Courses

 Course Description

This course is an introduction to the hardware organization and assembly language of the Intel processor. Topics include memory hierarchy and design, CPU design, pipelining, addressing modes, subroutine linkage, polled input/output, interrupts, high level language interfacing and macros.

By successfully completing this course you will earn 3 units of college credit.

 Course Objectives

• Distinguish the differences between the Von Newman and Harvard computer architectures.
• Distinguish the differences of the general-purpose registers and their uses.
• Compare the relationship of assembly language to high-level languages, and the processes of compilation, linking and execution cycles.
• Develop an introductory understanding of the structure and operations of memory, virtual memory, cache, storage, and pipelining.
• Develop an in-depth understanding of interrupt handling and exceptions.
• Evaluate the relationship of assembly language and the architecture of the machine; this includes the addressing system, how instructions and variables are stored in memory, and the fetch-and-execute cycle.
• Construct basic assembly language programs using the 80x86 architecture.

 Course Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate an understanding of the data representations including Number bases, Signed numbers, and two’s compliment representation.
• Display an understanding of the x86 architecture, Microcomputer design, and the von Neumann machine.
• Compose assembly programs that handle data transfers as well as indirect and direct addressing.
• Demonstrate the use of the stack and how it relates to function calls.