Definition: Computer Architecture and Organization
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ScribdTranslationsDefinition: Computer Architecture and Organization
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ScribdTranslationsJune 20, 2016 Computer architecture.
1st
task: definitions.
computer architecture
"Computer architecture refers to the attributes of a system that are visible to a programmer, or to put it
another way, those attributes that have a direct impact on the logical execution of a program. Examples
of architectural attributes include a set of instructions, the number of bits used to represent various
types of data (e.g., numbers, characters), I/O mechanisms, and techniques for memory addressing.”
"Computer architecture deals with the structure and behavior of the computer from the user's point of
view. It includes information formats, the instruction set, and memory addressing techniques. The
architectural design of a computer system is concerned with the specifications of various functional
modules, such as processors and memory, and structuring them together into a computer system.
"The architecture of a computer is its abstract model and is the view in terms of instructions, addressing
modes and registers."
Computer organization
"Organizational attributes include those hardware details transparent to the programmer, such as
control signals, interfaces between the computer and peripherals, and the memory technology used."
"Computer organization refers to the way the components operate and the way they connect to form the
computer system. "The various components are assumed to be in place and the task is to investigate the
organizational structure to verify that the parts of the computer work as intended."
"The organization of a computer expresses the realization of architecture."
Sources
Computer organization and architecture. William Stallings. 7th edition .
Computer architecture. 3rd edition . M. Morris Mano.
Computer architecture is dead – Long live computer organization. Allan Clements. University
of Teesside.
(*)Architecture describes what the computer does and organization describes how it does it.
Architecture and organization are independent, you can change the organization of a computer without
changing its architecture. For example, a 64-bit architecture can be organized internally as a true 64-bit
machine or as a 16-bit machine that uses 4 cycles to handle 64-bit values.
The difference between architecture and organization is best illustrated with a non-computer science
example. Is a car's gear shift part of its architecture or organization? The architecture of a car is simple;
transports from A to B. The shifter belongs to the car organization since it implements the function of a
car, but is not part of that function (a car does not intrinsically need a shifter).
