Digital Design and Computer Ar

Why publish yet another book on digital design and computer architecture?

There are dozens of good books in print on digital design. There

are also several good books about computer architecture, especially the

classic texts of Patterson and Hennessy. This book is unique in its treatment

in that it presents digital logic design from the perspecTIve of computer

architecture, starTIng at the beginning with 1’s and 0’s, and leading

students through the design of a MIPS microprocessor.

We have used several ediTIons of Patterson and Hennessy’s

Computer OrganizaTIon and Design (COD) for many years at Harvey

Mudd College. We particularly like their coverage of the MIPS architecture

and microarchitecture because MIPS is a commercially successful

microprocessor architecture, yet it is simple enough to clearly explain

and build in an introductory class. Because our class has no prerequisites,

the first half of the semester is dedicated to digital design, which is

not covered by COD. Other universities have indicated a need for a

book that combines digital design and computer architecture. We have

undertaken to prepare such a book.

We believe that building a microprocessor is a special rite of passage

for engineering and computer science students. The inner workings of a

processor seem almost magical to the uninitiated, yet prove to be

straightforward when carefully explained. Digital design in itself is a

powerful and exciting subject. Assembly language programming unveils

the inner language spoken by the processor. Microarchitecture is the link

that brings it all together.

This book is suitable for a rapid-paced, single-semester introduction

to digital design and computer architecture or for a two-quarter or

two-semester sequence giving more time to digest the material and

experiment in the lab. The only prerequisite is basic familiarity with a

high-level programming language such as C, C++, or Java. The material

is usually taught at the sophomore- or junior-year level, but may

also be accessible to bright freshmen who have some programming

experience.