1.

COMPUTER
ORGANIZATION
Content

 1.1 Turing model

 1.2 Von Neumann model
 1.3 Computer generations
 1.4 Subsystems and the role of subsystems
 1.5 Central Processing Unit
 1.6 Memory: main memory and cache memory
 1.7 Input/Output subsystems
 1.8 SUBSYSTEM INTERCONNECTION
 1.9 Different architectures

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8 - SUBSYSTEM INTERCONNECTION

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Introduction

 In this section, we explore how these three subsystems (CPU, main memory,
and I/O) are interconnected.

 The interconnection plays an important role because information needs to be

exchanged between the three subsystems.

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Connecting CPU and memory

 The CPU and memory are normally connected by three groups of connections,
each called a bus: data bus, address bus and control bus.

Figure 1.28 CPU and memory

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bus

- The data bus is made of several connections, each carrying 1 bit at a time.
- The number of connections depends on the size of the word used by the computer.
Data bus - Ex: If the word is 32 bits (4 bytes), we need a data bus with 32 connections so that all
32 bits of a word can be transmitted at the same time.
- The address bus allows access to a particular word in memory.
- The number of connections in the address bus depends on the address space of the
Address bus memory.
- Ex: If the memory has 2^n words, the address bus needs to carry n bits at a time.
Therefore, it must have n connections.
- The control bus carries communication between the CPU and memory.
- For example: there must be a code, sent from the CPU to memory, to specify a read or
Control bus write operation.
The number of connections used in the control bus depends on the total number of
control commands a computer needs. If a computer has 2^n control actions, we need n
connections for the control bus, because n bits can define 2^n different operations

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Connecting I/O devices

 I/O devices are electromechanical, magnetic, or optical devices and also operate at
a much slower speed than the CPU/memory.
 There is a need for some sort of intermediary to handle this difference.
Input/output devices are therefore attached to the buses through input/output
controllers or interfaces.
 There is one specific controller for each input/output device

Figure 1.29 Connecting I/O devices 7

Connecting I/O devices

• Controllers
- Controllers or interfaces bridge the gap between the nature of
the I/O device and the CPU and memory
- A controller can be a serial or parallel device.
- Several kinds of controllers are in use. The most common ones
today are SCSI, FireWire, USB, and HDMI.

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9 - DIFFERENT ARCHITECTURES

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Introduction

 The architecture and organization of computers has gone through

many changes in recent decades.

 In this section we discuss some common architectures and

organization that differ from the simple computer architecture we
discussed earlier.

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CISC

 CISC stands for complex instruction set

computer. The strategy behind CISC
architectures is to have a large set of
instructions, including complex ones.

 Programming CISC-based computers is easier

than in other designs because there is a single
instruction for both simple and complex tasks.
Programmers, therefore, do not have to write a
set of instructions to do a complex task.
Figure 1.36 Complex instruction set computer.
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 RISC

 RISC stands for reduced instruction set

computer. The strategy behind RISC architecture is
to have a small set of instructions that do a
minimum number of simple operations.

 Complex instructions are simulated using a

subset of simple instructions. Programming in
RISC is more difficult and time-consuming than in
the other design, because most of the complex
instructions are simulated using simple instructions.

Figure 1.36 Reduced instruction set computer.

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Pipelining

 Modern computers use a technique called pipelining to improve the throughput (the
total number of instructions performed in each period of time).
 The idea is that if the control unit can do two or three of these phases
simultaneously, the next instruction can start before the previous one is finished.

Figure 1.37 Pipelining technique. 13

 Parallel processing

 Traditionally a computer had a single control unit, a

single arithmetic logic unit and a single memory unit.
With the evolution in technology and the drop in the
cost of computer hardware, today we can have a single
computer with multiple control units, multiple
arithmetic logic units and multiple memory units.

 This idea is referred to as parallel processing. Like

pipelining, parallel processing can improve throughput.

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Parallel processing (cont)

Figure 1.37 SISD organization

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Parallel processing (cont)

Figure 1.38 SIMD organization

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Parallel processing (cont)

Figure 1.39 Parallel processing.

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Parallel processing (cont)

Figure 1.40 MIMD organization

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Question ???

1. The data in _______ is erased if the computer is powered down.

a. RAM
b. DVD
c. a tape drive
d. a CD-ROM

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 Question ???

2. Main memory in a computer usually consists of large amounts

of ______ speed memory.
a. high
b. Medium(cache)
c. low
d. very high speed

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Question ???

3. If the memory has 2^32 words, the address bus needs to have
_______ wires ~ connections.
a. 8
b. 16
c. 32
d. 64

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 4. A control bus with 6 wires can define _______ operations~actions.=>
2^6
a. 6
b. 16
c. 256
d. 64

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