Book Image

Modern Computer Architecture and Organization

By : Jim Ledin
Book Image

Modern Computer Architecture and Organization

By: Jim Ledin

Overview of this book

Are you a software developer, systems designer, or computer architecture student looking for a methodical introduction to digital device architectures but overwhelmed by their complexity? This book will help you to learn how modern computer systems work, from the lowest level of transistor switching to the macro view of collaborating multiprocessor servers. You'll gain unique insights into the internal behavior of processors that execute the code developed in high-level languages and enable you to design more efficient and scalable software systems. The book will teach you the fundamentals of computer systems including transistors, logic gates, sequential logic, and instruction operations. You will learn details of modern processor architectures and instruction sets including x86, x64, ARM, and RISC-V. You will see how to implement a RISC-V processor in a low-cost FPGA board and how to write a quantum computing program and run it on an actual quantum computer. By the end of this book, you will have a thorough understanding of modern processor and computer architectures and the future directions these architectures are likely to take.
Table of Contents (20 chapters)
1
Section 1: Fundamentals of Computer Architecture
8
Section 2: Processor Architectures and Instruction Sets
14
Section 3: Applications of Computer Architecture

Exercises

  1. Rearrange the circuit in Figure 2.5 to convert the AND gate to a NAND gate. Hint: there is no need to add or remove components.
  2. Create a circuit implementation of an OR gate by modifying the circuit in Figure 2.5. Wires, transistors, and resistors can be added as needed.
  3. Search the Internet for free VHDL development software suites that include a simulator. Get one of these suites, set it up, and build any simple demo projects that come with the suite to ensure it is working properly.
  4. Using your VHDL tool set, implement the four-bit adder using the code listings presented in this chapter.
  5. Add test driver code (search the Internet to learn how) to your four-bit adder to drive it through a limited set of input sets and verify that the outputs are correct.
  6. Expand the test driver code and verify that the four-bit adder produces correct results for all possible combinations of inputs.