UNIVERSITY OF JAMMU

FOR EXAMINATION TO BE HELD FROM JUNE 2011 ONWARDS

CLASS: B.E 8TH SEMESTER
BRANCH: COMPUTER ENGG.
COURSE TITLE: ADVANCED COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE
COURSE No. COM-801(A)
DURATION OF EXAM: 3 HOURS

Section - A

Introduction to advanced Architecture: Parallel Processing, Architectural classification schemes, Characteristics and organization of Cache memories, characteristics of I/O subsystems.
Pipelining and Vector Processing: Classification of Pipeline Processors, General pipelines and reservation tables, interleaved memory organizations, Principles of Designing pipeline processors,
Characteristics of vector Processing.
Array Processing: SIMD Computers and Processor enhancements, SIMD Array Processors, Masking and Data Routing Mechanisms, SIMD interconnection Networks, Performance evaluation methods.

Section - B


Multiprocessor Systems: Loosely Coupled and Tightly Coupled multiprocessors, Processor characteristics for multiprocessing, interconnected Networks for multiprocessors. Parallel Memory Organization: Interleaved Memory Configurations, Multicache Problems, Modeling for evaluation of Virtual memory.
Parallel computer models and Program Parallelism: Models of parallel computers, Introduction to Parallel Algorithms, Parallel Programming Paradigms, Issues in implementing algorithms on Parallel Computers.

Reference/ Books Recommended :-

  1. Computer Architecture: A Qualitative Approach by Hennessey & D.A. Patterson.
  2. Computer Architecture: Pipelined & Parallel Processor Design by Michael J. Flynn.
  3. Advanced Computer Architecture by Kai Hwang & Briggs.
  4. Foundations of Parallel Processing by R.K.Ghose, Rajan Moona and Phalguni Gupta.

Note :- There will be eight questions of 20 marks each, four from each section. Students are required to attempt five questions selecting atleast two questions from each section. Use of Calculator is allowed.