Chapter 9: Chipset architecture

Question 1

What two [2] reason why is the Chipset Important?

Answer 1

1. Chipset defines operation of PCI, SATA, USB, RAID, etc…

2. Optimizes operation of CPU

Question 2

What is a chipset?

Answer 2

Controls data flow between processor, memory, PCI devices, system bus
Support chips provide other functions

Question 3

How do you access the CPU

Answer 3

Through the chipset

Question 4

By matching the the chipset to the CPU prevents what?

Answer 4

minimizes bottlenecks

Question 5

What does CPI stand for?

Answer 5

Cycles Per Instruction

Question 6

What is Cycles Per Instruction (PCI)

Answer 6

number of clock cycles a system uses to execute an instruction

Question 7

CPU depends on the chipset to?

Answer 7

quickly transfer information from main memory

Question 8

What are two [2] types processors architectures commonly used

Answer 8

1. Non Uniform Memory Access (NUMA)

2. Symmetric Multi Processing (SMP)

Question 9

What does NUMA Stand for?

Answer 9

Non Uniform Memory Access

Question 10

What does SMP stand for?

Answer 10

Symmetric Multi Processing

Question 11

What are five [4] things that NUMA is used for?

Answer 11

1. Used to build very large multiprocessor systems
2. Allows the use of multiple processors without sacrificing scalability
3. Non uniform access to I/O resources is also supported
4. Processors have access to local or near memory and remote memory
5. Groups of processors connected by a special bus system

Question 12

What connects two servers together?

Answer 12

Scalability ports

Question 13

What are two [2] Limitations on multi-processor hardware

Answer 13

1 High speed cache performance is only available to a limited number of microprocessors
2 Increasing the number of microprocessors adversely affects the efficiency of the cache

Question 14

What does (SMP) Symmetric Multi Processing do ?

Answer 14

“sees” the same hardware resources, so no special software techniques are needed to access any
resource.

Question 15

What is (SRAT)?

Answer 15

Static Resource Allocation Table

Question 16

What is SUMO stand for ?

Answer 16

Sufficiently Uniform Memory Organization

Question 17

What are two [2] things NUMA Non Uniform Memory Access is optimize for?

Answer 17

1. Windows Server 2003/2008 Enterprise and Datacenter

2 .Linux Kernel 2.6 and above

Question 18

What are two [2] things NUMA Non Uniform Memory Access is NOT optimize for?

Answer 18

1. Server 2003 Standard

2. Windows 2003 Web Edition

Question 19

What does MESI stand for?

Answer 19

Modified
Exclusive
Shared
Invalid

Question 20

What are two [2] positive things that Scalability of SMP Symmetric Multi Processing?

Answer 20

1. Increased number of processors increases access to resources
2. Resources easy to locate but all CPUs must wait in the same queue

Question 21

What does MESI ensure to have?

Answer 21

CPU’s have the most recent copy of data

Question 22

What are four [4 ]Large SMP Configurations issues?

Answer 22

1. Intel’s FSB protocol is limited to four processors
2. Eight socket configurations are two four-socket systems
3. can cause greater snoop latency
4. The FSB to FSB connection increases overhead

Question 23

What are four [4] things of the Cache Coherency Filter

Answer 23

1. One filter used for each group of four processors
2. Tracks all operations that occur on the FSB
3. Provides information about the addresses of all data stored in CPU caches on the local FSB
4. Snooped addresses looked up in the filter on the remote FSB first

Question 24

NUMA systems show good scalability up to how many sockets?

Answer 24

32 socket system

Question 25

SMP systems scale poorly beyond how man sockets?

Answer 25

Four [4]