System Bus Functions and Features

Bus Hierarchy
The Processor Bus: This is the highest-level bus that the chipset uses to send information to and from the processor. The Cache Bus: Higher-level architectures, such as those used by the Pentium Pro and Pentium II, employ a dedicated bus for accessing the system cache The Memory Bus: This is a second-level system bus that connects the memory subsystem to the chipset and the processor The Local I/O Bus: This is a high-speed input/output bus used for connecting performance-critical peripherals to the memory, chipset, and processor. For example, video cards, disk storage devices, high-speed networks interfaces generally use a bus of this sort. The two most common local I/O buses are the VESA Local Bus (VLB) and the Peripheral Component Interconnect Bus (PCI). The Standard I/O Bus: Connecting to the above three buses is the "good old" standard I/O bus, used for slower peripherals (mice, modems, regular sound cards, low-speed networking) and also for compatibility with older devices. On almost all modern PCs this is the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus.

System Chipset
The system chipset is the conductor that controls this orchestra of communication, and makes sure that every device in the system is talking properly to every other one.

Intermission
Whats the difference between port and bus?

Data and Address Buses

Every bus is composed of two distinct parts:
data bus
these are the lines that actually carry the data being transferred

address bus
is the set of lines that carry information about where in memory the data is to be transferred to or from

Control Bus
there are a number of control lines that control how the bus functions, and allow users of the bus to signal when data is available

Bus Width
We know that bus is a channel over which information flows The wider the bus, the more information can flow over the channel The address bus width can be specified independently of the data bus width. The width of the address bus dictates how many different memory locations that bus can transfer information to or from.

Bus Speed
The speed of the bus reflects how many bits of information can be sent across each wire each second. Going back to highway analogy: This could be likened to how fast a car runs

Bus Bandwidth
Bandwidth/throughput, refers to the total amount of data that can theoretically be transferred on the bus in a given unit of time.

Bus Interfacing
On a system that has multiple buses, circuitry must be provided by the chipset to connect the buses and allow devices on one to talk to devices on the other This device/circuitry is called a "bridge

Bus Mastering
On the higher-bandwidth buses, a great deal of information is flowing through the channel every second Processor is required to control the transfer of this information
Processor can be thought of as a "middleman", it is far more efficient to "cut out" the middleman and perform the transfer directly. This is done by having capable devices take control of the bus and do the work themselves; devices that can do this are called bus masters

The Local Bus Concept

The switch from character-based applications to graphics-based caused the increase in the amount of information that must be moved among the processor, memory, video and hard disks The transformation of the software world from text to graphics also meant much larger programs and more storage requirements. The solution was to create a new, faster bus, that would augment the ISA bus and be used especially for high-bandwidth devices such as video cards. This new bus would be put on (or near) the processor's much faster memory bus, to let it run at or near the external speed of the processor, and to allow data to flow between these devices and the processor without having to go through the much slower ISA bus. By placing these devices "local" to the processor, the local bus was born.

System Cache

System Cache
The cache is a buffer between the very fast processor and the relatively slow memory that serves it.
The memory is not really slow, only that the processor is faster The presence of the cache allows the processor to do its work while waiting for memory far less often than it otherwise would.

There are several different "layers" of cache in a modern PC, each acting as a buffer for recentlyused information to improve performance.

Role of Cache in the PC

One of the key goals in modern system design is to ensure that to whatever extent possible, the processor is not slowed down by the storage devices it works with
Slowdowns mean wasted processor cycles, where the CPU can't do anything or is IDLE because it is sitting and waiting for information it needs.

Role of Cache in the PC

Using this small cache to hold the information most recently used by the processor In general, a processor is much more likely to need again information it has recently used, compared to a random piece of information in memory
This is the principle behind caching.

Layers of Cache
Each layer is closer to the processor and faster than the layer below it. Each layer also caches the layers below it, due to its increased speed relative to the lower levels:
Level Level 1 Cache Level 2 Cache System RAM Hard Disk / CD-ROM Devices Cached Level 2 Cache, System RAM, Hard Disk / CD-ROM System RAM, Hard Disk / CD-ROM Hard Disk / CD-ROM --

What happens:
1. The processor requests a piece of information 2. The first place it looks is in the level 1 cache 3. If it finds it there (called a hit on the cache) it uses it with no performance delay. 4. If not, (called a miss on the cache) and the level 2 cache is searched 5. If it finds it there (level 2 "hit"), it is able to carry on with relatively little delay. 6. Otherwise, it must issue a request to read it from the system RAM. The system RAM may in turn either have the information available or have to get it from the still slower hard disk or CD-ROM.

Level 1 (Primary) Cache

Level 1 or primary cache is the fastest memory on the PC. It is in fact, built directly into the processor itself. This cache is very small, generally from 8 KB to 64 KB, but it is extremely fast; it runs at the same speed as the processor. If the processor requests information and can find it in the level 1 cache,
the best case because the information is there immediately and the system does not have to wait

Level 2 (Secondary) Cache

The level 2 cache is a secondary cache to the level 1 cache Is larger and slightly slower It is used to catch recent accesses that are not caught by the level 1 cache Is usually found either on the motherboard

Disk Cache
A disk cache is a portion of system memory used to cache reads and writes to the hard disk.

Peripheral Cache
Other devices can be cached using the system RAM as well. CD-ROMs are the most common device cached other than hard disks