2021-02-08 Class Meeting Flashcards
Northbridge AKA
MCH
MCH AKA
memory control hub
Northbridge is responsible for what?
managing the high-speed communications within computers
FSB AKA
front-side bus
what is FSB?
FSB determines the overall clock speed of the computer and connects the Northbridge and CPU.
Memory Controller is connected to…
FSB
Memory Controller is responsible for…
the very fast things
FSB vs ___
backside bus
what is the backside bus?
sometimes connects the cache memory
cache is faster than…
regular RAM, but glacial compared to CPU
What adapters are connected to Northbridge?
Graphic adapters like PCIe Controller or AGP Controller
Southbridge is responsible for…
…management of slower onboard peripherals
Southbridge AKA
I/O Control Hub (ICH)
What onboard peripherals is/might connected to the Southbridge?
USB, Serial & Parallel, ATA, PS/2, parallel ports, serial ports etc.(taken over by USB)
PCI Expansion Bus is responsible for…
slower items for the graphics
What goes through onboard LAN/Southbridge?
Wireless and Wired connections
Succinctly, what’s connected to Southbridge?
ATA interfaces, Serial ATA, Onboard Audio, PCI Expansion Bus, Onboard USB, Onboard LAN
Volatile Data:
Once power is removed the data is gone.
Non-Volatile Data:
Stored on system drives and is not impacted by power.
RAM:
temporary holding area for both data and instructions.
RAM AKA
Random Access Memory OR Main Memory
ROM AKA
Read-Only Memory
ROM:
type of non-volatile memory that cannot be modified
EEPROM AKA
Electrically Erasble PROM
EEPROM:
can be erased electrically and reprogrammed
Latency:
Specifically, delay between when memory receives request for data and retrieves the data
Latency AKA
Access time
Latency measured in…
nanoseconds, billionths of a second
Expansion Card:
EC go in Expansion slots. EC is a circuit board installs in a computer to increase capabilities.
Types fo Expansion cards:
video, multimedia, communications, input/output
HD AKA
Hard Drive
Hard Disk Drive:
Used for permanent storage and quick access
SSD AKA
Solid State Drives
Solid State Drives:
utilizes flash memory and has no moving parts
HDD AKA
Hard Disk Drive
Optical Storage Drives Examples
DVD-ROM, CD-ROM, CD,
DVD AKA
digital visual disk
Recordable Media examples
HDD, SD, DVD-ROM, CD-ROM, CD, BD
Removable Media examples
USB, Tape Backups, SD memory cards, DVD, CD
HDD are sealed how and why?
Hermetically sealed to to keep out air flow & build up of any particles.
What are the 3 basic parts of HDD?
- controller
- hard disk
- read/write heads
Hard Disk AKA
platters
Hard Disk:
physical storage medium
HD Controller:
handles the transfer of data between computer components
Read/write heads:
is what actually reads/writes data on/from the hard drisk
HD geometry include:
- tracks
- sectors
- heads
- cylinders
one of the common original HD controllers
- IDE, integrated drive electronics controller
- enhanced IDE
- ATA, advanced technology attachment
- Serial ATA
- eSATA
HDD are relatively very ___, while SSD are very ___
Slow, Fast
SSD controller:
handles the transfer of data between computer components
SSD components:
- SSD Contoller
- DRAM memory
- NAND Flash chips
NAND Flash chips:
non-volatile, the actual solid state storage
SSD DRAM Memory:
performs copy and erase functions
SSD geometry include:
- cells
- pages
- blocks
Advantages of SSD over HDD:
- quieter
- lighter
- much faster
- uses less power
- generates less heat
- less likely to get damaged
Advantages of HDD over SSD:
- lower cost per unit of storage
- better upper limit of rewriting on storage location
- data on SSD decays faster
- last longer
low level formatting:
set by the manufacturer. Can only be reset using special tools
Partitioning:
divides a hard disk’s physical space into defined areas for use by an operating system. allows the OS to treat sections of space in drive as distinct separate drives.
Hard-level formatting is like…
the file structure or file system. it allows the drive to manage and store the data and has the file system.
Window requires which boot record?
Volume Boot Record
OG partition type:
master boot record
Master Boot Record:
- traditionally used by the Windows
- most important structure on HD
- 3 Substructures
What are the 3 substructures of the Master Boot Record?
- Master boot program
- master partition table
- two-byte “end of sector” markers
Master boot program does what?
allows the drive to boot into an OS
master partition table is analogous to what?
It’s analogous to high-level table of contents in book.
Types of Partitions:
Primary, extended, logical
What’s the max of primary partitions in Master Boot Record?
4 primary partitions
How can you have more than 4 primary partitions?
Make a primary partition into an extended partition so that it can have logical partitions.
What’s one limitation of MBR?
you can only boot from a primary partition
MBR AKA
Master Boot Record
Volume Boot Record:
has information about how to boot the system
GUID AKA
Globally Unique Identifier
what are the 5 parts of GUID?
- Protective MBR
- GPT Header
- GPT
- Partition Entries
- Backups
GPT AKA
GUID Partition Table
Protective MBR is what?
backwards comptability layer to prevent MBR devices from devices destroying GPT disk structure it doesn’t recognize
advantages of GUID over MBR:
- supports many more partitions
- 10 exabyte limit
- redundany of information about the partitions
- unique ID for each partition
GPU AKA
Graphics processing unit
Importance of temperature on computer:
running computer hardware at higher temps shortens the lifespan and fault more likely.
