computer sys midterm

Computer Hardware

The physical components of a computer system.

Generations of Computers

Stages of computer development based on technological improvements in hardware.

Microprocessor

An integrated circuit containing thousands of transistors responsible for executing instructions.

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

The main processor that executes instructions and processes data.

ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)

The part of the CPU that performs arithmetic and logical operations.

Control Unit

The component that directs and coordinates the operations of the computer.

Registers

Small and very fast memory inside the CPU used for temporary data storage.

Main Memory

Temporary storage that holds active programs and data.

Clock

A component that controls timing and synchronization of operations in the processor.

Input/Output Devices

Hardware components used for interaction between the computer and the user.

Bus

A communication pathway that transfers data between computer components.

Data Bus

A bus that transfers actual data between components.

Address Bus

A bus that identifies the memory location where data is stored or retrieved.

Control Bus

A bus that carries control signals coordinating computer operations.

CPU Architecture

The design and organization of a computer’s central processing unit.

Von Neumann Architecture

An architecture that uses a single memory for both data and instructions with a shared bus.

Harvard Architecture

An architecture that uses separate memory and buses for data and instructions.

Instruction Set Architecture (ISA)

The set of machine language instructions that a processor can execute.

CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer)

An ISA design that uses complex instructions capable of performing multiple operations.

RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)

An ISA design that uses simple instructions executed quickly.

Fetch

The stage where the CPU retrieves instructions from memory.

Decode

The stage where the CPU interprets the meaning of an instruction.

Execute

The stage where the CPU performs the operation required by the instruction.

Parallel Processing

A technique where multiple processors execute tasks simultaneously.

Pipelining

A processing technique where multiple instructions are processed at different stages simultaneously.

Computer Memory

The component that stores instructions and data required for processing.

Primary Memory

Memory directly accessible by the CPU such as RAM and ROM.

Secondary Memory

Storage devices used for long-term data storage.

Volatile Memory

Memory that requires continuous power to retain stored data.

Nonvolatile Memory

Memory that retains data even when power is removed.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Volatile memory used to temporarily store active programs and data.

SRAM (Static RAM)

A faster and more expensive type of RAM commonly used for cache memory.

DRAM (Dynamic RAM)

A slower but higher capacity RAM used as main memory.

FPM RAM

A RAM technology that allows faster access to data in the same row.

EDO RAM

A RAM technology that transfers blocks of data more efficiently.

SDRAM

RAM synchronized with the system clock for faster operation.

RDRAM

RAM technology that uses a high-speed interface.

DDR SDRAM

RAM that transfers data on both rising and falling edges of the clock signal.

SIMM

A memory module with chips on one side.

DIMM

A memory module with chips on both sides.

SO-DIMM

A smaller DIMM used in laptop computers.

Micro-DIMM

A compact memory module used in portable systems.

RIMM

A memory module used with Rambus technology.

Read Only Memory (ROM)

Nonvolatile memory that permanently stores instructions.

Memory Hierarchy

The arrangement of memory based on speed, cost, and capacity.

Computer Bottleneck

A situation where a slower component limits data transfer speed and system performance.

Memory Partitioning

The process of dividing memory into sections for different processes.

Fixed Partitioning

A memory management method that uses predefined memory blocks.

Dynamic Partitioning

A memory management method that allocates memory based on process requirements.

Virtual Memory

A technique that extends main memory using secondary storage.

Cache Memory

A small high-speed memory that stores frequently used data near the CPU.

L1 Cache

The fastest cache located inside the processor.

L2 Cache

A larger but slightly slower cache than L1.

L3 Cache

A cache shared among CPU cores that is slower than L1 and L2.

Locality of Reference

The principle that programs tend to access the same memory locations repeatedly or nearby.

Temporal Locality

The tendency for recently used data to be accessed again soon.

Spatial Locality

The tendency for data near recently accessed locations to be accessed soon.

Cache Hit

A situation where the requested data is found in cache memory.

Cache Miss

A situation where the requested data is not found in cache and must be retrieved from slower memory