Republic of the Philippines

           CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES 

           Nabua, Camarines Sur

NAME: Bernardo Podawan

Course/Section: Bachelor of Science in Information technology 2B

Learning Task
1. What is the CPU? What is its role in a computer?

The CPU is the brain of a computer, containing all the circuitry needed to
process input, store data, and output results. The CPU is constantly
following instructions of computer programs that tell it which data to
process and how to process it. Without a CPU, we could not run programs
on a computer. The CPU can process those instructions easily, thanks to a
control unit that knows how to interpret program instructions and an
Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) that knows how to add numbers. With the control unit and ALU combined,
the CPU can process much more complex programs than a simple calculator.

2. What is a bus?

A bus is a subsystem that is used to connect computer

components and transfer data between them. For example, an
internal bus connects computer internals to the motherboard. A “bus
topology” or design can also be used in other ways to describe digital
connections. A bus may be parallel or serial. Parallel buses transmit data across multiple wires. Serial
buses transmit data in bit-serial format. Parallel bus standards include advanced technology attachment
(ATA) or small computer system interface (SCSI) for printer or hard drive devices. Serial bus standards
include universal serial bus (USB), FireWire or serial ATA with a daisy-chain topology or hub design for
devices, keyboards or modem devices. A bus was originally an electrical parallel structure with
conductors connected with identical or similar CPU pins, such as a 32-bit bus with 32 wires and 32 pins.
The earliest buses, often termed electrical power buses or bus bars, were wire collections that
connected peripheral devices and memory, with one bus designated for peripheral devices and another
bus for memory. Each bus included separate instructions and distinct protocols and timing.

Parallel bus standards include advanced technology attachment (ATA) or small computer system
interface (SCSI) for printer or hard drive devices. Serial bus standards include universal serial bus (USB),
FireWire or serial ATA with a daisy-chain topology or hub design for devices, keyboards or modem
devices.

Computer bus types are as follows:

 Republic of the Philippines
           CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES 
           Nabua, Camarines Sur

System Bus: A parallel bus that simultaneously transfers data in 8-, 16-, or 32-bit channels and is
the primary pathway between the CPU and memory.

Internal Bus: Connects a local device, like internal CPU memory.

External Bus: Connects peripheral devices to the motherboard, such as scanners or disk drives.

Expansion Bus: Allows expansion boards to access the CPU and RAM.

Frontside Bus: Main computer bus that determines data transfer rate speed and is the primary
data transfer path between the CPU, RAM and other motherboard devices.

Backside Bus: Transfers secondary cache (L2 cache) data at faster speeds, allowing more
efficient CPU operations.

3. What is bus arbitration? Identify its four categories.

A device that initiates data transfers on the bus at any given time is called a bus master. In a
computer system, there may be more than one bus master such as a DMA controller or a processor etc.
These devices share the system bus and when a current master bus relinquishes another bus can
acquire the control of the processor. Bus arbitration is a process by which next device becomes the bus
controller by transferring bus mastership to another bus.

There are four main categories of bus arbitration:

 Centralized arbitration: A single device, such as the CPU or a dedicated arbiter, controls
access to the bus and decides which device gets to use the bus next. This method is
commonly used in older computer systems and is relatively slow.
 Distributed arbitration: Each device has its own arbitration logic and competes for
access to the bus using a priority or contention-based system. This method is faster than
centralized arbitration, but it can be more complex and prone to errors.
 Demand priority arbitration: A device that needs to use the bus sends a request to the
other devices on the bus, which then respond with their own requests. The device with
the highest priority is granted access to the bus. This method is widely used in modern
computer systems, such as Ethernet networks.
 Hybrid arbitration: A combination of centralized and distributed arbitration methods,
which can offer the advantages of both approaches. For example, a central arbiter may
control access to the bus, but individual devices may have their own arbitration logic to
resolve conflicts. This method is commonly used in computer systems that require high
performance and reliability, such as servers and supercomputers.

4. What is the I/O subsystem?

 Republic of the Philippines
           CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES 
           Nabua, Camarines Sur

Input/Output Subsystem The I/O subsystem of a computer provides an efficient mode of

communication between the central system and the outside environment. It handles all the inputoutput
operations of the computer system.

5. Differentiate memory-mapped I/O from I/O-mapped I/O.

The main difference between memory mapped IO and IO mapped IO is that the memory mapped IO
uses the same address space for both memory and IO device while the IO mapped IO uses two separate
address spaces for memory and IO device.
CPU uses two methods to perform input/output operations between the CPU and peripheral devices
in the computer. These two methods are called memory mapped IO and IO mapped IO. Memory-
mapped IO uses the same address space to address both memory and I/O devices. On the other hand,
IO mapped IO uses separate address spaces to address memory and IO devices.

REFFERENCES

https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computers-and-internet/xcae6f4a7ff015e7d:computers/
xcae6f4a7ff015e7d:computer-components/a/central-processing-unit-cpu#:~:text=The%20CPU%20is
%20the%20brain,run%20programs%20on%20a%20computer.

https://www.techopedia.com/definition/2162/bus

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/bus-arbitration-in-computer-organization/

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/bus-arbitration-in-computer-organization/

https://www.lkouniv.ac.in/site/writereaddata/siteContent/
202004171019385287rohit_sriv_enggInput_organization.pdf

https://pediaa.com/what-is-the-difference-between-memory-mapped-io-and-io-mapped-io/#Memory
%20Mapped%20IO