The participants learn to understand the construction of digital circuits and digital computers. They know the technological parameters, the state of the art technologies, and the developments characterizing current and future design paradigms for digital hardware.
They learn to understand the concepts underlying current computer architectures and are able to explain how such architectures execute programs.
Successful participants will be able to analyse computer architectures as a whole, to understand in depth, to analyze, and to optimize their hardware components, and to discuss the properties induced by selecting design alternatives.

Professional competence
The students:

• identify the fundamental components of digital circuitry and digital computers,
• are aware of the virtues of hierarchical and abstract descriptions of hardware systems,
• name the fundamental parameters, criteria, conditions, and development trends of current and future t hardware design
• describe the basic concepts of current computer architectures and the execution of machine programs

Methodological competence
The students:

• evaluate computer architectures
• design and optimize digital hardware components
• transfer systematic methods of hardware design to unknown design problems

Social competence
The students:

• present their understanding of the operational principles underlying digital computers to others

This module is the first part of the introduction to computer engineering. It explains the construction principles of computers, from the implementation of an easy Instruction Set Architecture and fundamental methods for the specification, construction and optimization of computer components to elementary components.

- handout manuscript of the course
- Schiffmann, W.; Schmitz, R. (2001): Technische Informatik I, II, Übungsbuch; Springer Verlag, Berlin.
- Dal Cin, M. (1996): Rechnerarchitektur; B.G. Teubner.
- Lagemann, K. (1987): Rechnerstrukturen; Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
- Oberschelp, W.; Vossen, G. (1989): Rechneraufbau und Rechnerstrukturen; Oldenbourg-Verlag.
- Mano, Morris M.( 1993): Computer System Architecture 3; Prentice Hall.
- Gajski, D.(1997): Principles of Digital Design; Prentice Hall.
- Patterson, D.A.; Hennessy, J.L. (1997): Computer Organization and Design:
- The Hardware/Software Interface; 2. Edition; Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.
- Wilkinson, B. (1996): Computer Architecture Design and Performance; 2. Edition; Prentice Hall.
- Tannenbaum, A.S.(1999): Structured Computer Organization; 4. Edition; Prentice Hall.

At the end of the semester

Written or oral exam