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Unit 1 - Computer Structure and Function

This course covers computer organization and architecture. It will discuss the structure and function of major computer components like the CPU, main memory, I/O, and interconnections. The CPU's structure includes the control unit, ALU, registers, and internal connections. The course will describe the computer system hierarchy from the major components down to the CPU's lowest levels.

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Lawrence Chitandula
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19 views

Unit 1 - Computer Structure and Function

This course covers computer organization and architecture. It will discuss the structure and function of major computer components like the CPU, main memory, I/O, and interconnections. The CPU's structure includes the control unit, ALU, registers, and internal connections. The course will describe the computer system hierarchy from the major components down to the CPU's lowest levels.

Uploaded by

Lawrence Chitandula
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CSC 2111

Computer Organisation and Architecture


What the Course Will Cover
1. Computer Structure and Function
2. Computer Evolution and Performance
3. Computer Function and Interconnection
4. Cache Memory
5. Internal Memory
6. External Memory
7. Input/output
8. Operating System Support
9. Number Systems
10. The Arithmetic and Logic Unit
11. The Control Unit
12. The Central Processing Unit
1. Computer Structure and Function
 Intended Learning Outcomes

 By the end of this unit, you should be able to:

 1.1 Distinguish, in general terms, between computer organisation and


computer architecture.

 1.2 Distinguish, in general terms, between computer structure and


computer function.

 1.3 Define the four main functions of a computer.

 1.4 Define the main structural components of a computer.

 1.5 Define the main structural components of a processor.


1.1 Computer Architecture

 Computer architecture refers to those attributes of a system visible


to a programmer or, put another way, those attributes that have a
direct impact on the logical execution of a program.

 Examples of architectural attributes


 Instruction set
 the complete set of instructions that can be recognized and executed
by a central processing unit.
 the number of bits used to represent various data types (e.g., numbers,
characters)
1.2 Computer Organisation

 Computer organisation refers to the operational units and their


interconnections that realize the architectural specifications.
 Example
 It is an architectural design issue whether a computer will have a multiply
instruction.
 It is an organisational issue whether that instruction will be implemented by a
special multiply unit or by a mechanism that makes repeated use of the add unit of
the system.
 The organisational decision may be based on the anticipated frequency of use of
the multiply instruction, the relative speed of the two approaches, and the cost and
physical size of a special multiply unit
Distinction between Architecture and
Organization

 Many computer manufacturers offer a family of computer models,


all with the same architecture but with differences in organisation.
 A prominent example of both these phenomena is the IBM
System/370 architecture.
 Different models in the family have different price and performance
characteristics.
1.3 Computer Structure and Function

 Structure is the way in which components relate to each


other.
 Function is the operation of individual components as part
of the structure.
Function

A computer can perform


four basic functions:

● Data processing
● Data storage
● Data movement
● Control
Data movement

The computer must be able


to move data -between itself
and the outside world.
Data movement

The computer must be able


to move data –within storage
for processing.
Data storage

The computer must be able to


store data.

Both short-term and long-term


data storage functions.
Control
The computer must be able to control the
three functions – process, store and move.

External Control - is exercised by the


individual(s) who provides the computer
with instructions.

Internal Control - is exercised by the control


unit, which manages the computer’s
resources and orchestrates the performance
of its functional parts in response to those
instructions.
The
Computer
The Computer
 The computer must be able to process data.
 The data may take a wide variety of forms, and the range of processing
requirements is broad.
 The computer’s operating environment consists of devices that serve as
either sources or destinations of data.
 When data are received from or delivered to a device that is directly
connected to the computer, the process is known as input–output (I/O),
and the device is referred to as a peripheral.
 When data are moved over longer distances, to or from a remote device,
the process is known as data communications.
Computer Structure

There are four main


structural components
of the computer:  CPU – controls the operation of the computer
and performs its data processing functions
 Main Memory – stores data
 I/O – moves data between the computer and its
external environment
 System Interconnection – some mechanism
that provides for communication among CPU,
main memory, and I/O
Computer System Hierarchy

 A computer is a complex system; contemporary computers


contain millions of elementary electronic components.
 A hierarchy allows us to view a computer as a set of
interrelated subsystems, each of the latter, in turn,
hierarchical in structure until we reach some lowest level
of elementary subsystem.
Computer System
Hierarchy
CPU  Control Unit
 Controls the operation of the CPU and
Major structural components: hence the computer
 Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU)
 Performs the computer’s data processing
function
 Registers
 Provide storage internal to the CPU

 CPU Interconnection
 Some mechanism that provides for
communication among the control unit,
ALU, and registers
Computer System Hierarchy

 The hierarchical nature of complex systems is essential to both their


design and their description.
 The designer need only deal with a particular level of the system at
a time.
 At each level, the system consists of a set of components and their
interrelationships.
 The behaviour at each level depends only on a simplified, abstracted
characterisation of the system at the next lower level.
Course Approach

 In this course, the computer system will be described from


the top down.
 We begin with the major components of a computer,
describing their structure and function, and proceed to
successively lower layers of the hierarchy.
Summary
 Computer Organization  Structure
 Computer Architecture
 CPU
 Function
 Main memory
 Data processing
 I/O
 Data storage
 System interconnection
 Data movement
 Control  CPU structural components
 Control unit
 ALU
 Registers
 CPU interconnection

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