CAO (B-TECH Computer Science Engineering 4th)

Section A:

Boolean algebra and Logic gates, Combinational logic blocks(Adders, Multiplexers,

Encoders, de-coder), Sequential logic blocks(Latches, Flip-Flops, Registers, Counters) Store

program control concept, Flynn’s classification of computers (SISD, MISD, MIMD);

Multilevel viewpoint of a machine: digital logic, micro architecture, ISA, operating systems,

high level language; structured organization; CPU, caches, main memory, secondary memory

units & I/O; Performance metrics; MIPS, MFLOPS.

Section B: Instruction Set Architecture:

 Instruction set based classification of processors (RISC, CISC, and their comparison);

addressing modes: register, immediate, direct, indirect, indexed; Operations in the instruction

set; Arithmetic and Logical, Data Transfer, Control Flow; Instruction set formats (fixed,

variable, hybrid); Language of the machine: 8086 ; simulation using MSAM.

Section C: Basic non pipelined CPU Architecture and Memory Hierarchy & I/O

Techniques

CPU Architecture types (accumulator, register, stack, memory/ register) detailed data path of

a typical register based CPU, Fetch-Decode-Execute cycle (typically 3 to 5 stage);

microinstruction sequencing, implementation of control unit, Enhancing performance with

pipelining.

The need for a memory hierarchy (Locality of reference principle, Memory hierarchy in

practice: Cache, main memory and secondary memory, Memory parameters: access/ cycle

time, cost per bit); Main memory (Semiconductor RAM & ROM organization, memory

expansion, Static & dynamic memory types); Cache memory (Associative & direct mapped

cache organizations.

Section D: Introduction to Parallelism and Computer Organization [80x86]:

 Goals of parallelism (Exploitation of concurrency, throughput enhancement); Amdahl’s law;

Instruction level parallelism (pipelining, super scaling –basic features); Processor level

parallelism (Multiprocessor systems overview).

Instruction codes, computer register, computer instructions, timing and control, instruction

cycle, type of instructions, memory reference, register reference. I/O reference, Basics of

Logic Design, accumulator logic, Control memory, address sequencing, micro-instruction

formats, micro-program sequencer, Stack Organization, Instruction Formats, Types of

interrupts; Memory Hierarchy.