EEL6706
Fault-Tolerant Computer Architecture
Fall Term 2009, 3 Credits
Section #7747

Time and Place: MWF-6 (12:50-1:40pm), 330 Larsen Hall.

Course Objective: Students will gain fundamental knowledge and understanding of principles and practice in fault-tolerant computer architecture and computing, emphasizing both hardware and software challenges and the interactions between them, as well as exposure to research challenges in this field, through class lectures and discussions, reading assignments, homework, and a major research project.

Prerequisites by Topic: Topics covered in EEL5764, which include: fundamentals of computer design; performance and cost; instruction set principles, examples, and measurements; basic and advanced pipelining; superscalar and VLIW instruction-level parallelism; memory-hierarchy design; storage systems; and interconnect technology.

Required Textbook: Fault-Tolerant Systems, by Israel Koren and C. Mani Krishna, Morgan Kaufmann Pub. (2007), ISBN 978-0-12-088525-1. The authors also provide a set of small computer-based tools to support studies in FTCA. Readings from the textbook will be supplemented by readings from selected journal and conference publications.

Instructors:

• Dr. Alan D. George, Professor of ECE, Office: 327 Larsen Hall, Phone: (352)392-5225, Email: ageorge@ufl.edu, Office Hours: MWF-3 (9:35-10:25am).
• Mr. Greg Cieslewski, Ph.D. Student in ECE, Office: 330 Benton Hall, Phone: (352)392-9041, Email: grzegorz@ufl.edu, Office Hours: MWF-7 (1:55-2:45pm).
• NOTE: When contacting instructors by email, please use the prefix "[EEL6706]" in the Subject field of the message.

• Design and Analysis of Fault-Tolerant Digital Systems, by B. Johnson, Addison Wesley Pub. (1989).
• Architecture Design for Soft Errors, by S. Mukherjee, Morgan Kaufman Pub. (2008).
• Reliability of Computer Systems and Networks, by M. Shooman, Wiley Pub. (2002). UF library provides access to an on-line copy here.
• Reliable Computer Systems: Design and Evaluation, 3rd Ed., by D. Siewiorek and R. Swarz, A K Peters Pub. (1998). UF library provides access to an on-line copy here.
• Fault-Tolerant Computer System Design, by D. Pradhan (Ed.), Prentice Hall Pub. (1996).
• Engineering Reliability: Fundamentals and Applications, by R. Ramakumar, Prentice Hall Pubs. (1993).

• Basic Concepts
• Hardware Fault Tolerance
• Information Redundancy
• Fault-Tolerant Networks
• Software Fault Tolerance
• Checkpointing
• Case Studies
• Special Topics

POLICIES

• 25% from Exam #1 (covers first half of semester)
• 25% from Exam #2 (covers second half of semester)
• 45% from Class Research Project
• 05% from Class Participation & Homework

Deadline Policy: Much as you will often experience in your career after graduation, all assignments in this course will be given with a strict deadline, and students are required to submit their assignments on or before that deadline. In case of extenuating circumstances, students are advised to contact the professor immediately or as soon as practical.

Attendance Policy: A significant portion of the lectures in this course will be complementary but not duplicative of the textbook. Therefore, students are strongly advised to attend all lectures and take good notes. Tardiness for lectures is disruptive and thus NOT permitted.

Conduct Policy: We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity. All assignments are to be considered an individual effort unless otherwise specified by the instructor.

Academic Honesty: Your instructors in this course require the utmost degree of academic honesty and thus violations will be handled most seriously. All students admitted to the University of Florida have signed a statement of academic honesty committing themselves to be honest in all academic work and understanding that failure to comply with this commitment will result in disciplinary action. This statement is a reminder to uphold your obligation as a student at the University of Florida and to be honest in all work submitted and exams taken in this class and all others. If at any time questions arise regarding what is or is not appropriate, the student should ask the instructor for guidance or clarification before proceeding.

Accommodation: From the university regarding accommodations for students with disabilities: "Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the Instructor when requesting accommodation."