COMPUTER BUS ARCHITECTURE
COMPUTER BUS
• A bus is a set of wires that is used to connect the different internal
components of the computer system for the purpose of transferring data
as well addresses amongst them.
• There may be several buses in a computer system.
• A bus can either be a serial bus or a parallel bus.
• In serial bus, only one bit of data is transferred at a time amongst the
various hardware components.
• On the other hand, in parallel bus, several bits of data can be transferred
at a time amongst the various hardware components.
• The speed of any type of bus is measured in terms of the number of bits
transferred per second, between two components.
COMPUTER BUS
ARCHITECTURE
• The figure depicts the two
different types of buses according
to the type of operations
performed by them
• Address Bus
• Data Bus
• Control Bus
DATA BUS
• As the name suggests, the data bus in a
computer system is used to transfer data
amongst the different internal components.
• The speed of the data bus also affects the
overall processing power of a computer
system.
• Modern computer systems use 32-bit data
buses for data transfer.
• This means that these buses are capable of
transferring 32 bits of data at a time.
• The data bus is generally bidirectional in
nature in most computer systems
ADDRESS BUS
• The address bus is also known as
memory bus.
• It transfers the memory
addresses for read and write
memory operations.
• It contains a number of address
lines that determine the range of
memory addresses that can be
referenced using the address bus.
• For example, a 32-bit address
bus can be used to reference 232
memory locations.
• Like data bus, the address bus
can also be a serial or a parallel
bus.
ADDRESS BUS
• The address bus between
the main memory and the
processor of a computer
system is unidirectional.
• However, an address bus
may also be bidirectional.
• For example, the address
bus between the processor
and the I/O system is
bidirectional
CONTROL BUS
• The control bus carries the control
signal.
• The control signal is used for
controlling and coordinating the
various activities across the
computer.
• It is generated from the control unit
within the CPU.
• Different architectures result in a
differing number of lines of wires
within the control bus, as each line is
used to perform a specific task
• For instance, different specific lines
are used for each of the read, write,
and reset requests.
CONTROL BUS
• These are not a group of lines like
address bus and data bus, but
individual lines that provide a pulse
to indicate a microprocessor
operation.
• The control unit generates a specific
control signal for every operation,
such as memory read or input/ output
operation.
• This signal is also used to identify a
device type, with which the
microprocessor intends to
communicate.
PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
• Explain the different types of system bus. [5]
• What is a bus in computer system? [5]
• Define bus and explain different types of bus . [ 2+3]
• Write short notes on bus architecture. [5]
