Integrating design and simulation into a computer architecture course

Abstract

This paper describes our experiences with closed laboratories in a computer architecture course and highlights the development of a capstone project. We advocate the use of software as a cost effective means of supporting analysis, design, and experimentation.Improvements to the course in regards to content, environment for leamitt g, student perception, skills accomplished and retained, and instructor involvement are outlined. Several labs are summarized, including the capstone project tying together all aspects of machine organization. We conclude that integrating design education into computer science with the logic simulator lab approach is worthy of our continued efforts.

Vertically Integrated Computing Labs Using Open-Source Hardware Generators and Cloud-Hosted FPGAs

“…Usually tightly entwined with the digital design curricula, this highlights the influence of technological constraints: for example, the relationship between pipelining and register timing; the considerations of SRAM organization in cache and register file design; and the limits on microarchitectural complexity due to wire congestion and power consumption. Lab assignments often involve the manipulation of RTL and associated methodologies [3], [4].…”

A first year computer organization course on the web

“…We searched for a text that not only taught the concepts outlined above but provided details on how to apply the concepts through the construction and programming of a CPU. While the idea of building a processor in a computer organization course is not new [2,4,7], there did not appear to be a textbook available that met our criteria. Some texts came close [5,8] but none of the texts provided details on building their respective processors.…”