Course description

This course is designed to introduce students to the basics of computer architecture and operating systems. A key aim for this module is to equip students with a vocabulary and a core set of concepts that can be used in subsequent modules to aid explanation and understanding.

Where possible a non-mathematical, descriptive approach is taken. Where not possible simplified models and examples will be used. The emphasis is on actual cases, from which principles will be drawn.

The subject is dealt with in layers: moving up from bits and bytes, through gates, representation and operations to buses and processors and the treatment of operating systems is incorporated into this layered approach.

Simple low-level programming is introduced, with a simulator on an idealised virtual processor, as an aid to demonstration and exploration of the concepts of this and some subsequent modules, rather than in the expectation that students will become fully competent assembler programmers.

Students will, in this module, install Windows and Linux operating systems that will be "theirs" for the remainder of their course, for use whenever they need administrator rights.

Learning Outcomes

1. Knowledge and understanding of logic, data representation and operations
2. Knowledge and understanding of simple processors and memory addressing
3. Be able to write simple low-level programs
4. Be able to explain the difference between memory mapped and interrupt-driven i/o
5. Knowledge of the main functions of operating systems
6. Be able to install two modern operating systems and perform configuration and administration tasks
   

• Teacher: Alan Robinson