Computer Architecture (Week 1 Terms)

Architecture

Set of data types, operations, and features at a particular level

• Features seen by programmer are part of the architecture

  • Ex: amount of memory available

• Implementation aspects are not part of the architecture

  • Ex: type of chip technology used to implement memory

Levels of Architecture

• Level 0 - Digital logic level

• Level 1 - Microarchitecture

• Level 2 - ISA: Instruction et architecture (machine language level)

• Level 3 - Operating system

• Level 4 - Assembly language

• Level 5 - Problem-oriented language

Data Bus

allows multiple devices to connect to a single wire (or set of wires for multiple bits) for the purpose of carrying a signal to an output location.

Tri-state buffer

A tri-state buffer is a digital circuit that can be in one of three states:

1. High (1)

2. Low (0)

3. High-impedance (Z) – effectively disconnected, allowing other devices to use the data bus without interference.

It’s commonly used in shared bus systems to control when a device is allowed to send data.