Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2023-2024 (archived)
Module COMP3467: ADVANCED COMPUTER SYSTEMS
Department: Computer Science
COMP3467: ADVANCED COMPUTER SYSTEMS
| Type | Open | Level | 3 | Credits | 10 | Availability | Available in 2023/24 | Module Cap | None. | Location | Durham |
|---|
Prerequisites
- COMP1071 Computer Systems
Corequisites
- None
Excluded Combination of Modules
- None
Aims
- To develop an understanding of current hardware architectures and their interplay with programming models and application performances.
- To appreciate how performance and security of computer systems are affected by their architecture.
- To develop practical skills in application development, server provisioning and orchestration in the context of large scale computing.
Content
- Computer Architecture including current processor characteristics and designs
- System administration
- Parallel programming
- Memory systems: cache design and performance
- Processor architecture and security
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge:
- On completion of the module, students will be able to demonstrate:
- The relationship between hardware architectures and High Level Programming Languages;
- Complex performance issues of current computers, and the selection of processors for specific applications.
Subject-specific Skills:
- On completion of the module, students will be able to demonstrate:
- An awareness of current technology, design analysis, and commercial practice and the ability to bring these together to provide innovative solutions for digital systems.
Key Skills:
- On completion of the module, students will be able to demonstrate:
- Capacity for self-learning in familiar and unfamiliar situations;
- General problem solving skills.
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- Lectures enable the students to learn new material relevant to modern computer architecture and its implications.
- Examinations in assess an understanding of core concepts and applications.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total/Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| lectures | 17 | Submodule 1: 1 per week; Submodule 2: 2 per week | 1 hour | 17 | |
| practicals | 5 | Submodule 1: 1 per week | 1 hour | 5 | |
| preparation and reading | 78 | ||||
| total | 100 |
Summative Assessment
| Component: Examination | Component Weighting: 50% | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
| Examination | 2 hours | 100% | No |
| Component: Coursework | Component Weighting: 50% | ||
| Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
| Summative assignment | 100% | No | |
Formative Assessment:
Example exercises set and reviewed in lectures
■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University