Computer Architecture & Org
Computer Architecture & Org
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COURSE OBJECTIVE
Describe the general organization and architecture of
computers.
Identify computers major components and study their
functions.
Introduce hardware design issues of modern computer
architectures.
Build the required skills to read and research the
current literature in computer architecture.
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TEXTBOOKS
COURSE TOPICS
1. Introduction (Chapter 1): Basic concepts, overall
organization.
2. Addressing methods (Chapter 2): fetch/execute
cycle, basic
addressing modes, instruction sequencing,
assembly language and
stacks. CISC vs. RISC architectures.
3. Examples of ISAs (Chapter 3): 68000 instruction
set architecture
and ARM instruction set architecture
4. CPU architecture (Chapter 7): Single-bus CPU,
Multiple-bus CPU
Hardware control, and Microprogrammed control.
5. Arithmetic (Chapter 6): Integer arithmetic and
floating-point
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arithmetic.
COURSE TOPICS
6. Memory architecture (Chapter 5): Memory
hierarchy, Primary
memory, Cache memory, virtual memory.
7. Input/Output organization (Chapter 4): I/O device
addressing, I/O
data transfers, Synchronization, DMA, Interrupts,
Channels, Bus
transfers, and Interfacing.
8. I/O Devices (Chapter 5): Disk systems.
WHAT IS A COMPUTER?
Simply put, a computer is a sophisticated
electronic calculating machine that:
Accepts input information,
Processes the information according to a list of
internally stored instructions and
Produces the resulting output information.
WHAT IS A COMPUTER?
Functions performed by a computer are:
Accepting information to be processed as input.
Storing a list of instructions to process the information.
Processing the information according to the list of
instructions.
Providing the results of the processing as output.
What are the functional units of a computer?
Memory
Input
Instr1
Instr2
Instr3
Data1
Data2
Output
Control
Processor
I/O
Output unit sends
results of processing:
To a monitor display,
To a printer
Arithmetic
& Logic
Stores
information:
Instructions,
Data
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INPUT UNIT
Binary information must be presented to a computer in a specific format. This
task is performed by the input unit:
- Interfaces with input devices.
- Accepts binary information from the input devices.
- Presents this binary information in a format expected by the computer.
- Transfers this information to the memory or processor.
Real world
Computer
Memory
Keyboard
Audio input
Input Unit
Processor
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MEMORY UNIT
Memory unit stores instructions and data.
Recall, data is represented as a series of bits.
To store data, memory unit thus stores bits.
Processor reads instructions and reads/writes data
from/to the memory during the execution of a
program.
In theory, instructions and data could be fetched one bit
at a time.
In practice, a group of bits is fetched at a time.
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MEMORY UNIT
Group of bits stored or retrieved at a time is termed as
word
Number of bits in a word is termed as the word length
of a computer.
In order to read/write to and from memory, a
processor should know where to look:
Address is associated with each word location.
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OUTPUT UNIT
Computers represent information in a specific binary form. Output
units:
- Interface with output devices.
- Accept processed results provided by the computer in specific
binary form.
- Convert the information in binary form to a form understood by
Computer
Real world
an
output device.
Memory
Output Unit
Printer
Graphics display
Speakers
Processor
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CONTROL UNIT
Operation of a computer can be summarized as:
Accepts information from the input units (Input unit).
Stores the information (Memory).
Processes the information (ALU).
Provides processed results through the output units (Output unit).
Operations of Input unit, Memory, ALU and Output unit are
coordinated by Control unit.
Instructions control what operations take place (e.g. data
transfer, processing).
Control unit generates timing signals which determines when a
particular operation takes place.
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Input
Output
Memory
Processor
Bus
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Main
memory
Cache
memory Processor
Bus
Why is the access time of the cache memory lesser than the
access time of the main memory?
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