552 Discussion # 2
TA: Guangyu Shi
09/20/2010
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0. Quartus II Tips
- Change the link for downloading QuartusII web edition (See link correction on the website);

- Change the disk from q: to your account disk i: (applies for all course projects)

- Choose Cyclone II as your configuration device. (Device influence your timing simulation result)

- Compile after creating or modifying your design, before simulation. 

- When you want to simulate with a new vector wave file, you need to change the target .vwf file in the simulator tool (Processing -> Simulator Tool). Here you can also change the mode of simulation (Timing/Functional)

- do not connect bus to single wires without naming them. When you name the bus/wire correctly, you even don't need to connect them.

- Quartus II v10 do not support vector wave file any more. If you are using version 10, you either need to find a method to perform timing simulation, or to come back to version 9



1. Homework 1 
-  p2 jump: when assembly language say j 100, the new PC value will be 400 (if highest 4 bit unchanged), but the machine code is still 100 in the address. This mechanism prevents the program from unalignment problem.
 
-  p7(2): Notice that the instruction number has changed.

-  p5: You are allowed to use $zero and $at. Why not other registers? Overwriting problem.

-  p6(1): Let's clearify it here. The "peak performance" means the biggest IPS value the computer can achieve  (best case instruction sequence).

-  p4(3): How many data memory references means how many times you access the data memory (lw/sw).

-  p9: Briefly describe what each instruction does. What this code does is most important for this question.


2. Course materials
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3. Other issues
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