions of computer architecture with a particular focus on von Neumann and Harvard machines. The second chapter is dedicated to the study of the main components of a computer such as the arithmetic and logic unit, buses, memories, etc. Among other things, we will present in the third chapter some notions on the instructions of a computer, the principle of compilation and assembly and the pipeline. Chapter four is generally devoted to the MIPS R3000 processor. Finally, notions on interrupts and I/O instructions and system instructions will be presented in the fifth chapter.