Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Objectives On completion of the subject, students should be able to understand and represent low-level algorithms; write assembly language programs for the Intel 80386 using the GNU as assembler; and describe the operation of a microprocessor (simple, pipelined, or superscalar).
Synopsis This subject examines in detail the internal mechanism of computers and their manipulation by means of a low-level programming language. It includes the following topics: assembly language, register architecture, procedure activation, parameter passing and binding, block-structured addressing, co-routines, interrupts, I/O operations, modes of addressing, memory implementation, paging and segmentation. The practical component is based on 80386 assembly language.
Assessment Examination (2 hours): 65% + Laboratory work: 20% Practical examination: 15% + Students must obtain satisfactory assessment in the practical component of the subject