The Architecture of Computer Hardware, Systems Software and Networking is designed help students majoring in information technology (IT) and information systems (IS) understand the structure and operation of computers and computer-based devices. Requiring only basic computer skills, this accessible textbook introduces the basic principles of system architecture and explores current technological practices and trends using clear, easy-to-understand language. Throughout the text, numerous relatable examples, subject-specific illustrations, and in-depth case studies reinforce key learning points and show students how important concepts are applied in the real world. This fully-updated sixth edition features a wealth of new and revised content that reflects today’s technological landscape. Organized into five parts, the book first explains the role of the computer in information systems and provides an overview of its components. Subsequent sections discuss the representation of data in the computer, hardware architecture and operational concepts, the basics of computer networking, system software and operating systems, and various interconnected systems and components. Students are introduced to the material using ideas already familiar to them, allowing them to gradually build upon what they have learned without being overwhelmed and develop a deeper knowledge of computer architecture.

Designed for a one-semester course in Finite Element Method, this compact and well-organized text presents FEM as a tool to find approximate solutions to differential equations. This provides the student a better perspective on the technique and its wide range of applications. This approach reflects the current trend as the present-day applications range from structures to biomechanics to electromagnetics, unlike in conventional texts that view FEM primarily as an extension of matrix methods of structural analysis. After an introduction and a review of mathematical preliminaries, the book gives a detailed discussion on FEM as a technique for solving differential equations and variational formulation of FEM. This is followed by a lucid presentation of one-dimensional and two-dimensional finite elements and finite element formulation for dynamics. The book concludes with some case studies that focus on industrial problems and Appendices that include mini-project topics based on near-real-life problems. Postgraduate/Senior undergraduate students of civil, mechanical and aeronautical engineering will find this text extremely useful; it will also appeal to the practising engineers and the teaching community.

A no-nonsense, practical guide to current and future processor and computer architectures, enabling you to design computer systems and develop better software applications across a variety of domains Key Features Understand digital circuitry with the help of transistors, logic gates, and sequential logic Examine the architecture and instruction sets of x86, x64, ARM, and RISC-V processors Explore the architecture of modern devices such as the iPhone X and high-performance gaming PCs Book DescriptionAre you a software developer, systems designer, or computer architecture student looking for a methodical introduction to digital device architectures but overwhelmed by their complexity? This book will help you to learn how modern computer systems work, from the lowest level of transistor switching to the macro view of collaborating multiprocessor servers. You'll gain unique insights into the internal behavior of processors that execute the code developed in high-level languages and enable you to design more efficient and scalable software systems. The book will teach you the fundamentals of computer systems including transistors, logic gates, sequential logic, and instruction operations. You will learn details of modern processor architectures and instruction sets including x86, x64, ARM, and RISC-V. You will see how to implement a RISC-V processor in a low-cost FPGA board and how to write a quantum computing program and run it on an actual quantum computer. By the end of this book, you will have a thorough understanding of modern processor and computer architectures and the future directions these architectures are likely to take.What you will learn Get to grips with transistor technology and digital circuit principles Discover the functional elements of computer processors Understand pipelining and superscalar execution Work with floating-point data formats Understand the purpose and operation of the supervisor mode Implement a complete RISC-V processor in a low-cost FPGA Explore the techniques used in virtual machine implementation Write a quantum computing program and run it on a quantum computer Who this book is for This book is for software developers, computer engineering students, system designers, reverse engineers, and anyone looking to understand the architecture and design principles underlying modern computer systems from tiny embedded devices to warehouse-size cloud server farms. A general understanding of computer processors is helpful but not required.

The book is divided into four major parts. Part I covers HDL constructs and synthesis of basic digital circuits. Part II provides an overview of embedded software development with the emphasis on low-level I/O access and drivers. Part III demonstrates the design and development of hardware and software for several complex I/O peripherals, including PS2 keyboard and mouse, a graphic video controller, an audio codec, and an SD (secure digital) card. Part IV provides three case studies of the integration of hardware accelerators, including a custom GCD (greatest common divisor) circuit, a Mandelbrot set fractal circuit, and an audio synthesizer based on DDFS (direct digital frequency synthesis) methodology. The book utilizes FPGA devices, Nios II soft-core processor, and development platform from Altera Co., which is one of the two main FPGA manufactures. Altera has a generous university program that provides free software and discounted prototyping boards for educational institutions (details at http://www.altera.com/university). The two main educational prototyping boards are known as DE1 ($99) and DE2 ($269). All experiments can be implemented and tested with these boards. A board combined with this book becomes a “turn-key” solution for the SoPC design experiments and projects. Most HDL and C codes in the book are device independent and can be adapted by other prototyping boards as long as a board has similar I/O configuration.

Explores the unique hardware programmability of FPGA-based embedded systems, using a learn-by-doing approach to introduce the concepts and techniques for embedded SoPC design with Verilog An SoPC (system on a programmable chip) integrates a processor, memory modules, I/O peripherals, and custom hardware accelerators into a single FPGA (field-programmable gate array) device. In addition to the customized software, customized hardware can be developed and incorporated into the embedded system as well allowing us to configure the soft-core processor, create tailored I/O interfaces, and develop specialized hardware accelerators for computation-intensive tasks. Utilizing an Altera FPGA prototyping board and its Nios II soft-core processor, Embedded SoPC Design with Nios II Processor and Verilog Examples takes a "learn by doing" approach to illustrate the hardware and software design and development process by including realistic projects that can be implemented and tested on the board. Emphasizing hardware design and integration throughout, the book is divided into four major parts: Part I covers HDL and synthesis of custom hardware Part II introduces the Nios II processor and provides an overview of embedded software development Part III demonstrates the design and development of hardware and software of several complex I/O peripherals, including a PS2 keyboard and mouse, a graphic video controller, an audio codec, and an SD (secure digital) card Part IV provides several case studies of the integration of hardware accelerators, including a custom GCD (greatest common divisor) circuit, a Mandelbrot set fractal circuit, and an audio synthesizer based on DDFS (direct digital frequency synthesis) methodology While designing and developing an embedded SoPC can be rewarding, the learning can be a long and winding journey. This book shows the trail ahead and guides readers through the initial steps to exploit the full potential of this emerging methodology.

This book is a comprehensive text on basic, undergraduate-level computer architecture. It starts from theoretical preliminaries and simple Boolean algebra. After a quick discussion on logic gates, it describes three classes of assembly languages: a custom RISC ISA called SimpleRisc, ARM, and x86. In the next part, a processor is designed for the SimpleRisc ISA from scratch. This includes the combinational units, ALUs, processor, basic 5-stage pipeline, and a microcode-based design. The last part of the book discusses caches, virtual memory, parallel programming, multiprocessors, storage devices and modern I/O systems. The book's website has links to slides for each chapter and video lectures hosted on YouTube.

Now in its second edition, this text presents the fundamentals of computer-based control of industrial processes. Intended primarily for undergraduate and postgraduate students of instrumentation and electronics engineering, the book will also be useful for professionals and researchers in these fields.

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PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.