TK 2123
COMPUTER ORGANISATION &
ARCHITECTURE
Lecture 1: An Overview of
Computer System (1)
Dr Masri Ayob
Room: E-3-31
Phone: 03-8921 6726
masri@ftsm.ukm.my
Course Information
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Text books:
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Class:
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Irv Englander, (2003). The Architecture Of Computer Hardware
And System Software, 3/E, John Wiley & Sons.
Andrew S. Tanenbaum, (2006). Structured Computer
Organization, 5/E, Prentice Hall.
William Stallings, (2006). Computer Organization and
Architecture: Designing for Performance, 7/E, Prentice Hall.
Monday 6:30pm-09:30pm BS 2-1
Course website:
http://www.ftsm.ukm.my/jabatan/tk/masri/tk2123
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Assessment
Assignments : 15%
 Quiz : 25%
 Mid Semester Examination : 20%
 Final Examination : 40%
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Warnings:
Copying assignment/quiz/exam is prohibited.
 Delay of submission influences on marks.
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Contents
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This lecture will address:
The ways in which a knowledge of computer
architecture enhances our abilities as
computer users and professionals.
 The input-output-process model of computing.
 The basic components of a computer system.
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Architecture & Organization
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Architecture is those attributes visible to the
programmer
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Instruction set, number of bits used for data representation, I/O
mechanisms, addressing techniques.
e.g. Is there a multiply instruction?
Organization is how features are implemented
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Control signals, interfaces, memory technology.
e.g. Is there a hardware multiply unit or is it done by repeated
addition?
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Introduction
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Typical elements in computer-based
information system:
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The data element:
 fundamental
representation of facts and
observations.
 Data is processed by a computer system to provide
the information that is the very reason for the
computer’s existence.
 As you will see, data can take on a number of
different forms.
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Introduction
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The hardware element:
 Computer
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hardware processes the data by:
Executing instructions.
storing data
and moving data and information between the various
input and output devices that make the system and the
information accessible to the users.
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Introduction
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The software element:
 Software
consists of the system and application
programs that define the instructions that are
executed by the hardware.
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The communication element:
 Modern
computer information systems depend on
the ability to share processing operations and data
among different computers and users, located both
locally and remotely. Data communication provides
this capability.
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Introduction
The combination of hardware, software,
communication, and data make up the
architecture of a computer system.
 The architecture of computer systems is
remarkably similar whether the system is a
PC, a large mainframe etc.
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Introduction
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Even more remarkably, the basic
architecture of computer systems has
changed surprisingly little over the last fiftyfive years.
The latest IBM mainframe computer executes
essentially the same instruction set as the
mainframe computer of 1965.
 The basic communication techniques used in
today’s systems were developed in the 1970s.
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Introduction
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As new as it might seem, the Internet celebrated its
thirtieth anniversary in 2000.
All of this is surprising considering the growth of
computing, the rapid change of technology, and
the increased performance, functionality, and
ease of use of today’s systems.
This makes the study of computer architecture
extremely valuable as a foundation upon which to
understand new developments in computing as
they occur.
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Introduction
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All Intel x86 family share the same basic
architecture
The IBM System/370 family share the same
basic architecture
This gives code compatibility
 At least backwards
Organization differs between different versions
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Structure & Function
Structure is the way in which components
relate to each other
 Function is the operation of individual
components as part of the structure
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Function
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All computer functions are:
Data processing
 Data storage
 Data movement
 Control
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Functional View
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Operations: Data movement
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Operations: Storage
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Operation: Processing from/to storage
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Operation :
Processing from storage to I/O
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Introduction
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What do the insides of a computer “look
like” and why do we care?
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As users, we do not have to know the answer
to this question, any more than we have to
understand the workings of a car engine in
order to drive the car.
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Introduction
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We can run standard software packages without
understanding exactly how they work.
We can program a computer in a high-level language
without understanding how the machine executes the
individual instructions.
We can create Web pages without understanding how the
Web browser gets its pages from a Web server or how the
Web server creates those pages.
We can purchase a computer system from a salesperson
without understanding the specifications of the system.
Etc……
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Introduction
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And yet, there is something missing.
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Perhaps the package doesn’t do exactly what we want,
and we don’t understand the machine well enough to
risk fooling around with the package’s options.
Perhaps if we understood the system we might have
written the program to be faster and more efficient.
Perhaps we could create Web pages that load faster
and work better.
Perhaps the salesperson did not sell us the optimum
system for our job.
Etc……
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Introduction
The jargon of computers has become a
part of the English language.
 You can open any daily newspaper and find
references to “1GB DDRAM” or “XGA TFT
display” or “512K level 2 cache” or “56K
V.90 modem” in articles and
advertisements. (In a way, it’s scary!).
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Figure 1.1 A typical computer ad
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Introduction
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But how good a system is this?
Are these features important to the user?
Is this the right combination of features that you need in your
computer to have the computer perform the work that you wish to get
done?
Is a 2.7 GHz Pentium 4 the best choice of a CPU?
Perhaps we are paying too much for the performance that we need.
Or maybe we need more.
What does the presence of a Firewire port imply in the context of a
long-term investment of computers for your organisation?
Is DVD-RAM the most useful format for your work?
Etc……
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Introduction
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Understanding the computer system’s operations
has an immediate benefit: it will allow you to use
the machine more effectively.
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As a user, you will
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be aware of the capabilities, strengths, and limitations of the
computer system.
have a better understanding of the commands that you use.
understand what is taking place during the operation of the
programs that you use.
understand more clearly what an operating system is, and how
to use it effectively and to your advantage.
know when it is preferable to do a job manually, and when the
computer should be used.
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Introduction
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As a programmer, it will allow you to
 write
better programs.
 use the characteristics of the machine to make your
programs operate more effectively.
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For example, choosing the appropriate data type for a
variable can result in significantly faster performance.
Soon you will know why this is so, and how to
make the appropriate choices.
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Introduction
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As a system analyst, you:
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will be expected to specify computer systems for purchase, for
yourself and for your organization.
would like to purchase the computer that best meets the needs
of the application.
must be able to read and understand the technical
specifications in order to compare different alternatives and to
match the system to the users’ needs.
should be able to assist management in making intelligent
decisions about system strategy.
should able to differentiate between simple technological
obsolescence that does not affect your work significantly and
major advances that suggest a real need to replace older
equipment.
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Introduction
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As a system administrator or manager, your job is to
maximize the availability and efficiency of your
systems. You:
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will need to understand the reports generated by your systems
and be able to use the information in those reports to make
changes in the systems that will optimize system performance.
will need to know when additional resources are required, and
be able to specify appropriate choices.
will need to specify and configure operating system
parameters, set up file systems, manage system and user PC
upgrades in a fast-changing environment, provide and assure
the robustness of system security, and perform many other
system management tasks.
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Introduction
A deep understanding of the basic
concepts is fundamental to long-term
survival and growth in the field of
information technology and IT
management.
 This type of understanding is at the very
foundation of being a competent and
successful system analyst, system
administrator, or programmer.
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The User’s Point of View
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The purpose of the computer, obviously, is to
perform some useful work, whether that work be:
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word processing
retrieval and manipulation of data
simple bookkeeping
solving a difficult mathematical problem
Web browsing
or the graphical display and internal calculation
associated with a video game or desktop presentation
program.
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The User’s Point of View
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For example, a simple online credit card
purchasing system:
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When a customer makes a purchase
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the clerk keys or scans the transaction into a terminal that is
used as input to the department store computer.
The computer communicates with a bank computer that
checks the customer’s credit and okays the transaction.
The computer prints a receipt at the terminal for the customer
to sign and records the transaction in the customer’s account.
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Figure 1.2 A simplified credit card transaction
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The User’s Point of View
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For this example,
The primary processing operations that take
place include searching for data, merging of
data, and simple calculation.
 On this system, input is provided via terminal
keyboard. Output occurs on the screen and on
a printer. Hard disks provide long-term storage.
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The User’s Point of View
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A seemingly very different operation occurs when you sit
at your personal computer working with a word processor.
But is it really that different?
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The text file is probably stored on either a removable disk or a
hard disk.
The word processor program itself is also stored on disk.
The text file being processed is initially loaded into the main
memory of the computer as data, just as the customer’s credit file
was in the previous example.
Word processors also perform comparisons and make
decisions, just as the credit card program does.
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The Input-Process-Output Model
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The critical idea here is that regardless of
the type of work to be performed, the work
of a computer can be characterized by an
input-process-output model (IPO); that is a
program:
receives input from a disk file, mouse,
keyboard, or some other input device;
 performs some processing on the input;
 and produces output to a disk file, a printer, a
video screen, or some other output device.
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Figure 1.3 A computer process
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Internet Resources
- Web site for book
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Student Companion Site (Englander)
http://bcs.wiley.com/hebcs/Books?action=index&itemId=0471073253&b
csId=1432
 Little Man Simulator
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Internet Resources
- Web site for book
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http://WilliamStallings.com/COA/COA7e.html
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links to sites of interest
links to sites for courses that use the book
errata list for book
information on other books by W. Stallings
http://WilliamStallings.com/StudentSupport.html
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Math
How-to
Research resources
Misc
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Internet Resources
- Web sites to look for
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WWW Computer Architecture Home Page
CPU Info Center
Processor Emporium
ACM Special Interest Group on Computer
Architecture
IEEE Technical Committee on Computer
Architecture
Intel Technology Journal
Manufacturer’s sites
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Intel, IBM, etc.
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Internet Resources
- Usenet News Groups
comp.arch
 comp.arch.arithmetic
 comp.arch.storage
 comp.parallel
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Thank you
Q&A
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