Lecture 1: Computer System Overview

KE40703 Computer Architecture & Networks

Dr. Khairul
EEE, SKTM Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Can I call you back? We just bought a new computer and were trying to set it up before its obsolete.

Is the computer fast enough to run necessary programs? Is the computer cost-effective? Will it be obsolete in 6 months?

From Components to Applications

Software Hardware
Electronic components
Lowlevel view

Application domains

Application designer

Computer designer

System designer

Highlevel view

Computer archit ecture Computer organization

Subfields or views in computer system engineering.

Circuit designer

Logic designer

Computer Systems and Their Parts

Computer

Analog

Digital

Fixed-function

Stored-program

Electronic

Nonelectronic

General-purpose

Special-purpose

Number cruncher

Data manipulator

The space of computer systems, with what we normally mean by the word computer highlighted.

Classification
Price/Performance Pyramid
Super

$Millions
$100s Ks
$10s Ks
$1000s
$100s
$10s

Mainframe

Server
Differences in scale, not in substance

Workstation

Personal

Embedded
Classifying computers by computational power and price range.

Automotive Embedded Computers

Embedded computers are ubiquitous, yet invisible. They are found in our automobiles, appliances, and many other places.

Personal Computers and Workstations

Notebooks, a common class of portable computers, are much smaller than desktops but offer substantially the same capabilities. What are the main reasons for the size difference?

Structure & Function

Computer is a complex system, how to describe them? - The designer deals with a particular level of system. At each level, designer is concerned with structure and function Structure is the way in which components relate to each other (hardware) Function is the operation of individual components as part of the structure

Computer Function

All computer functions are: Data Processing (process data) Data Storage (storing data) Data movement (move data between itself and outside world Control (control of the 3 functions above)

Functional view

Input-Process-Output Model (IPO)

Input: keyboard, mouse, scanner, punch cards Processing: CPU executes the computer program

Output: monitor, printer, fax machine

Storage: hard drive, optical media, diskettes, magnetic tape

Architecture Components
Hardware
Processes data by executing instructions Provides input and output

Software
Instructions executed by the system

Data
Fundamental representation of facts and observations

Communications
Sharing data and processing among different systems

Hardware Component
Input/Output devices Storage Devices System interconnection CPU
ALU: arithmetic/logic unit CU: control unit Interface unit

Memory
Short-term storage for CPU calculations
1-13

Typical Personal Computer System

1-14

Structure - Top Level

Peripherals

Computer
Central Processing Unit Main Memory

Computer

Systems Interconnection

Input Output

Communication lines

CPU: Central Processing Unit

ALU: arithmetic/logic unit
Performs arithmetic and Boolean logical calculations

CU: control unit

Controls processing of instructions Controls movement of data within the CPU

Interface unit
Moves instructions and data between the CPU and other hardware components Bus: bundle of wires that carry signals and power between different components
1-16

Structure - The CPU

CPU
Computer
I/O System Bus Memory CPU

Registers

Arithmetic and Login Unit

Internal CPU Interconnection

Control Unit

Memory
Also known as primary storage, working storage, and RAM (random access memory) Consists of bits, each of which hold a value of either 0 or 1 (8 bits = 1 byte) Holds both instructions and data of a computer program (stored program concept)

1-18

Structure - The Control Unit

Control Unit
CPU
ALU Internal Bus Registers Control Unit

Sequencing Logic Control Unit Registers and Decoders

Control Memory

Software Component
Applications Operating System
API: application program interface File management I/O Kernel

Memory management Resource scheduling Program communication Security

Network Module
1-20

Communications Component
Hardware
Communication channels

Physical connections between computer systems Examples: wire cable, phone lines, fiber optic cable, infrared light, radio waves Handles communication between the computer and the communication channel Modem or network interface card (NIC)

Interface hardware

Software
Network protocols: HTTP, TCP/IP, ATAPI
1-21

Computer Systems
All computer systems, no matter how complex, consists of the following: At least one CPU Memory to hold programs and data I/O devices Long-term storage

1-22

Protocols
Common ground rules of communication between computers, I/O devices, and many software programs Examples
HTTP: between Web servers and Web browsers TCP/IP: between computers on the Internet and local area networks ATAPI: between a CPU and CD-ROMs
1-23

Standards
Created to ensure universal compatibility of data formats and protocols May be created by committee or may become a de facto standard through popular use Examples:
Computer languages: Java, SQL, C, JavaScript Display standards: Postscript, MPEG-2, JPEG, GIF Character set standards: ASCII, Unicode, EBCDIC Video standards: VGA, XGA, RGB

1-24

Generations of Progress
The 5 generations of digital computers, and their ancestors.

Generation (begun)
0 (1600s) 1 (1950s) 2 (1960s) 3 (1970s)

Processor Memory I/O devices technology innovations introduced

(Electro-) mechanical Vacuum tube Transistor SSI/MSI Wheel, card Magnetic drum Magnetic core RAM/ROM chip

Dominant look & fell

Lever, dial, Factory punched card equipment Paper tape, magnetic tape Drum, printer, text terminal Hall-size cabinet Room-size mainframe

Disk, keyboard, Desk-size video monitor mini

4 (1980s)
5 (1990s)

LSI/VLSI
ULSI/GSI/ WSI, SOC

SRAM/DRAM Network, CD, mouse,sound

SDRAM, flash Sensor/actuator, point/click

Desktop/ laptop micro

Invisible, embedded 1-25

IC Production and Yield

30-60 cm Blank wafer with defects Slicer 15-30 cm
x x x x x x x x x x x

Patterned wafer Processing: 20-30 steps

Silicon crystal ingot

0.2 cm Good die Microchip or other part Mounting

(100s of simple or scores of complex processors)

Dicer

Die

Die tester

Part tester

Usable part to ship

~1 cm

~1 cm

The manufacturing process for an IC part.

Processor and Memory Technologies

Backplane PC board Die Interlayer connections deposited on the outside of the stack

Bus CPU Connector Memory (a) 2D or 2.5D packaging now common Stacked layers glued together

(b) 3D packaging of the future

Packaging of processor, memory, and other components.

TIPS

Tb

Processor

Processor performance

GIPS

80486 80386 68000 MIPS 80286

R10000 Pentium II Pentium 256Mb 68040 64Mb 16Mb 4Mb

Gb
1Gb

Mb 4 / 3 yrs

1Mb

256kb 64kb

kIPS 1980

1990

2000

kb 2010

Calendar year

Trends in processor performance and DRAM memory chip capacity (Moores law).

Memory chip capacity

Moores Law

1.6 / yr 2 / 18 mos 10 / 5 yrs

Memory

Worth Computer Technology Predictions

DOS addresses only 1 MB of RAM because we cannot imagine any applications needing more. Microsoft, 1980 640K ought to be enough for anybody. Bill Gates, 1981

Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons. Popular Mechanics
I think there is a world market for maybe five computers. Thomas Watson, IBM Chairman, 1943 There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home. Ken Olsen, DEC founder, 1977

The 32-bit machine would be an overkill for a personal computer. Sol Libes, ByteLines

Input/Output and Communications

Typically 2-9 cm

Floppy disk

CD-ROM

. ..
(a) Cutaway view of a hard disk drive

.. .

Magnetic tape cartridge

(b) Some removable storage media

Magnetic and optical disk memory units.

Communication Technologies
10 12 Processor bus Geographically distributed I/O network System-area network (SAN) Local-area network (LAN) Metro-area network (MAN) Same geographic location

Bandwidth (b/s)

10 9

10 6

Wide-area network (WAN)

10 3 10 9 (ns)

10 6 (s)

10 3 (ms)

(min)

10 3

(h)

Latency (s)

Latency and bandwidth characteristics of different classes of communication links.