12859 (v.2) Computer Structures 402

Area:

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Credits:

25.0

Contact Hours:

5.0

Lecture:

1 x 2 Hours Weekly

Laboratory:

1 x 3 Hours Weekly

Prerequisite(s):

12854 (v.2) Computer Structures 303 or any previous version

Syllabus:

Concepts of concurrent process execution. Modelling concurrency; common classes of concurrent algorithms. Granularity and communications. Architectural models of concurrent processing; closely and loosely coupled systems. Control and data flow issues. Network organisational issues; topologies, latency hiding techniques, routing. Performance modelling of concurrent structures. Design issues with event driven systems.

Unit Outcomes:

On successful completion of this unit students will gain an awareness of how concurrent computing has evolved, is changing now and the directions in which it may grow in the future. They will be given basic skills in being able to identify the significance of each future change and how to then familiarise themselves with the concepts and technologies involved. They will gain an appreciation of present significant design methodologies for concurrent systems and the key constraints that act upon them. Specifically they will gain knowledge of concurrent computing terminology, the history of parallel computing and its core concepts, the taxonomy of concurrent computing structures and the distinctions that need to be made between control parallel actions and data parallel, structures within that taxonomy, the cache coherence problem, interconnection networks for high performance parallel computing and the major constraints with regard to compiler technology targeted at parallel computing structures including the data distribution problem.

Text and references listed above are for your information only and current as of September 30, 2003. Please check with the unit coordinator for up-to-date information.

Unit References:

No prescribed references.

Unit Texts:

Hennessey, J.L., Patterson, D.A., 2003, 'Computer Architecture. A Quantitative Approach', 3rd edition, Morgan Kaufmann.

Unit Assessment Breakdown:

Lab Report 50%. Weekly Assignments 10%. Final Examination 40%.

Year	Location	Period	Internal	Area External	Central External
2004	Bentley Campus	Semester 2	Y