1
Introduction
CHAPTER 0
2
Contents

Why study

Organization and Architecture

Structural and Functional View

A Multi-level machine
3
Why study?
-
Students read part 0.3 “why study computer organization &
architecture”

Understanding a computer system’s functional components, their
characteristics, their performance, and their interactions.

Understanding computer architecture in order to make best use of
the software tools and computer languages they use to create
programs.
4
Why study?

Understand the complex trade-offs between CPU clock speed,
cache size, bus organization, number of core processors,…

What determines the performance of a program, and how can a
programmer improve the performance.

Understand other areas of computing curriculum such as operating
system, passing parameter/pointers, stack frame in high-level
language,
5
Organization and Architecture
-
Students read part 1.1 “Organization and Architecture”
Computer organization:

Deals with all physical components of computer systems that
interacts with each other to perform various functionalities.

The lower level of computer organization is known as
microarchitecture.

Examples of Organizational attributes include hardware details
transparent to the programmer such as circuits, pin of chips, control
signal and peripheral.
6
Organization and Architecture
-
Students read part 1.1 “Organization and Architecture”
Computer architecture:

Refers as a set of attributes of a system as seen by programmer

Examples of the Architectural attributes include the instruction set,
the no of bits used to represent the data types, Input Output
mechanism and the techniques for addressing memories.
7
Structure and Function

Structure: The way in which the components are interrelated.

Function: The operation of each individual component as part of
the structure
8
Structural Components

Central processing unit (CPU) or simply Processor: the "brains" of the
computer controls the operation of the computer and performs its
data processing functions.

Main memory: storage device that stores data.

I/O: manages and performs the work associated with reading (or
writing) information that is added to (subtracted or copied from)
portions of the computer's memory, moves data between the
computer and its external environment.

System interconnection: Some mechanism that provides for
communication among CPU, main memory, and I/O.
9
Functional View
Function
Data
Movement
Apparatus
Control
Mechanism
Data
Storage
Facilities
Data
Processing
Facilities

Data processing

Data storage

Data movement

Control
Computer Top-level structure
10
IO
Computer
System
bus
Main
memory
Registers
CPU
CPU
Control
Unit
Control
Unit
Sequencing
logic
Control
unit
registers
and
decoder
Control
Memory
Internal
Bus
ALU
11
Computer Abstraction
Problem-oriented
language
Application
Compiler
Assembly language
Gap
Assembler
Operating system
Partial intepretation
Instruction Set
Architecture (ISA)
Microprogram
Microarchitecture
Hardware
Physical devices
Digital circuits
12
Other abstract view
Applications
OS (Windows, linux, Mac
OS)
Software
Compiler
Assembler
Processor
Hardware
Memory
Datapath & Control
Digital design
Digital circuits
I/O System
13
Other Abstract View