System Architecture 1.1

System Architecture 1.1

1. Components of a computer system

   • secondary storage
     • cloud
       • examples include dropbox and google drive. These can't get scratched and are highly portable as they are on the computer. They can be accessed by anyone and are not as reliable.
     • magnetic
       • examples include floppy disk, internal and external hard disk. The floppy disk is not very reliable as it could be bent but the hard disks are very reliable.
     • solid state
       • an example is a USB flash drive and it is very portable as it is small and is also very reliable
     • optical
       • examples include a Blu-ray disk, DVD and hard drive. They are all very portable but can be easily scratched so are not very reliable
   • Primary Storage/Memory
     • ROM
       • Read Only Memory.
         • can hold data without power, permanent storage, Non-volatile memory
     • RAM
       • Random Access Memory.
         • Cannot hold data without power, temporary storage, volatile
     • virtual
     • cache
       • faster memory, closer to the CPU to reduce bottleneck. Goes in levels including 1,2 and 3.
     • volatile
       • Volatile memory is computer storage that only maintains its data while the device is powered
     • non - volatile
       • maintains data while not powered
   • peripherals
     • output
       • reproduces or displays the results of the processing from the input devices. some examples of output devices include: screen and printer
     • input
       • input device sends information to the computer. some input devices include: keyboard, mouse, trackball, controller, camera, webcam
     • special needs
       • some input and output devices help people with special needs. Some include tracker balls, sip and puff devices, eye trackers, screen readers and a foot mouse.
   • describe the Von Neumann architecture
   • what is a CPU
     • Registers
     • ALU
     • Fetch-Decode-execute
       • Fetch: copy memory address from PC to MAR
     • computer processing unit, machine code.

2. what is hardware

   • physical components that make up a computer or peripheral

3. what is software

   • computer programs that run on the computer to perform a certain task like MS word

4. what is an embedded system

   • a computer system built within a larger device that has a specific purpose and has everything on a single circuit board

5. how can performance be improved

   • speed up processing by increasing CPU
   • Faster storage
   • faster memory, more memory
   • Overclocking, pipelining, multicore