Understanding Computer Organization

This textbook unlocks modern computer organizations’ secrets, with real-world examples from RISC-V, ARM, and Intel-based computer systems. The guide provides a comprehensive yet accessible explanation of fundamental principles and components and serves as a gateway to mastering the interplay between hardware and software. It demystifies complex concepts and provides clear explanations and practical insights into their roles in computing systems. 

Topics and features:

• Provides comprehensive coverage of computer organization principles across three major architectures (RISC-V, ARM Cortex, and Intel), ensuring a broad understanding of modern computing

• Includes numerous practical explanations using real-world examples from each architecture, offering hands-on insights into memory-mapped I/O, interrupts, DMA, and various memory technologies

• Presents detailed exploration of diverse components such as interrupts and their usage, interrupt controllers, DMA transfers, and DMA controllers

• Offers exploration of DDRx SDRAM memory, SDRAM controllers, DIMM modules, caches, and virtual memory

Concise and yet thorough, this useful textbook/guide equips readers with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the complexities of computer organization, making it essential reading for students and professionals.

Table of Contents

1 Memory-Mapped Input/Output

2 Interrupts and Interrupt Handling

3 Direct Memory Access

4 Main Memory

5 Caches

6 Virtual Memory

About the Author

Patricio Bulic is associate professor of the faculty of Computer and Information Science, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. He co-authored the successful Springer textbook, Introduction to Parallel Computing.