Computer Architecture
	            CMSC 411-04 	Mark E Woodcock  (woodcock@cs.umbc.edu)
		    Fall 2026		410-455-3554
		    TR 1000-1115	ITE 216
		    SON 203		OH: T 15-16, W 10-11
			     
	  Tuesday                     Thursday
August
24 	Boring introduction(1)        Semantics  (2.1-5)
31      Addressing (2.10)             Performance Eval (1.6)        
September
 7	Perf Benchmarks  Q1           ALU (3.2)   HW1-A             
14 	Multiplication (3.3)          Division (3.4)  HW1-D         
21      Flt Pt Ops (3.5)              Single-Cycle    Q2              
28      Multi-Cycle                   Micro-Programming HW2-A       
October
 5      Pipelining (4.5)              Datapath (4.6)  HW2-D         
12      FALL BREAK                    Review
19      MIDTERM                       Slack
26      Pipeline Hzrd (4.7) HW3-A     Return
November
 2      Parallel (4.10)  HW3-D        Dynamic Sched  Q3
 9      Memory Hierarchy (5.2)        Caching (5.3-5)
16      Virtual Memory (5.7) HW4-A    More VM (5.8)
23      Bus       HW4-D               TG
30	I/O    Q4 Project Due         Multi-Processors (6.3-6)		   
December
 7      Review
14      FINAL  (15th!)


READINGS
(N) - Chapter number in the Patterson/Hennessy Book.
also:  check the main page for more resources

EXAMS
Exams will be comprehensive and closed-book.  The midterm will be held during regular class time (19 Oct).  The final exam will be held in the usual room on Tuesday, 15 Dec, 1030-1230.

HOMEWORK 
There will be several homeworks and a project during the semester.  Homeworks
will be weighted according to their difficulty and importance.  You may discuss assignments with others, but you are only permitted to hand-in individual effort (e.g. solutions, programs).  
Late homeworks will be discounted 5% for one day, 25% for two days and 50% for three days.  After that, 100%.

GRADES	
Course grades will generally be determined using the following components and weights:
	Quizzes          4		   
	Midterm		24 
        Homework        19
        Project         14
	Final Exam	39 
While a normal (boring) Bell Curve is expected, the instructor reserves the 
right to construct one, to consider class participation, relative improvement,
to give all A's or flunk the whole class (where appropriate).

CONTACTING THE INSTRUCTOR/Office Hours
My email, office phone and location are listed above.  Ask a question or come by and chat.
Folks who schedule ahead will be given priority, but walk-ins are just fine.		   

TA-- Ehsan Noori (ehsann1@umbc.edu)
Office:  ITE 334 
Schedule times in these Hours: MT 8-9
			   
UPDATES
Keep track of revisions to this syllabus at 
http://www.cs.umbc.edu/~woodcock/cmsc411/syl26_04.html