1.1 Introduction

C S 429 Overview

• Course Title: Computer Organization and Architecture

• Instructor: Dr. Siddhartha Chatterjee

• Semester: Spring 2025

• University: The University of Texas at Austin

• Date: 13 January 2025

Administrative Information

• Class Meetings:

  • Dr. Chatterjee:

    • MTWR 09:00-10:00 (GDC 2.216)

    • MTWR 13:00-14:00 (GDC 2.216)

  • Dr. Joshi:

    • MTWR 10:00-11:00 (WEL 1.308)

    • MTWR 14:00-15:00 (GDC 2.216)

• Course structure:

  • Unified course elements: assignments, quizzes, exams, TA office hours, cooperative learning, Canvas, Gradescope, Ed Discussion.

  • There will be Friday discussion sections as per the Registrar’s schedule.

• Contact for Admin Matters:

  • Go to the instructor of record for administrative issues.

Contacting Teaching Staff

• Platforms for Communication: Ed

• Office Hours (Dr. Chatterjee):

  • Time: TR 10:00 – 12:45

  • Location: GDC 6.502

• Email: sidchat@utexas.edu (Note: No Canvas email!)

• Core UGCA Office Hours: Held in GDC 4.100 or GDC 3.100, shared spaces with other core classes, coverage hours to be announced on Canvas.

Syllabus Review

• Prerequisites:

  • Courses with a minimum grade of C-:

    • Discrete Math for Computer Science (C S 311 or C S 311H)

    • Data Structures (C S 314 or C S 314H)

• Course Components:

  • Textbooks and detailed week-by-week schedule available on Canvas.

• Expected Skills:

  • Ability to read and understand technical materials

  • Identify areas of confusion and ask questions

  • Solve complex problems involving logical reasoning and calculations.

Assignments and Grades

• Total Assignments: 4 Programming Projects (44% of final grade)

  • Weighting: 13%, 8%, 8%, 15%

  • Project 1 is currently available.

• Exams: 3 (48% of final grade)

  • Weighting: 16% each

• Weekly Quizzes: 7%

  • Total of 11 quizzes, with the lowest 4 scores dropped.

• CES Completion: 1%

• Mastery Requirement: Specific details to be announced.

UTCS Core Courses

• Programming:

  • C S 312

  • C S 314

• Systems:

  • C S 429

  • C S 439

• Theory:

  • C S 311

  • C S 331

Course Content Overview

• Central Question: How does a computing system execute the program that I write?

• Key Topics:

  • Programming in C

  • Linux command-line interface (shell)

  • Toolchain: gcc, gdb, make, git

  • Subject Matter: data, code, processor, storage

  • Systems thinking: principles, policies, practice; cost, benefit, risk

Tools and Toolboxes

• Concept: Tools can be many things, but they are not magic wands.

Course Philosophy

• Illusion and Means:

  • Infinite space

  • Infinite speed

  • Themes: Abstraction, Concurrency, Hierarchy

• University Motto: What starts here changes the world.