Systems Programming and Computer Architecture

What's new?

• Please note that there will be no lecture on 1st and 2nd of November!
• 19.09.16: You can now register for the exercise sessions on echo.ethz.ch. Note that you need to register for the course in mystudies first.

Course Materials

Overview

This course introduces the fundamental concepts, mechanisms, and techniques that underpin how computer systems process information, execute programs, and interact with the outside world. We focus on computing immediately above and below the boundary between hardware and software, and expose students to the practical issues that affect performance, portability, robustness, and extensibility through assembly language, the C programming language, and computer hardware from the perspective of systems software.

Topics include:

• Representing information in computer systems
• Systems programming in C
• Assembly language and compiled code
• Sequential, pipelined, and multicore processor design
• Caches and the memory hierarchy
• Performance optimization and performance measurement
• Devices, I/O, traps, and DMA
• Memory management

Main Text and Reference books

• R. Bryant, D. O'Hallaron: Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective, 2^nd ed. 2002, Prentice Hall.
• B. Kernighan, D. Ritchie: C Programming Language, 2^nd ed. 1988, Prentice Hall.

Recommended Text and Reference books

• D. Patterson, J. Hennessy: Computer Organization and Design, 4^nd ed. 2008, Morgan Kaufmann.
• S. Harbison, G. Steele: C: A Reference Manual, 5^nd ed. 1994, Prentice Hall.
• S. Oualline: Practical C Programming, 1997, O'Reilly.
• S. Prata: C Primer Plus, 2004, Sams.
• U Kirch-Prinz, P. Prinz: C Pocket Reference, 2002, O'Reilly.
• Intel publishes a lot of material covering the IA-32 processors. The official web site for IA-32 and Intel 64 documentation is here.

Lecturer

• Timothy Roscoe (troscoe at inf) CAB F79 (En)

Staff

• Reto Achermann (reto.achermann at inf)  (En + De)
• Gerd Zellweger (gerd.zellweger at inf)  (En + De)
• Lukas Humbel (lukas.humbel at inf)  (En + De)
• Roni Häcki (roni.haecki at inf)  (En + De)

Hilfsassistenten

• Chris Mnuk (mnukc at student) (En + De)
• Mickey Vänskä (mickeyv at student) (En + De)
• Nicolas Ochsner (ochsnern at student) (En + De)

Course Hours

Lecture

• Tue 10-12h, HG G 5
• Wed 10-12h, NO C 60

Exercise

• Thu 13-15h, CHN D 42 (Reto Achermann)
• Thu 13-15h, CHN G 46 (Gerd Zellweger)
• Thu 13-15h, LEE C 104 (Lukas Humbel)
• Thu 13-15h, LEE D 105 (Roni Haecki)
• Thu 13-15h, LFW C 1 (Chris Mnuk)
• Thu 13-15h, ML J 34.1 (Mickey Vänskä)
• Thu 13-15h, ML J 37.1 (Nicolas Ochsner)