Computer Architecture Flashcards
What are the internal components of a computer system?
- The internal components of a computer system consist of the hardware required to store and process data, and communicate with external, peripheral devices
- It contains the processor, main memory, I/O controllers
- These components are connected by the system bus (this is comprised of the address bus, data bus, control bus)
What is the processor?
It is part of the computer that processes data by executing program instructions (these are low-level instructions in the form of machine code that the processor has been designed to handle, based on a specific processor instruction set)
- For the processor to be able to execute a program, the program instructions need to be transferred from secondary storage into main memory where they can be detached, decoded and executed. The data that needs to be processed is also loaded into main memory (from secondary storage) or provided by the input and output devices via the I/O controllers.
What is main memory?
This is memory that can be accessed directly by the processor. Each memory location, where instructions or data are stored as binary sequences, has a physical address, which is a number used to locate that memory location and access it’s contents.
Classifications of main memory
RAM, ROM
What is RAM?
Random Access Memory is a type of computer memory that is used to temporarily store data that the computer is currently using or processing. RAM is volatile memory, which means that the data stored in it is lost when the power is turned off. RAM is typically used to store the operating system, application programs, and data that the computer is currently using.
What is ROM?
Read Only Memory is a type of computer memory that is used to permanently store data that does not need to be modified. ROM is non-volatile memory, which means that the data stored in it is retained even when the power is turned off. ROM is typically used to store the computer’s BIOS (basic imputer/output system), which contains the instructions for booting the computer, as well as firmware for other hardware devices.
What are I/O controllers?
They allow input data to be received for processing from input devices. The results of computation to be output from the system to output devices like display screens
What are buses?
A bus is a communication system that is used to transfer data between components. The system bus is a set of parallel connections that allow internal components to communicate with each other and exchange data. There are also external buses that are used to connect the peripherals to the processor. These can be serial or parallel connections.
Classifications of buses
Data, address, control
What is a data bus?
The data bus is used to transfer data and instructions. The data bus is bidirectional; it allows a two-way connection between between internal components of the system allowing values to be written to or read from a location.
What is the width of the data bus?
The width of the bus refers to its number of parallel lines and this determines the number of bits that can be transferred in one operation. If the width is 8 bits, then 8 bits can be transferred at one time.
What is an address bus?
The address bus is used to specify the address of a memory location to either read data from or write data to that memory location
What is the width of an address bus?
The width of this refers to its number of parallel lines which determines the number of bits that can be used to form an address of a memory location. If the width of the address bus is n bits then there are 2^n numbers that can be used to address memory locations; the max number of addressable memory locations.
What is the control bus?
The control bus is used to send control signa,s that manage and orchestrate the operations that take place inside a computer system. This includes exchanging status signals between the components of the computer system, and transmitting clock signals required for the coordination of operation.
What are the parts of a processor?
ALU, Control Unit, Clock, Registers,
What is the ALU?
The ALU is responsible for performing arithmetic calculations and logical operations that include: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, logical bit wise operation (AND, OR, NOT, XOR), comparison between values, shifting binary patterns to the left or right.