Chapter 1: Computer System Overview

Lecture -4
3. The Storage Unit (Secondary Memory):
Computers need to store and retrieve data for processing. Secondary storage devices are used
to store a large amount of data permanently, which is not possible by using the primary or
main memory.
To specify the storage capacity of storage devices, same units of memory are used, which are
used for measuring primary memory. That is, we can represent the storage capacity of storage
devices in terms of kilo bytes (KBs), mega bytes (MBs), giga bytes (GBs) and tera bytes (TBs)
as we do for main memory.
Some of the common secondary storage devices are as follows:

i) Hard Disk:
A hard disk is a non-volatile, high capacity storage device ranging from 1GB to several
terabytes. It consists of solid rounded disks, placed on one another, made up of a magnetic
material and sealed inside a case. Information is recorded on the surface of rotating disks by
magnetic heads as tiny magnetic spots.

ii) Compact Disk:

It is a thin optical disk which is commonly used to store audio and video data. The CDs are
relatively cheap and have a storage capacity of up to 700 MB.
There are three main types of CDs:
➢ CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory):
This is used only to store information and cannot be used to store data. It is mainly
used for CD distribution e.g., software, games, e-books ect.

➢ CD-R (Compact Disk-Recordable):

It is mainly used for CD-R and can be written on only once and disk can’t be erased.

➢ CD-RW (Compact Disk-Rewritable):

CD-RW is an erasable disk we can write on multiple times.
iii)DVD:
Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc is an optical disc storage device. It can be
recorded on single side or on double side. Its capacity may range from 4.7 GB to 8.5 GB.

iv) Blu-ray Disk:

A Blu-ray Disk (BD) is a high-capacity optical disk medium developed for recording,
rewriting and playing back high definition video. It can store large amounts of data and was
designed to supersede the DVD. Blu-ray Disk support higher resolutions and more advanced
video and audio formats as compared to DVDs.

v) USB Pen Drive:

It is a small portable memory which can be plugged into a computer with USB (Universal
Serial Bus) Port. Its capacity is less than that of a hard disk but much more than a floppy
or a CD. Also called a pen drive, it is more reliable.

4. The System Bus (Communication Bus):

A communication bus is a collection of wires that transfer data between computer components,
i.e, carry binary information to and from input/output devices and memory. It transmits
binary numbers, one bit per wire.
The bus system in computer is made up of three types of busses:
➢ Address Bus:
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 Address bus system is used to specify address of a data/memory location. The
memory address carrying part of system bus is called address bus.
➢ Data Bus:
Data bus carries data in binary form. It is an 8-bit bus to transfer data from one place
/ component to another in a computer system. The carrying part of system bus is
called data bus.
➢ Control Bus:
Control bus carries instructions to carry out operations such as Read From/ Write to
memory and its associated input-output (I/O) operations. The control instructions
carrying part of system bus is called Control bus.
A separate type of bus called I/O Bus connects the input, Output and other external devices to
the system.

5. Mobile System Organization:

Modern mobile systems are tiny computers. Although they have less computing power
compared to their bigger versions, they handle diverse type of applications such as making calls
through radio signals, offering camera utilities, handling touch sensitive screen, display
audio/video/graphical content but having little battery based power etc.

Functional components of a Mobile System are:

i) Mobile Processor (Mobile CPU):
This is the brain of a smart phone. The CPU receives commands, make instant
calculations, play audio / video, stores information and sends signal throughout the
device.
The CPU of a mobile system has majorly two sub-processor types:
➢ Communication Processing Unit:

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 This subsystem is responsible for making and receiving phone calls on a mobile
handset. It is a digital signal processor that helps it work with RF Transceiver
and the Audio subsystem. Radio Signal Management Unit is responsible for
connecting BSIM (which provides a type of modem) to the base stations through
radio signals (3G/LTE/4G based cellular networks).
➢ Applicaton Processing Unit(APU):
This subsystem is responsible for governing, controlling all types of operations
taking place on a mobile system by running various types of mobile applications
(Apps).
ii) Display Subsystem:
This subsystem is responsible for providing display facilities, touch sensitive interface
and touch sensitive keyboards
iii) Camera Subsystem:
This subsystem is designed to deliver a tightly bound image processing package and
enable an improved overall picture and video experience. It has an integrated Image
Signal Processor ensures things like instant image capture, high resolution support,
image stabilization, and other image enhancements.

iv) Mobile System Memory:

A mobile system’s memory is comprised of following two types of memories:
➢ RAM (Random Access Memory):
It the work memory of the mobile system. The installed mobile apps, when run,
are first loaded in the RAM and then executed. These apps remain in the RAM
even after we are no longer using them and then they are shifted to background.
The more RAM on smartphone, the better the performance and faster the phone
will generally be. RAM does not store information once the device is turned off.

➢ ROM (Read Only Memory):

The ROM is a part of mobile system’s internal storage and it is not accessible
for users to write on and is thus referred to as Read Only Memory. The ROM
is basically Flash memory or technically EEPROM.
This ROM part of a mobile system internal is where operating system resides. It
also has some pre-installed apps in this memory section which cannot be
deleted on user’s end either. This is the reason why we don’t get full internal
memory as advertised on the Box, because a part of it has been used to house
operating system and other pre-installed apps.

v) Storage:
The external storage of a mobile system is also called expandable storage. It comes in
the form of SD cards, or micro SD cards etc. It is the storage which can be removed
easily by user and can be used for storing pictures, music, videos and the likes. To an
extent, even cloud storage can also be categorized as external storage.

vi) Power Management System (Battery):

This subsystem us responsible for providing power to a mobile system. The mobile
systems work on limited power provided through an attached battery unit. This
subsystem has a battery management system that works with a battery charger and a
battery unit, and provides power to the mobile system in required form.

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Q.1. Why are the secondary storage devices required?
Ans;
The secondary storage devices are required because of the following two reasons:
➢ The primary memory is finite and limited in size.
➢ In secondary storage, data and programs do not disappear when power is turned
off.
Q.2. What is the need for secondary memory?
Ans:
The primary memory holds the data and instructions only during processing and after that,
it get erased. One cannot store data and instructions permanently on RAM.
To permanently store data and instructions, teh secondary memory is required.

Q.3. What does a bus mean?

Ans:
A bus is a group of conducting lines that transport data, address and control signals between
CPU and memory.

Q.4. Why is data bus bi-directional?

Ans:
Data bus is bi-directional because the same bus is used for data transmission from
microprocessor to memory location or input/output device and vice versa.

Q.5. What is the difference between an address bus and a data bus?
Ans:
The difference between an address bus and a data bus us as follows:
Address bus:
An address bus contains the address of the piece of memory or I/O devices to be read
from or written to. One wire is required for each bit which means 16 bits will require
16 wires. A-16 bit binary number allows 216 to 32,000 different numbers.
Data bus:
A data bus actually carries the data to be processed in the binary form. It carries the
information between the processor and various other external units, such as memory.
Its typical size is 8 or 16 bits.

Q.6. What is cache memory? Why it is considered crucial for a microprocessor’s

performance?
Ans:
Cache memory is a special high-speed memory that stores most recently used data in order
to speed up the process of instruction execution. A cache can speed up data retrieval because
recently used data is likely to be used again by the computer.

Q.7. What is the role of CPU of a mobile system?

Ans:
A mobile system has to cater to a variety of operations and application and its CPU ans to
manage all these. Thus the CPU of a mobile system has many sub-processors that help it
control and manage diverse applications. The CPU of a mobile manages all these types of
applications and operations:
➢ Manages communications while connecting to radio transceivers and SIM
➢ Manages audio through ADC (analog to digital converter) and DAC (digital to
analog converter).
➢ Manages display and touch sensitive sensors and interface.
Works in tandem with memory and storag