1. Introduction to Computer Systems

Flashcards based on lecture material. Made by Gemini 2.5 Pro.

What is Systems Architecture?

The fundamental organization of a computer system, including its components, their relationships to each other and the environment, and the principles governing its design and evolution.

Why is understanding Systems Architecture important for Computing students?

It provides a good understanding of the hardware's fundamental capabilities and limitations, enabling them to use any computer system effectively.

Explain the concept of layers of abstraction in computer systems.

Computer systems are decomposed into layers, where abstraction hides lower-level information from higher levels, making the higher levels useful and consistent without unnecessary detail.

Give an example of abstraction in computer systems.

You don't need to think about electron flow when writing a games program.

What is the Von Neumann model?

The architectural model for most modern stored-program digital computers.

What are the five components of the Von Neumann model?

1) Control Unit, 2) Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), 3) Registers, 4) Main Memory System, 5) I/O System

What is the function of the Control Unit (CU)?

It controls the flow of data between the CPU and other devices.

What is the function of the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)?

It performs binary arithmetic and logical operations.

What are registers used for in a CPU?

They are small, fast storage locations for holding data and instructions temporarily during processing.

What is the purpose of the Main Memory System?

To store both program instructions and the data they operate on.

What is the role of the I/O System?

To manage communication with external devices like keyboards and monitors.

What is sequential instruction processing?

The capacity of a computer to carry out one instruction after another in a sequence.

What is the stored-program computer concept?

Both program instructions and data are stored in the same memory.

What is the Von Neumann bottleneck?

The limitation in throughput between the CPU and main memory caused by a single data path for both instructions and data.

Describe the fetch-decode-execute cycle.

1) Fetch: The Control Unit gets the next instruction from memory. 2) Decode: The instruction is interpreted. 3) Execute: The ALU performs the operation.

What were first-generation computers based on?

Vacuum tubes (1940s-1950s).

What was a key characteristic of the ENIAC computer?

It was the first all-electronic, general-purpose computer, using over 17,000 vacuum tubes.

What technology characterized second-generation computers?

Transistors (1950s-1960s), leading to smaller, faster, and more reliable computers.

What was the main innovation of third-generation computers?

Integrated Circuits (ICs) or microchips (1960s-1970s), which placed many transistors on a single piece of silicon.

What defines fourth-generation computers?

Microprocessors (1971-present), with the entire CPU on a single chip, leading to the personal computer.

What is VLSI?

Very Large Scale Integration, allowing for thousands or millions of transistors on a single chip.

What is considered the fifth generation of computers?

Computers based on Artificial Intelligence, parallel processing, and other advanced technologies.

What is a semiconductor?

A material like silicon with electrical conductivity between a conductor and an insulator, used to build transistors.

Why is silicon significant in modern electronics?

It is a semiconductor material that can be manufactured and processed efficiently and inexpensively, leading to the term 'Silicon Chips'.

What is Moore's Law?

The observation made by Gordon Moore in 1965 that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years.

How has the Von Neumann model evolved?

Through incremental improvements like specialized buses, cache memories, and departures like multi-core processors and the Harvard architecture.

What is the Harvard architecture?

An architecture that uses separate memory and buses for data and instructions, which can improve performance by allowing simultaneous access.

What is cache memory?

A small, fast memory located closer to the CPU to store frequently used instructions and data for quicker access.

What are the main components of a personal computer?

Main System (CPU, RAM, storage), Input Devices (keyboard, mouse), and Output Devices (monitor, printer).

What are some key components inside a CPU?

Registers, Memory Management Unit (MMU), Instruction Fetcher/Decoder, ALU, and Datapath/Control.

What is the function of the Memory Management Unit (MMU)?

It handles the translation of virtual memory addresses to physical memory addresses.

What is the 'mill' in Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine analogous to in modern computers?

The Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU).

What is the 'store' in Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine analogous to in modern computers?

Memory.

What is the principle of abstraction used for in complex software systems?

To reduce complexity and allow for efficient design and implementation.

Provide a hierarchy of abstraction layers in a computer system from highest to lowest.

User, Applications, High-Level Programming Languages, Low-Level Programming Languages, Operating System, Instruction Set Architecture, Hardware Components, Circuits, Transistors, Silicon, Electrons, Quantum Probabilities.

What is a System on Chip (SoC)?

When all the components of a computer are integrated onto a single chip.