Understanding Computer Architecture: Key Components and Functions

List and Briefly Define the Four Main Elements of a Computer

A computer is composed of four fundamental elements:

• Main memory: Stores both data and instructions.
• Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU): Capable of operating on binary data.
• Control Unit: Interprets the instructions in memory and ensures their execution.
• Input and Output (I/O) Equipment: Operated by the control unit to facilitate interaction with the external world.

Define the Two Main Categories of Processor Registers

Processor registers can be broadly classified into two categories:

• User-Visible Registers: These registers are accessible to programmers using machine or assembly language. They help minimize references to main memory by optimizing register usage. High-level language compilers also play a role in intelligently assigning variables to registers or main memory. Some languages, like C, allow programmers to suggest which variables should be stored in registers.

• Control and Status Registers: These registers are utilized by the processor to manage its operations. They are also used by privileged operating system routines to control program execution.

In General Terms, What Are the Four Distinct Actions That a Machine Instruction Can Specify?

Machine instructions typically specify actions that fall into these four categories:

• Processor-Memory: Transferring data between the processor and memory.
• Processor-I/O: Transferring data to or from peripheral devices via an I/O module.
• Data Processing: Performing arithmetic or logic operations on data within the processor.
• Control: Modifying the sequence of instruction execution.

What Is an Interrupt?

An interrupt is a mechanism that allows other modules, such as I/O devices or memory, to interrupt the normal processing sequence of the processor.

How Are Multiple Interrupts Dealt With?

There are two primary approaches to handling multiple interrupts:

• Disabling Interrupts: While one interrupt is being processed, other interrupts are temporarily disabled.

• Interrupt Priorities: Interrupts are assigned priorities. A higher-priority interrupt can interrupt a lower-priority interrupt handler.

What Characteristics Distinguish the Various Elements of a Memory Hierarchy?

The three key characteristics that differentiate elements in a memory hierarchy are cost, capacity, and access time.

What Is Cache Memory?

Cache memory is a smaller, faster memory unit positioned between the processor and main memory. It acts as a buffer, storing recently accessed memory locations to speed up data retrieval.