Computer architectures

Computer Architecture

Computers are built of various components (called Hardware). These include: the CPU, memory, busses, clocks, peripherals (printers, keyboards, etc), etc. All of these components must communicate with each other and provide a necessary service to the user.

A computer is a complex device containing many sub-systems. Each sub-system is a piece of computer hardware (or part of a piece of computer hardware.) How these pieces interact is called the "Computer Architecture". The hard of a computer includes:

CPU

Motherboard

Power Supply

BUS - "trucks" data around the computer

Clock - tells the CPU to start the next instruction

Network Card

Monitor

Fans

Memory

The communication channels that tie the system together can either be simple links that connect two devices or more complex switches that interconnect several components and allow any two of them to communicate at a given point in time. When a switch is configured to allow two devices to exchange information, all other devices that rely on the switch are blocked, i.e. they must wait until the switch can be reconfigured.

A general-purpose computer has these parts:

processor: the ``brain'' that does arithmetic, responds to incoming information, and generates outgoing information

primary storage (memory or RAM): the ``scratchpad'' that remembers information that can be used by the processor. It is connected to the processor by a system bus (wiring).

system and expansion busses: the transfer mechanisms (wiring plus connectors) that connect the processor to primary storage and input/output devices.

A computer usually comes with several input/output devices: For input: a keyboard, a mouse; For output, a display (monitor), a printer; For both input and output: an internal disk drive, memory key, CD reader/writer, etc., as well as connections to external networks.

For reasons of speed, primary storage is connected ``more closely'' to the processor than are the input/output devices. Most of the devices (e.g., internal disk, printer) are themselves primitive computers in the sense that they contain simple processors that help transfer information to/from the processor to/from the device.

Here is a simple picture that summarizes the above:

Адрес публикации: https://www.prodlenka.org/metodicheskie-razrabotki/324440-computer-architectures