Scribd
Upload
5 views

Lecture 3 - Memory Structure

Memory structures - Microprocessor Interface

Uploaded by

talha4400573
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
5 views

Lecture 3 - Memory Structure

Memory structures - Microprocessor Interface

Uploaded by

talha4400573
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 8

Microprocessor

Programming and Interface


Dr. Saad Qasim Khan
Assistant Professor
CIS Department NEDUET
[email protected]
1–2 THE MICROPROCESSOR-BASED
PERSONAL COMPUTER SYSTEM
• The Memory and I/O System
• The memory structure of all Intel-based personal computers is similar. This includes the first personal
computers based upon the 8088, introduced in 1981 by IBM, to the most powerful highspeed versions of
today, based on the Pentium 4 or Core2.
Memory Structure
• The memory system is divided into three main parts:
• TPA (transient program area),
• system area, and
• XMS (extended memory system).
• The type of microprocessor in your computer determines whether an
extended memory system exists. If the computer is based upon a
really old 8086 or 8088 (a PC or XT), the TPA and systems area exist,
but there is no extended memory area.
Memory Structure
• The PC and XT computers contain 640K bytes of TPA and 384K bytes
of system memory, for a total memory size of 1M bytes.
• We often call the first 1M byte of memory the real or conventional
memory system because each Intel microprocessor is designed to
function in this area by using its real mode of operation.
• Computer systems based on the 80286 through the Core2 not only
contain the TPA (640K bytes) and system area (384K bytes), they also
contain extended memory.
TPA
• The TPA. The transient program area (TPA) holds the DOS (disk
operating system) operating system and other programs that control
the computer system.
• The TPA is a DOS concept and not really applicable in Windows.
• The TPA also stores any currently active or inactive DOS application
programs.
• The length of the TPA is 640K bytes.
• As mentioned, this area of memory holds the DOS operating system,
which requires a portion of the TPA to function.
The End

Lecture 2 8

You might also like