Lecture 4

COMPUTER
ORGANIZATION AND
ARCHITECTURE
 Computer Architecture
• The computer architecture for a given machine is the
combination of its hardware components plus its
instruction set architecture (ISA).
• The ISA is the interface between all the software that
runs on the machine and the hardware.
• It is a list of all the instructions, that a processor can
execute. ISA allows you to talk to the machine.
 Typical Categories of Instructions
1. Arithmetic - add, subtract
2. Logic - and, or and not
3. Data - move, input, output, load and store
4. Control flow - goto, if ... else, call and return.
structure and function of a
computer system
• Structure: The way in which the components are
interrelated.
• Function: The operation of each individual component
as part of the structure.
 The functions of a computer
system
• There are only four functions:
1. Data processing
2. Data storage
3. Data movement
4. Control
The functions of a computer system
 structure of a computer system
There are four main structural components:
1) Central processing unit (CPU): Controls the operation of the computer
and performs its data processing functions; often simply referred to as
processor.
2) Main memory: Stores data.
3) I/O: Moves data between the computer and its external environment.
4) System interconnection: Some mechanism that provides for
communication among CPU, main memory, and I/O. A common example
of system interconnection is by means of a system bus, consisting of a
number of conducting wires to which all the other components attach.
 Central processing unit (CPU)
The major structural components are as follows:
1. Control unit: Controls the operation of the CPU and hence the
computer.
2. Arithmetic and logic unit (ALU): Performs the computer’s data
processing functions.
3. Registers: Provides storage internal to the CPU.
4. CPU interconnection: Some mechanism that provides for
communication among the control unit, ALU, and registers.
Top-Level Structure
 The Computer Level
Hierarchy
• we can imagine the machine to be built from a hierarchy of levels,
in which each level has a specific function and exists as a distinct
hypothetical machine.
• We call the hypothetical computer at each level a virtual machine.
• Each level’s virtual machine executes its own particular set of
instructions.
• By studying computer organization, you will see the rationale
behind the hierarchy’s partitioning, as well as how these layers are
implemented and interface with each other.
The Computer Level Hierarchy
The Computer Level Hierarchy
• Level 6, the User Level, is composed of applications and is
the level with which everyone is most familiar. At this level,
we run programs such as word processors, graphics
packages, or games. The lower levels are nearly invisible
from the User Level.
• Level 5, the High-Level Language Level, consists of languages
such as C, C++, FORTRAN, Python, Pascal, and Prolog. These
languages must be translated (using either a compiler or an
interpreter) to a language the machine can understand.
The Computer Level Hierarchy
• Level 4, the Assembly Language Level, A compiled higher-level
languages are first translated to assembly, which is then
directly translated to machine language (which consists of 0s
and 1s).
• Level 3, the System Software Level, deals with operating
system instructions. This level is responsible for protecting
memory, synchronizing processes, and various other important
functions. Often, instructions translated from assembly
language to machine language are passed through this level
unmodified.
The Computer Level Hierarchy
• Level 2, the Instruction Set Architecture (ISA), or Machine Level,
consists of the machine language recognized by the particular
architecture of the computer system. Programs written in a
computer’s true machine language on a hardwired computer can be
executed directly by the electronic circuits without any interpreters,
translators, or compilers.
• Level 1, the Control Level, is where a control unit makes sure that
instructions are decoded and executed properly and that data is
moved where and when it should be. The control unit interprets the
machine instructions passed to it, one at a time, from the level above,
causing the required actions to take place.
The Computer Level Hierarchy
• Level 0, the Digital Logic Level, this level is where we
find digital circuits (the chips). Digital circuits consist
of gates and wires. These components implement the
mathematical logic of all other levels.
 The Von Neumann Model
• The von Neumann architecture, which is also known
as the von Neumann model and Princeton
architecture, is a computer architecture based on the
1945 description by the mathematician and physicist
John von Neumann and others in the First Draft of a
Report on the EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable
Computer).
 The Von Neumann Model
• Von Neumann architecture is based on the stored-
program computer concept, where instruction data
and program data are stored in the same memory.
This design is still used in most computers produced
today.
 The Von Neumann Model
• Today’s version of the stored-program machine architecture
satisfies at least the following characteristics:
1)A central processing unit (CPU)
Control unit (CU)
Arithmetic logic unit (ALU)
Registers:
Program counter
2) Main-memory system
3) I/O system
 Reference
• William Stallings COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND ARCHITECTURE
DESIGNING FOR PERFORMANCE NINTH EDITION