Course co-ordinator(s): Dr Idris Skloul Ibrahim (Edinburgh).
Aims:
To introduce students to modern computer systems architecture.
To give students an appreciation of logical design and data representation.
Detailed Information
Pre-requisites: none.
Location: Edinburgh.
Semester: AY.
Syllabus:
- Overview
- Hardware components - peripherals, memory & CPU.
- Boolean algebra.
- Low-level information representation.
- CPU organisation.
- Introductory assembly language programming.
- Operating system: I/O; interrupts; scheduler; virtual memory; file system.
- Concurrency: processes; threads; synchronisation; shared & distributed memory; distributed & parallel architectures.
- Language processors: compiler; interpreter; assembler; loader.
- Linux shell scripting
Learning Outcomes: Subject Mastery
- Overview of hardware/software hierarchy in contemporary computer systems;
- Understanding of purpose and function of major system hardware and software components;
- Understanding of information representation in computer systems;
- Ability to write Linux shell scripting
Learning Outcomes: Personal Abilities
- To be able to express arguments/problems in propositional and predicate calculus.
- To be able to communicate in using formal notations
- To be able to relate theoretical hardware/software knowledge to the computational setting in the workplace.
- To be able to articulate the purposes and functions of the hardware/software set-up in the workplace.
Assessment Methods:
Coursework: 100%
Re-assessment: Coursework 100%
SCQF Level: 7.
Credits: 15.