1. Elec/Comp 526 Spring 2015 High Performance Computer Architecture Instructor Peter Varman DH 2022 (Duncan Hall) pjv @ rice.edux3990 Office Hours Tue/Thu 1- 3 pm or By Appointment Web Page OWLSPACE: Elec/Comp 526 Spring 2015

2. Elec/Comp 526 Goal Develop an advanced understanding of modern high-performance computer architectures with an emphasis on parallel systems Course Material  Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach, (5th edition), J. Hennessy and D. Patterson  Parallel Computer Organization and Design, M. Dubois, M. Annavaram, P. Stenström  Modern Processor Design, J. P. Shen and M. Lipasti  Parallel Computer Architecture: A Software/Hardware Approach, D. Culler and J. P. Singh  Survey and Research Papers (Will be posted as needed) Grading 5-6 Projects (Architecture Simulation) 80% + 1 Exam 20%

3. Instruction Level Parallelism: Review of simple pipelined processors Register Renaming Memory Disambiguation Dynamically Scheduled O-O-O processors Tomasulo’s Algorithm Superscalar and VLIW processors Branch Prediction Speculation  Data Parallelism  Identical operations on elements of large arrays (vectors)  Vector and Stream Processors, GGPUs  Thread Level (Process Level) Parallelism  Application must be written as multiple cooperating threads  Multithreaded Processors  Shared Memory Multiprocessors: CMP, SMP, NUMA  Cluster Computing: Commodity and Custom clusters Topic 1: Processors

4. Topic 2: Memory Systems High-Performance Single CPU Memory Review of uniprocessor cache organizations Cache optimizations Lockup-free caches Multiprocessor Caches Cache Coherence Snooping Protocols MSI cache coherence protocol MESI and MOESI protocols Scalable Cache Coherence Distributed Cache Coherent NUMA systems Virtual Memory TLB and Page Table Organizations Interaction of Virtual Memory and Caches Physical and Virtual Caches Aliasing

5. Topic 3: Synchronization Memory Orderings and Consistency Synchronization and Memory Consistency Concurrency Control Problems Critical Section Problem Point-to-point synchronization Barrier Synchronization Locks Spin Locks Load and Store based locks TAS and Test-and-TAS LL and SC Lock Elision Hardware Transactional Memory

6. Topic 4: Storage, Network and Virtualization Modern Storage System Overview Cluster Networking and Network-on-Chip (NoC) Virtual Machine Concepts and x386 Virtualization

7. Objectives and Outcomes At the end of the course, students should be able to understand and analyze the hardware and software components of computer architectures at an advanced level. They should have an understanding of the the principles, implementation and performance issues of concurrent processor architecture including (i) instruction, thread, and data parallelism for the CPU (ii) high-performance lockup free uniprocessor caches (iii) multiprocessor cache coherence protocols including snoop- based and directory-based schemes (iv) low-level implementation of synchronization including spin locks and lock elision (v) virtual memory and its interactions with the cache hierarchy They should be able to apply this knowledge to design robust, high-performance concurrent architectures and software, and troubleshoot performance issues in concurrent systems.

8. Course Outcomes: Related to ABET Criterion 3 a through k a An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering. 3 b An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data. 3 c An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs. 3 d An ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams. 1 e An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems. 2 f An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility. g An ability to communicate effectively.3 h The broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context. i A recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning. j A knowledge of contemporary issues. 3 k An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice. 3 Students with Disabilities: Any student with a disability requiring accommodations in this course is encouraged to contact the instructor after class or during office hours. Additionally, students will need to contact Disability Support Services in the Ley Student Center.