Unit name | Computer Systems A |
---|---|
Unit code | COMS20008 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | I/5 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Dr. Hannuna |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
COMS10016 Imperative and Functional Programming and COMS10017 Object-Oriented Programming and Algorithms I or equivalent. COMS10014 Mathematics for Computer Science A and COMS10013 Mathematics for Computer Science B or equivalent. COMS10012 Software Tools or equivalent. Software development using low-level languages (e.g., C and assembly language, per Prog. Paradigms A and Computer Systems A) and tools. Computer architecture (e.g., properties of instruction execution). |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Computer Science |
Faculty | Faculty of Engineering |
Using a set of fundamental techniques and technologies, the Computer Systems theme broadly explains how computing platforms work: it does so a) at various levels of abstraction, including both software and hardware, and by bridging between theory and practice, and b) both in isolation, and in combination, i.e., considering large, diverse, complex systems vs. individual platforms.
Forming part of said theme, this unit delivers an integrated introduction to two related sub-fields:
The aim is to equip students with understanding and skills that enable use (i.e., design, implementation, deployment, and analysis) of these sub-fields within computer systems, when addressing real-world (e.g., industrially relevant) problems. The content spans both small- (e.g., a single multi-core processor, using a network-on-chip) and large-scale (e.g., a collection of clients and servers, using the Internet) instances; for the latter sub-field, the content offers a segue into the wider field of distributed computing.
Within the context of and challenges related to concurrency and digital communication, successful completion of this unit will enable students to:
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, including lectures, practical activities supported by drop-in sessions, problem sheets and self-directed exercises.
20% January Timed Assessment, 80% coursework
TBC