Robert Roy P. dela Serna
Laurence Guevarra
STRUCTURED COMPUTER ORGANIZATION
This is submitted in
accordance to the requirements of the course CS14. The image above (taken from Structured
Computer Organization, sixth edition by Andrew S. Tanenbaum and Todd Austin
shows the levels and processes of a computer. Here, we are going to explain how
the process works. First we shall explain the definition of terms.
Definition of terms:
(Definition of terms
are taken from Wikipedia, thebfreedictionary and webopedia)
Digital Logic
Level terms:
Low Power Computing – computing that
has been designed to use less electric power.
Flash – Flash storage
is a type of memory storage common in all small computing devices. It stores
data using electricity in surface-mounted chips on a printed circuit board
Static RAM – It
is a type of memory that uses bistable latching circuitry to store each bit.
SRAM memory is faster and more reliable than the more common Dynamic RAM.
Dynamic RAM - A
type of physical memory used in most personal computers. Memory must be
constantly refreshed or it will lose its contents.
Microarchitecture Level terms:
Interpreter – It translates high-level instructions into
an intermediate form, which it then executes.
Adder – A computer device which performs arithmetic
operations.
Precise Interrupt – It is a signal to the processor
emitted by hardware or software indicating an event that needs immediate
attention.
Speculative Executors – Executes instructions.
Data Path – It is a collection of logic units which
perform data processing operations.
ISA Level terms:
Flow of Control – It is the process of adjusting the flow
of data from one device to another to ensure that the receiving device can
handle all of the incoming data.
Output – Data that is sent.
ARM – It is a family of instruction set
architectures for processors.
Micro-controller – It is a small computer on a single integrated circuit containing a processor
core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals.
Input – Data that is received.
Trap Handler – It is the process of responding to the
occurrence, during computation, of traps,
anomalous or exceptional conditions requiring special processing – often
changing the normal flow of program execution.
Operating Systems Level terms:
Parallel Processing – It is a mode of computer operation
in which a process is split into parts that execute simultaneously on different
processors attached to the same computer.
Race – It is the behavior of an electronic or software
system where the output is dependent on the sequence or timing of other
uncontrollable events.
Virtualization – It is the act of creating a virtual
(rather than actual) version of something.
Assembly Language Level terms:
Assembler – It is a program which translates assembly
language to an object file or machine language format.
High Level Language – Language closer to human language
and is understandable by humans.
Low Level Language – Language closer to machine language
which consists of numbers and operations.
Outside Terms:
Sensor – A device that measures or detects a real-world
condition.
Touch Screen – It is an input device that receives input
through the user’s touch.
Media Processor – A controller or chip that is used to
build a multimedia subsystem that processes any combination of audio, video,
graphics, fax and modem operations.
Mobile Computing – It is a type of computer which can be
easily carried around.
Branch Prediction – It is a digital circuit that tries to
guess which way a branch (e.g.
an if-then-else structure) will go before this is known for sure.
Next, we are going to
explain the different levels of machine hardware.
The Different Levels of Machine Hardware:
The image above was
taken directly from Structured Computer Organization, sixth edition by Andrew
S. Tanenbaum and Todd Austin.
The lowest level of
hardware is the Digital Logic Level. This level contains the logic gates: a
device implementing a Boolean function. Logic gates perform logical operations
on one or more logical inputs and then produce a single logical output.
The next level after the Digital Logic Level is the Microarchitecture Level. The
microarchitecture level uses
digital circuits to implement machine instructions. These instructions go
through paths called Digital Paths.
After that, the
next level is Instruction Set
Architecture Level. This level includes the native data types,
instructions, registers, addressing modes, memory architecture, interrupt and
exception handling, and external I/O. It also includes a specification of the
set of machine language, and the native commands implemented by a particular
processor.
The next level is the Operating System. It is a program that adds new instructions and
features to the ISA. It is software that manages computer hardware and software
resources and provides common services for computer programs. The operating
system is an essential component of the system software in a computer system.
Application programs usually require an operating system to function.
After the operating system is
the Assembly Language. An assembly language is a low-level
programming language for a computer where there is a strong correspondence
between the language and the architecture's machine code instructions. Each
assembly language is specific to particular computer architecture, in contrast
to most high-level programming languages, which are generally portable across
multiple architectures, but require interpreting or compiling. Assembly
language is converted into executable machine code by an assembler.
Last, is the Problem-oriented Language Level. This
is now where the compiler and the programming language are located. The lower
levels were machine language, the middle levels were translations and
interpreters and this level is where the programmer can code his/her
instructions to the computer.
The Process:
The programming codes
his instructions in the compiler which is in the programming-oriented language
level. The code is then translated to
assembly language level. After that, the assembly code is translated and sent
to the operating system. After that, the ISA receives the instructions and
sends them to the microarchitecture level. The microarchitecture level then
sends this data to the hardware’s logic gates. Basically, the higher the level
of the language, the closer it is the human language. The lower the level of
the language, the closer it is to machine level language which consists of
numbers and logical operations.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcontroller
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM
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