Essentials of Computer Architecture

This easy to read textbook provides an introduction to computer architecture, while focusing on the essential aspects of hardware that programmers need to know. The topics are explained from a programmer’s point of view, and the text emphasizes consequences for programmers. Divided in five parts, the book covers the basics of digital logic, gates, and data paths, as well as the three primary aspects of architecture: processors, memories, and I/O systems. The book also covers advanced topics of parallelism, pipelining, power and energy, and performance. A hands-on lab is also included. The second edition contains three new chapters as well as changes and updates throughout.

Preface. Introduction and Overview. Part 1. Basics. Fundamentals of Digital Logic. Data and Program Representation. Part II. Processors. The Variety Of Processors And Computational Engines. Processor Types and Instruction Sets. Data Paths and Instruction Execution. Operand Addressing and Instruction Representation. CPUs: Microcode, Protection, And Processor Modes. Assembly Languages And Programming Paradigm. Part 3. Memories. Memory and Storage. Physical Memory And Physical Addressing. Caches and Caching. Virtual Memory Technologies And Virtual Addressing. Part 4 I/O. Input /Output Concepts And Terminology. Buses and Bus Architecture. Programmed And Interrupt-Driven I/O. A Programmer’s View Of Devices, I/O, And Buffering. Part 5 Advanced Topics. Parallelism. Pipelining. Power and Energy. Assessing Performance. Architecture Examples and Hierarchy. Hardware Modularity. Appendix 1. Lab Exercises For A Computer Architecture Course. Appendix 2. Rules For Boolean Algebra Simplification. Appendix 3. A Quick Introduction To x86 Assembly Language. Appendix 4. ARM Register Definitions And Calling Sequence

Douglas Comer is a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at Purdue University. He is an internationally recognized expert on computer networking and the TCP/IP protocols. He has been working with TCP/IP and the Internet since the late 1970s. Comer established his reputation as a principal investigator on several early Internet research projects. He served as chairman of the CSNET technical committee, chairman of the DARPA Distributed Systems Architecture Board, and was a member of the Internet Activities Board (the group of researchers who built the Internet). Comer has created courses on computer networks, the Internet, TCP/IP protocols, and operating systems for a variety of audiences, including in-depth courses for engineers and less technical courses for others; he continues to teach at various industries and networking conferences around the world. In addition, Comer consults for private industry on the design of networks and networking equipment. Professor Comer is well-known for his series of ground breaking textbooks on computer networks, the Internet, computer operating systems, and computer architecture. His books have been translated into sixteen languages, and are widely used in both industry and academia.His three-volume series Internetworking With TCP/IP is often cited as an authoritative reference for the Internet protocols. More significantly, Comer's texts have been used by fifteen of the top sixteen Computer Science Departments listed in the U.S. News and World Report ranking.