This Course Guide has been taken from the most recent presentation of the course. It would be useful for reference purposes but please note that there may be updates for the following presentation.
COMP 2600SED
Computer Architecture and Operating Systems
COMP 2600SED Computer Architecture and Operating Systems is a two-term, 6-credit-unit, 2000-level course in the Bachelor of Computing programme. COMP 2600SED is designed for those who have taken COMP 2010SED Computing Fundamentals with Java or COMP 2580SED Computer Programming and Problem Solving. The course is compulsory in the BCOMP/BCOMP (Hons) in Internet Technology, and BSc/BSc (Hons) in Computing and Networking programmes. Students can also take it as a free choice course.
This course provides a solid foundation in the principles and practices of computer architecture and operating systems. It helps you develop knowledge and skills in the specification, design, operation and evaluation of computer systems and operating systems.
Purpose of this Course Guide
This Course Guide provides you with information on how the course is organised and what we offer you in this course. It describes the structure and learning outcomes of the course. You can find details of the complementary resources and the teaching and learning support for the course. The assessment procedures are also provided. This guide
will give you a better understanding of the course and will help pave the way for your study. Please read the Course Guide carefully and refer to it when needed.
Course aims
COMP 2600SED aims to:
Course learning outcomes
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
The course consists of eight study units. Each unit begins with an introduction which outlines the main focus of the subject area. The units include different topics and also activities to help you not only to understand, but reflect on what you have learnt. You are encouraged to engage in these activities and read through the feedback afterwards. We believe that you can benefit from them. There will also be regular self- tests to reinforce and check your understanding.
Assignments are incorporated into the course as part of continuous assessment, accounting for 50% of your final grade. You are required to submit three compulsory assignments. There is a final examination at the end of the course.
Course overview
The following table gives a general overview of the course structure.
| Unit | Weeks | Assessment | |
| 1 | Data in the computer | 2 | Assignment 1 |
| 2 | Computer architecture, CPU and memory | 3 | |
| 3 | CPU design and organisation | 5 | |
| 4 | Input, output and computer peripherals | 4 | Assignment 2 |
| 5 | Operating systems and the user's view | 4 | |
| 6 | Process management | 5 | |
| 7 | Memory management | 4 | Assignment 3 |
| 8 | Input/output and file systems | 3 | |
| Revision | 2 | ||
| Total | 32 | ||
Now let us have a quick look at the main themes of the study units.
Study units
There are eight study units in COMP 2600SED.
Unit 1 describes alphanumeric characters, image and audio data formats, data compression, and internal computer data representation.
Unit 2 explains and analyses the design rationale, operation, and structure of current computer architecture.
Unit 3 explains the major implementation and design approaches of the central processing unit and processing models of multiprocessing computer systems.
Unit 4 explains the operation and processing models of computer input and output in current computer systems and the historical development and characteristics of different operating systems.
Unit 5 identifies the goals, functions, structure and components of operating systems.
Unit 6 explains the problems and solutions of process synchronisation in multi-programming systems and the solutions of resource management and deadlock.
Unit 7 explains the role and mechanism of memory management for the utilisation of system resources.
Unit 8 explains the role and mechanism of file and I/O management for the utilisation of system resources.
Set textbook
There is one compulsory set textbook for the course that you are required to purchase:
Englander, I and Wong, W (2021) The Architecture of Computer Hardware, Systems Software, and Networking: An Information Technology Approach, 6th edn, New York: John Wiley and Sons. ISBN: 978-1-119-49520-8
You must read both the study units and the textbook. The study units will provide instructions on how to proceed through the textbook readings and any online readings or other supplementary material provided.
Equipment requirements
You will need a computer to do some exercises and access the Internet and the Online Learning Environment (OLE) of the course. We recommend the following computing requirements:
Hardware
Software
Access to a UNIX system is required for the UNIX hands-on exercise. Free UNIX accounts will be provided to students.
Supplementary readings
The course will provide supplementary reading materials which can be accessed online or via HKMU's E-Library. For the E-Library readings, you will be instructed to read articles in the E-Library E-Reserve. For the online readings, click on the URLs in the online units (e-book) which are available on the Online Learning Environment.
E-Library E-Reserve readings
To read these items, go to the University's E-Library and click on 'E-Reserve'. Log in, click 'Accept/Agree' on the Copyright Restrictions page, fill in the 'Course Code' box, and click 'Search'.
Online and multimedia materials
Online Learning Environment
This course uses the Online Learning Environment (OLE). There you will find course materials and the latest course information. You can also make use of the platform to communicate with your tutor, Course Coordinator and fellow students. You are recommended to visit the OLE regularly. For details about the OLE and how to access it, please refer to the Online Learning Environment User Guide.
COMP 2600SED includes two assessment components: continuous assessment and a final examination. Each is worth 50% of the course score. You are required to achieve at least 40% as the average of your assignment scores as well as 40% or above in the final examination in order to obtain a pass in this course.
There are a number of rules and regulations relating to assessment and these are provided in the Student Handbook. You are strongly recommended to read this handbook, as it explains the general requirements for all assessment and the way grades are actually determined.
Assignments
The continuous assessment consists of a total of three compulsory assignments. These act as a benchmark to check your learning progress, and test your understanding of the content and your ability to apply the knowledge learnt to daily life situations.
The assignments generally consist of essay-style questions, problem- solving programming exercises and case examples. You have to submit the assignments on time and they will be marked by your tutor and returned together with comments. You are encouraged to read those comments carefully to review your understanding and your strengths and weaknesses in the topics, and be prepared for the final examination.
The total marks of the three assignments will be counted as 50% of your final grade of the course. Refer to the table below for details.
Examination
At the end of the course, you are required to attend a final examination. The examination aims to test your understanding in the areas of computer architecture and operating systems. The examination will be a two-hour, closed-book written exam involving essay-type questions. It carries 50% of the total course score.
Assessment items
The assessment items are outlined in the following table.
| Assessment | Course area covered | Weighting |
| Assignment 1 | Units 1–3 | 16.66% |
| Assignment 2 | Units 4–6 | 16.66% |
| Assignment 3 | Units 7–8 | 16.66% |
| Examination | 50% | |
| Total | 100% |
COMP 2600SED offers various types of teaching and learning support to you, namely tutor guidance, online support using the discussion board on the OLE, and Course Coordinator consultation.
You should contact your tutor as the first line of support. You can contact him/her for help through telephone, email and other online communications.
You are also strongly recommended to post questions and share your learning experiences with fellow course mates on the discussion board on the OLE.
You may also contact the Course Coordinator for consultation. The Course Coordinator is responsible for preparing the presentation of the course, ensuring that it progresses smoothly, overseeing the work of tutors, monitoring the standard of the assessment and grading you at the end of the course.
Tutorials
There are a total of eight tutorial sessions throughout the course, comprising 16 hours of contact time. These tutorials are not compulsory, but you are strongly advised to attend them.
Your tutor will mark and comment on your assignments, monitor your progress, and will try to help you with any difficulties you might encounter during the course. Do not hesitate to contact your tutor by
telephone or by email if you need help! For example, contact your tutor if:
You will be notified of the dates, times and location of the tutorials, together with the name and phone number of your tutor, as soon as you are allocated a tutorial group.
Surgeries
Apart from tutorials, the course also has four surgery sessions of two hours each.
An on-duty tutor chairs each surgery. Each surgery aims to provide face-to-face consultation on your individual queries about the course contents. You can bring along your queries on the study units, assignments and the specimen examination paper and consult the on- duty tutor.
This course has been redeveloped based on the materials of a previous HKMU course, COMP S260. Details of the developers of the redeveloped and original courses are provided below.
Developer of COMP 2600SED
Mr Winko Lui Chun-wang has received a BEng in Computer Science from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and an MSc in IT in Education from the University of Hong Kong. He has worked as a technical consultant and backend developer at Oracle and Tencent. He has joined Hong Kong Metropolitan University as a part- time lecturer teaching operating systems courses.
Developer of the previous course COMP S260
Mr Kendrew Lau Chu-man has developed various types of systems in his career, ranging from visualisation and simulation applications to wireless telephone systems. He received his Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and Master of Philosophy, both in Information Engineering and from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and holds Java certifications of SCJP, SCWCD, SCBCD, SCDJWS, and SCSNI. Recently, he has taught Java programming and computing subjects at City University of Hong Kong and other universities, and operates a consulting company in system development.
