1 / 15

Machine Architecture

Machine Architecture. An Introduction to Computer Components. Major Computer Components. Central Processing Unit (CPU) Bus Main Memory (RAM) Secondary Storage I / O Devices Starting the computer. CPU. Central Processing Unit The Brain Controls all other computer functions. The Bus.

hide
Download Presentation

Machine Architecture

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Machine Architecture An Introduction to Computer Components

  2. Major Computer Components • Central Processing Unit (CPU) • Bus • Main Memory (RAM) • Secondary Storage • I / O Devices • Starting the computer

  3. CPU • Central Processing Unit • The Brain • Controls all other computer functions

  4. The Bus • Computer components are connected by a bus • A bus is a group of parallel wires that carry control signals and data between components

  5. Main Memory • Main memory is made up of capacitors • If the capacitor is charged, then its state is said to be 1 or ON. • We could also say the the bit is set. • If the capacitor does not have a charge, then its state is 0 or OFF. • We could also say that the bit is reset or cleared.

  6. Size of Capacitors • Has decreased dramatically over the last 20 years. • Now we can fit several million capacitors on a chip the size of a dime. • As this technology becomes older, we can expect the price of memory to decrease. Is it already decreasing ? ABSOLUTELY !

  7. Memory, the continuing saga • Memory is divided into cells, where each cell contains 8 bits. Remember that 8 bits is called a byte. • Each of these cells is numbered. • The number associated with a cell is known as its address. • Volatile storage

  8. Reading & Writing • In addition to the circuitry that holds the bits, there are other circuits that allow other components to • Get the value of the data held at a particular address - known as a READ. • OR store data at that address - known as a WRITE.

  9. Memory Access • All addresses in memory can be accessed in the same amount of time. • We DO NOT have to start at address 0 and read everything until we get to the address we really want. • We can go directly to the address we want and access the data. • That is why we call Main Memory RAM - Random Access Memory

  10. Secondary Storage • Disks -- floppy, hard, removable • Tapes (sequential access) • CDs • Stores files • programs • data files (binary, text) • directory structure • Persistent storage

  11. I/O • I/O is handled by peripheral devices. • A peripheral device is some machine that is not an integral part of the computer. • Examples: • monitor • keyboard • mouse • disk drive • printer • scanner

  12. Media • Many I/O devices work in conjunction with media • A medium holds information (programs, data, text files) • Examples: • floppy disk (not the drive itself) • hard disk (not the drive itself) • magnetic tape (not the drive itself)

  13. Bits, Bytes, and Words • A byte is 8 bits • A word is 32 bits or 4 bytes • Long word = 8 bytes = 64 bits • Quad word = 16 bytes = 128 bits • Programming languages use these standard number of bits when organizing data storage and access. • What do you call 4 bits ?? (hint: it is a small byte)

  14. Booting the Computer • The term boot comes from the expression pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. • It refers to the computer’s start-up procedure. • When the computer is first turned on, it reads start-up instructions found in the ROM chips.

  15. Booting the Computer (continued) • These instructions cause the computer to do a series of tests. Each of the components is tested. • The last thing that happens during boot is that the operating system is loaded from the hard disk into RAM. • The computer cannot do anything until the operating system is loaded, because the operating system manages all of the basic functions of the computer.

More Related