Computer Architecture Assignment: A Reflective Journal On Weekly Learnings

Question

Task: Students are required to write a Reflective Journal in which they reflect on unit content and learning experiences between weeks 1 and 11. In this computer architecture assignment you should describe an interesting or important aspect of each week’s content/experiences, analyse this aspect of the week critically by incorporating and discussing academic or professional sources, and then discuss your personal learning outcomes.

Answer

Introduction
The focus of this computer architecture assignmentis to create reflective journals that will reflect my learning experience on this course module. In this reflective journal, the primary experience of and learning outcomes will be elaborated on studying Computer Architecture as one of the core subjects in Trimester 2. In this unit, the basic knowledge regarding the software, hardware, network and communication will be developed that will be essential for the integration of the IT infrastructure of the organisation. In the overall study of this study, comprehensive knowledge and views will be essential for me to develop my further knowledge on this subject (Ledin, 2020). This subject also contributes to the development of skills and in scheduling, process management, device management and develops ideas regarding user interface, data storage and manipulation. The major discussion will be provided based on the lecture of each week that will allow me to describe the topic studied in each week, analyse one experience that I have gained from each week's lecture and also identify my own personal experience as learning outcomes.

Reflection on Week 1
Description
In the first week, I went through the major skills on learning the general capabilities of computers and learnt about the description of hardware components and essential functions of networking. Other than that, I also learnt the different functions that are related to system and application software. The interesting topic which I have found this week is the role of computer processors.

Analysis
In the first week of study on computer architecture, I have learnt the importance of using computer processors, which are essential for executing the instruction in the computer and performing different functions that are essential in the management of I/O operations and storage devices (Hennessy and Patterson, 2019). This has specifically developed my knowledge of the need for general purpose and special-purpose processors. I have also acquired knowledge on the importance of CPUs through the study of general-purpose processors, which has developed my essential knowledge of different components of CPUs.

Outcomes
This unit has developed my understanding of different hardware components that are essential to constitute the infrastructure of the entire computer system. Other than that, the lecture this week has developed my learning on the importance of primary and secondary storage and its comparison in quantity, content and implementation (Spertus and Kurmas, 2021). Other than that, this learning module has developed my further knowledge of types of computers.

Reflection on Week 2
Description
In the second week of my classes, I have developed an understanding of the use of data representation methods and numbering systems. I have also learnt the data types that can be used in CPUs and the common data structures that are essential to constitute the computer architecture.

Analysis
From my experience in this week of lecture, I have found the most interesting topic is to study the number systems. The representation of the number system has developed my further knowledge of different mathematical concepts (Hennessy and Patterson, 2019). I have learned the use of the binary notation system, which is preferred in computers to evaluate machine language. Other than that, mathematical attributes like excess notation, two's complement notation, floating-point notation added to my interest.

Outcomes
The lecture this week has been to develop a critical understanding of the importance of data representation of computers. This lecture has developed my knowledge of the use of different number systems and numeric ranges associated with each system. As per the discussion of Spertus (2021), the knowledge of Boolean logic is also essential in handling major operations in machine language. In this study, I have also learnt the ASCII coding format along with its limitations.

Reflection on Week 3
Description
In this lecture week, I have gone through the briefing of CPU instruction and execution cycles. The study of the week continues with the function of general and special purpose registers. Other than that, I have also learnt the design features of the CPU, which includes word size, clock rate, instruction format.

Analysis
Evaluating the study of this week, I can state from the overall analysis that I have many of the topics quite interesting this week. Among them, my favourite experience was learning the various instruction formats that can be used in computer architecture (Penney and Chen, 2019). Some of the major instruction formats that I have learned in this study are ADD, SHIFT, MOVE, and so on, which are essential in carrying out various operations in microprocessors.

Outcomes
From this week's lecture on computer architecture, I have learnt the difference between the use of simple and complex instruction in machine language. Besides that, I have developed substantial knowledge of the use and need of RISC and CISC architecture. Other than that, I have also developed my experience in the importance of pipelining, multiprocessing and other different performance enhancement techniques.

Reflection on Week 4
Description
This week has developed my knowledge of the different characteristics of primary and secondary devices. I have also learnt the comparison while choosing different alternatives under secondary storage along with its performance analysis. The study this week has also developed my essential ideas on implementing primary storage and its associated technologies.

Analysis
In this week of lecture, the most interesting part which I have developed is the knowledge regarding types of RAM and the essential type of nonvolatile memory that are present in the system (Agrawal et al., 2019). Through the development of this knowledge, I have learnt briefly from my teacher regarding the different types of non-volatile memory that are quite essential to understand different types of storage devices that can be used in computer architecture.

Outcomes
In this subject of study, I have developed crucial knowledge on different types of storage devices that constitute the computer system. Other than that, I have also developed ideas regarding the types of non-volatile memory and magnetic storage principles. Through this lecture, I have also learnt the need for magnetic read/ write operations. Along with that, this study has delivered me a good amount of resources to understand the limitations of magnetic storage devices.

Reflection on Week 5
Description
In this particular week, I went through the discussion of the purpose of device controllers and the ways interrupt processing works with I/O devices and secondary storage devices. I have also gone through the use of caches and buffers that can help in improving the performance of the computer system.

Analysis
The best part of my learning experience that enhanced my knowledge this week is the approaches that bus controllers have used to control the system's storage devices and performance (Agrawal et al., 2019). This study has enabled us to gather knowledge regarding device controllers that are essential in handling the bus protocols. Other than that, the learning of the secondary storage device connections and with system bus has developed more concepts on CPU handling.

Outcomes
Another important learning outcome that I have developed in this week's lecture are buffers, which are essential in handling the source and destination of any input-output operations. Markettos et al. (2019) have opined that buffers are necessary for improving device operations. Other than that, the use of the cache, which is a fast storage area, is also essential to study for improving the performance of underlying storage devices in the system.

Reflection on Week 6
Description
The concepts of text and image representation were the main objective of this particular week. The assessment of the printer characteristics and various associated technologies were also demonstrated in this regard. Lastly, the usage of the optical input devices was also shown this week.

Analysis
The analysis obtained in this week's lecture has developed my special concepts and apprehensions on different input and output devices connected to the computer system (Nemirovsky et al., 2018). The best part of my learning this week is the concept of audio input and output devices. I have developed my concept on the use of audio devices that can be connected to systems for sound input and sound generation.

Outcomes
As per Tannenberg, Rueckert, and Peters (2019) analysis, this study is essential to develop my ideas and firm grasp of the concept of input and output devices connected to the computer system. Other than that, this week, I have learnt an interesting concept of speech recognition and speech generation features that exist in the computer system (Viswanath, 2017). Additionally, I have also developed my concepts on different types of image storage formats that can be added to the system for image and video display control.

Reflection on Week 7
Description
The assessment of the network and physical topologies is essential in terms of learning the concepts of computer architecture. It was the main focus of this particular week. Various essential elements in relation to this topic were taught in this regard. The analysis of the IEEE standards in networking was also featured in this regard.

Analysis
This is one of my favourite weeks so far, as I have developed my grasp and knowledge on the different types of topological networks by which the network can be used to connect different devices (Comer, 2017). I have developed crucial knowledge on different types of topologies and their pros and cons, which is essential to consider in order to understand the connectivity among the devices and the process of transmission of data and messages in the physical network.

Outcomes
An interesting topic that has enhanced my knowledge is the necessity of routing for forwarding packets of data. I have also learnt the need for hubs, network adapters, wireless access points, routers and switches that are essential in establishing the network components in the system. Other than that, the lecture this week has also developed my concept on different layers and the importance of TCP/IP protocol.

Reflection on Week 8
Description
The CPU scheduling process was an essential topic that was taught this week. The functions and layers that are present with any particular OS were covered in this particular week. The resources present within any particular OS architecture were also featured this week.

Analysis
In this particular week, I have also developed an essential grasp on the concepts of the operating system, which is quite essential to understand for the functioning of the operating system. One of the unique learning experiences that I have gathered in this week's study is rescue allocation, which is essential for systematically handling computer CPU tasks (Bindal, 2017). This, as a whole, helps in ensuring the productivity of the system and helps in the management of processes.

Outcomes
This week's study not only developed my essential understanding of process management but also established comprehensive ideas on the use of threads in the CPU and memory resources. I have understood the concurrent use of CPU and the concept of multithreading which is quite essential to handle multiple tasks at the same time. Moreover, the knowledge of CPU states is quite essential to understand the apprehension regarding CPU allocation.

Reflection on Week 9
Description
The analysis of the segments and utilisations of the file management system were included in this particular section. Afterwards, both the logical and physical organisation processes of the files and folders were also involved in the course. In this process, the analysis of the overall file management system was explained thoroughly.

Analysis
This week has developed a critical understanding of file management and manipulation, which is used to develop further storage and folder structure (Zomaya, 2021). The necessity of file management also develops my brief ideas on the management of storage devices that will further develop my understanding of each of the file management techniques essential to handling the files in the devices.

Outcomes
Along with the knowledge of file management, this week, I have also understood the concept of file recovery. Along with that, I have understood the concept of fault tolerance in the system and developed my critical understanding of fault prevention and mitigation. Furthermore, I have also understood the use of RAID, which is quite essential to achieve fault tolerance in the system and improve the performance through the mechanism of parallelism.

Reflection on Week 10
Description
The concept of virtualisation was the main aim of this particular week. The types and components of the virtualisation process were explained in a proficient manner this week. Apart from that, the analysis of the hosted and bare-metal virtualisation was also present within the activities of this particular week.

Analysis
This week I have considered learning a different bare-metal virtualisation application that has become pretty popular these days to improve the functionality, performance and reliability of the system (Kim, Wasicek, and Lee, 2017). With the use of bare metal virtualisation application, I have developed knowledge regarding the test what-if scenarios, live migration, dynamic provisioning. This has further made me learn products that use bare-metal virtualisation concepts.

Outcomes
In this particular week, I have made myself acquainted with the study of cloud computing concepts. With the study of this chapter, I have understood the essential characteristics that make cloud quite important. Along with that, I have also developed knowledge regarding different cloud service models as well as cloud stacks. Furthermore, at the end of this week, I have gathered significant knowledge of SaaS and PaaS.

Reflection on Week 11
Description
The analysis of the system administration responsibilities that are related to the computer architecture process was included in week 11. Evaluation of various computer hardware and system software was also done in this regard (Kim, Wasicek, and Lee, 2017). After completing this week, the student's overall knowledge regarding the system administration activities was improved.

Analysis
In this week, I have understood special knowledge on the competitive advantage that develops as a result of technology development. I have also learnt good knowledge of the acquisition process (Nemirovsky et al., 2018). This week study gas further helps in gathering new experience on handling the resource demands and utilisation of the same for the computer system.

Outcomes
One of the major learning outcomes in the last week of this subject is learning about the access controls that are essential in protecting and monitoring the system's functioning. With the help of this study, I have understood the necessity of using password security and control that helps in the authentication process.

Conclusion
The overall study of the entire subject has developed a critical understanding in different areas that will further help me to continue my future studies. I have developed the need for hardware and network components in the computer system, which is quite essential to develop the computer architecture. Other than that, I have learnt about network topologies which are pretty essential in connecting networks. I have also learnt the concepts of operating systems, CPU scheduling and file management, which are also necessary elements of study in designing computer architecture.

Reference List
Agrawal, R., Bandara, S., Ehret, A., Isakov, M., Mark, M. and Kinsey, M.A., (2019, June). The brisc-v platform: A practical teaching approach for computer architecture. In Proceedings of the Workshop on Computer Architecture Education (pp. 1-8). https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3338698.3338891
Bindal, A., (2017). Fundamentals of Computer Architecture and Design. Springer International Publishing. http://ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/34973/1/7.pdf

Comer, D., (2017). Essentials of computer architecture. Chapman and Hall/CRC. https://eca.cs.purdue.edu/comer/ECA-INSTRUCTOR-PRESENTATION.pdf
Hennessy, J.L. and Patterson, D.A., (2019). A new golden age for computer architecture. Communications of the ACM, 62(2), pp.48-60. https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3282307
Heuring, V.P. and Murdocca, M.J., (2021). Principles of computer architecture. http://debracollege.dspaces.org/bitstream/123456789/397/1/Principles%20of%20Computer%20Architecture% 20by%20Miles%20J.%20Murdocca.pdf Kim, H., Wasicek, A. and Lee, E.A., (2017, October). An integrated simulation tool for computer architecture and cyber-physical systems.Computer architecture assignment In International Workshop on Design, Modeling, and Evaluation of Cyber-Physical Systems (pp. 83-93). Springer, Cham. https://chess.eecs.berkeley.edu/pubs/1194/KimEtAl_CyPhy17.pdf Ledin, J., (2020). Modern Computer Architecture and Organization. Packt Publishing. http://scienceadvantage.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Modern-Computer-Architecture-And-Organization-Learn-X86-ARM-And-RISC-V-Architectures-And-The-Design-Of-Smartphones-PCs-And-Cloud-Servers-30.04.2020.-.pdf

Markettos, A.T., Watson, R.N., Moore, S.W., Sewell, P. and Neumann, P.G., (2019). Through computer architecture, darkly. Communications of the ACM, 62(6), pp.25-27. https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3325284

Nemirovsky, D., Arkose, T., Markovic, N., Nemirovsky, M., Unsal, O., Cristal, A. and Valero, M., (2018). A general guide to applying machine learning to computer architecture. Supercomputing Frontiers and Innovations, 5(1), pp.95-115. https://upcommons.upc.edu/bitstream/handle/2117/117079/A%20General%20Guide%20to%20Applying %20Machine%20Learning%20to%20Computer.pdf?sequence=1 Penney, D.D. and Chen, L., (2019). A survey of machine learning applied to computer architecture design. arXiv preprint arXiv:1909.12373. https://arxiv.org/pdf/1909.12373

Spertus, E. and Kurmas, Z., (2021). Mastery-Based Learning in Undergraduate Computer Architecture. In MCA21: Proceedings of the 2021 Workshop on Computer Architecture Education. ACM, Valencia, Spain. https://ellenspertus.com/Papers/wcae2021-spertus-kurmas.pdf

Spertus, E., (2021). Interactive Asynchronous Online Computer Architecture Education. In MCA21: Proceedings of the 2021 Workshop on Computer Architecture Education. ACM, Valencia, Spain. https://ellenspertus.com/Papers/wcae2021-spertus.pdf Tanneberg, D., Rueckert, E. and Peters, J., (2019). Learning algorithmic solutions to symbolic planning tasks with a neural computer architecture. arXiv preprint arXiv:1911.00926. https://arxiv.org/pdf/1911.00926 Viswanath, D., (2017). Scientific Programming and Computer Architecture (p. 624). The MIT Press. https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/26041/Scientific%20Programming% 20and%20Computer%20Architecture.pdf?sequence=1

Zomaya, A.Y., (2021). Advanced computer architecture and parallel processing. http://www.infincommunications.com/bitstream/123456789/633/1/Advanced%20Computer% 20Architecture%20and%20Parallel%20Processing%20by%20Hesham%20EL-Rewini.pdf