"Computer Systems Architecture: A Networking Approach" by Rob Williams

This book presents the subject in a progressive, incremental manner, bottom-upwards. Starting with digital logic and computer hardware, moving through the layers of software and leading on to an introduction to the field of networking and operating systems.

The first Computer Architecture text to recognize that computers are now predinantly used in a networking environment, fully updated to include new technologies and with an all new chapter on Distributed Computing.

Contents
Supporting resources
Preface
Preface to the first edition
Recommended lab sessions
Part 1. Basic functions and facilities of a computer
1 Introduction: the hardware-software interface
2 The von Neumann Inheritance
3 Functional units and the fetch-execute cycle
4 Building computers from logic: the control unit
5 Building computers from logic: the ALU
6 Building computers from logic: the memory
7 The Intel Pentium CPU
8 Subroutines
9 Simple input and output
10 Serial connections
11 Parallel connections
12 The memory hierarchy
Part2. Networking and increased complexity
13 The programmer's viewpoint
14 Local area networks
15 Wide area networks
16 Other networks
17 Introduction to operating systems
18 Windows XP
19 Filing systems
20 Visual output
21 RISC processors: ARM and SPARC
22 VUW processors: The EPIC Itanium
23 Parallel processing
Appendix: MS Visual Studio 8, Express Edition
Glossary
Answers to end-of chapter questions
References
Index