The Complexity of Simple Computer Architectures

✍ Scribed by Silvia M. Müller, Wolfgang J. Paul (eds.)

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
• Year: 1995
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 278
• Series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science 995
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book presents a formal model for evaluating the cost effectiveness of computer architectures. The model can cope with a wide range of architectures, from CPU design to parallel supercomputers. To illustrate the formal procedure of trade-off analyses, several non-pipelined design alternatives for the well-known RISC architecture called DLX are analyzed quantitatively. It is formally proved that the interrupt mechanism proposed for the DLX architecture handles nested interrupts correctly.
In an appendix all programs to compute the cost and cycle time of the designs described are listed in C code. Running these simple C programs on a PC is sufficient to verify the results presented. The book addresses design professionals and students in computer architecture.

✦ Table of Contents

Introduction....Pages 1-3
The formal architecture model....Pages 5-20
Functional modules....Pages 21-42
Hardwired control....Pages 43-58
Design of a minimal CPU....Pages 59-75
Design of the DLX machine....Pages 77-122
Trade-off analyses....Pages 123-140
Interrupt....Pages 141-178
Microprogrammed control....Pages 179-198
Further applications of the architecture model....Pages 199-199

✦ Subjects

Control Structures and Microprogramming; Processor Architectures; System Performance and Evaluation; Arithmetic and Logic Structures; Electronics and Microelectronics, Instrumentation; Logic Design