part 3, Hardware and software concepts Flashcards
this is a fixed length of bits
what is a word
give an overview of what happens during decode
- the control unit finds out what instruction is being held in the operator part of the instruction register and then sets up the necessary circuits and values for the instruction to take place
in detail what happens during the fetch
- The control unit sends a control signal on the control bus to the program counter telling it to put the address that it holds onto the address bus so that that location in memory can be read
- A memory read control signal is then sent to memory. This causes the data held in in the location being accessed to be put onto the data bus
- The control unit then ensures that the data is routed to the instruction register
how many bytes in a tebibyte (TiB)
this contains
240 bytes
what is the sample rate
this is how many samples are being taken per a second
what is a word
this is a fixed length of bits
what are the 2 jobs of the accumulator
- this has the job of storing numbers that are about to be used in an arithmetic operation.
- it also has the job of storing the output value of the operation just performed which can then be held for the next operation or sent back to main memory
- The control unit then sends an execute control signal to any component involved in the instruction so that that unit can carry out its work and load any values to there appropriate register such as the accumulator
- A control signal is then sent to the program counter to increase the counter by 1
- The cycle then repeats
what happens during execute
the bits that are held by this might tell you that the outcome of the last operation
- the integer was negative/positive
- was to large or too small to hold in the accumulator
what type of information might the bits held in the status reister tell you
explain what Just in time (JIT) compilation is
with this if a block of code is used frequently then it is compiled to machine code by the virtual machine and stored in cache. This eliminates the need for any further interpretation on the given block of code
- this follows a fetch-decode-execute cycle.
- is in charge of sending out control signals so that data may find its way from main memory to the cache and registers and then to the appropriate unit
- holds an instruction set and compares instructions when decoding them
what are 3 features of the control unit
this stands for
Complex instruction set computing (CISC)
what does CISC stand for
where can the status register be found and what is its role
- this can be found within the processor
- its role is to hold a report on the outcome of the last executed instruction
how many bits does one hexadecimal digit hold
this holds 4 bits (nibble)
this does not produce object code or an object program instead it only translates instructions as and when they are needed
how does an interpreter work
is usually expressed in bits per second (bps) or kHz
how is the bit rate usually expressed
this holds the memory address of the next instruction and then when told by the control unit it will increment this address by one (this happens after execution but before fetching). if the control unit is told to jump to an address then the value will be held here
what is the role of the program counter
this part holds the instruction that the control unit will decode
explain the operator part of the instruction register
multi core processors give of less heat. why is this
the reason these give of less heat is because more heat is generated when a processor has to constantly switch between tasks. when a processsor can focus on one task it in turn will dissipate lesss heat
- The control unit sends a control signal on the control bus to the program counter telling it to put the address that it holds onto the address bus so that that location in memory can be read
- A memory read control signal is then sent to memory. This causes the data held in in the location being accessed to be put onto the data bus
- The control unit then ensures that the data is routed to the instruction register
in detail what happens during the fetch
- When a program is written knowledge of the processor is not needed and does not need to be coded into the program
- When a program is written knowledge of peripherals is not needed. This is handled by the operating system who holds device drivers that tell it how to operate different peripherals
- The operating system can handle memory management and ensure that two programs do not disturb/overwrite each other
- The operating system can orchestrate multiple programs running simultaneously
name 4 benefits that an operating system gives
what is an instruction set
this is a set of instructions that the processor understands and can execute
this holds 4 bits (nibble)
how many bits does one hexadecimal digit hold
this makes itslef more effiecient by
- predicting what instructions will need to be processed next
- using instructions that directly make this more efficient
- having a good management system for this
- loading large sequence of instructions into itself where possible
what 4 ways is cache made more efficient
this holds the memory address of the next instruction to be fetched
what value does the program counter hold
what are the 3 main types of instructions
- Arithmetic and logic operations - this includes operations that the ALU and FPU can both handle such as arithmetic, equality, comparisons. This also includes logic such as AND, NOT, OR
- Flow control - this is the flow of execution. This usually happens in sequential order of memory address but the flow can be altered using jumps or conditional jumps
- Data handling and memory operations - this is setting registers to a value or copying data from a main memory location to a register and vice versa
it distinguishes between these because of the way everything is organised
the OS will store instructions in a sequential fashion and then set the program counter to the first address of the instructions this way instructions and data can be kept seperated
how does the processor distinguish between instructions and data since both are written in binary
what handles the transfer of data from secondary memory
the transfer of data from this is handled by the operating system
- More human readable instructions with the use of (mnemonic names) such as MOV for move
- Memory addresses can be given symbolic names
- Can use decimal numbers and characters instead of just binary
- Comments may be added which are later ignored by the assembler
- Assemblers can do simple error checking before the program is ran
what are 5 advantages of assembly language over machine language
what happens during execute
- The control unit then sends an execute control signal to any component involved in the instruction so that that unit can carry out its work and load any values to there appropriate register such as the accumulator
- A control signal is then sent to the program counter to increase the counter by 1
- The cycle then repeats
this contains
220 = 1,048,576 bytes
how many bytes in a mebibyte (MiB)
the transfer of data from this is handled by the operating system
what handles the transfer of data from secondary memory
what are 3 features of the control unit
- this follows a fetch-decode-execute cycle.
- is in charge of sending out control signals so that data may find its way from main memory to the cache and registers and then to the appropriate unit
- holds an instruction set and compares instructions when decoding them
what 3 parts is an instruction made up of
- The instruction
- The register holding a value for the operation or a memory location that needs to be accessed
- An immediate value or constant that will be used with the instruction
once an instruction has been executed and output data produced what are the 3 steps the data then takes
the output data is carried back on the same journey in revese order
- registers
- cache
- main memory
explain what Reduced instruction set computing (RISC) is
this is a type of instruction set that is made up of fundamental instructions and then relys on software for more complex operations. Each instruction is fundamental enough to be carried out in one clock cycle. The number of bits per instruction can be fixed aswell as only one memory loaction will ever be used
this is a place where the current instruction is held so that it can be read by the control unit
what is the instruction register for
where is data and instructions stored
these are stored in RAM
this stands for Floating-point unit
what does FPU stand for and where can it be found
these are stored in RAM
where is data and instructions stored
in detail what happens during decode if the instruction was to add
- The control unit compares the instruction held in the operator part of the instruction register by using instruction comparison circuits
- As an example after the comparison it finds that it was an add instruction
- A control signal is then sent to the ALU
- The control unit also knows that the add instruction has two operands where the first will be already held in the accumulator from the previous cycle and the new value will be held as an address in the operand part of the instruction register
- The value held in the accumulator is copied to a register in the ALU using the data bus
- The memory address held in the operand part of the instruction register is read and its contents copied to a second register in the ALU
this stands for Arithmetic logic unit
what does ALU stand for and where can it be found
what is pipelining and which instruction set can utilize this technique best
allows processes to be carried out in parallel (that is at the same time)
This allows a processor to finish tasks quicker and with more efficiency. Risc has the advantage here as each instruction predictably takes one clock cycle where as with cisc some processes take one clock cycle while others take more the downside of this is that waiting occurs on the process that takes longest
what is assembly language
is a programming language that is more readable to humans than machine language. this language is able to access all features and instructions available on the processor
- Once the object code (bytecode) has been compiled it can be ran on any machine
- Programs ran in the virtual machine can be considered safer since the virtual machine can be programmed to do things such as only using trusted files
what are two advantages of bytecode
- L1 - the fastest level but can hold a very small amount of bits
- L2 - slower than L1 but can hold more bits
- L3 slower than L2 but can hold more bits
- L4 slower than L3 but can hold more bits
name four layers of cache and there features
this is a set of instructions that the processor understands and can execute
what is an instruction set
The number of pulses per second is usually measured in GHz.
what is the number of pulses the processor clock gives out usually measured in
convert
F1
to binary
convert
1111 0001
to hexadecimal
how is the bit rate usually expressed
is usually expressed in bits per second (bps) or kHz
how does an interpreter work
this does not produce object code or an object program instead it only translates instructions as and when they are needed
what is the control bus for
this carries control signals between the components of the processor and main memory
when a program is written in assembly language what is the name of the transalation program that translates it to machine language
this uses a translation program called an assembler
what is the instruction register for
this is a place where the current instruction is held so that it can be read by the control unit
is a programming language that is more readable to humans than machine language. this language is able to access all features and instructions available on the processor
what is assembly language
- The control unit compares the instruction held in the operator part of the instruction register by using instruction comparison circuits
- As an example after the comparison it finds that it was an add instruction
- A control signal is then sent to the ALU
- The control unit also knows that the add instruction has two operands where the first will be already held in the accumulator from the previous cycle and the new value will be held as an address in the operand part of the instruction register
- The value held in the accumulator is copied to a register in the ALU using the data bus
- The memory address held in the operand part of the instruction register is read and its contents copied to a second register in the ALU
in detail what happens during decode if the instruction was to add
This is how many bits are being used per a sample and is also linked to how many quantisation levels there are
2 bits per sample would give 22 = 4 quantisation levels
what is the bit depth
- The instruction
- The register holding a value for the operation or a memory location that needs to be accessed
- An immediate value or constant that will be used with the instruction
what 3 parts is an instruction made up of
this is base 16 and uses values from 0 to F
what base is hexadecimal and what values does it use
this is the time between two clock pulses
what is 1 clock cycle
explain the operand part of the instruction register
this part holds any data that must be used with the instruction
such data could include
- a constant value
- a memory address holding a value
- Arithmetic and logic operations - this includes operations that the ALU and FPU can both handle such as arithmetic, equality, comparisons. This also includes logic such as AND, NOT, OR
- Flow control - this is the flow of execution. This usually happens in sequential order of memory address but the flow can be altered using jumps or conditional jumps
- Data handling and memory operations - this is setting registers to a value or copying data from a main memory location to a register and vice versa
what are the 3 main types of instructions
what is the data register used for
this is temporary storage space and holds data that are on their way to the ALU or FPU or on their way back to main memory
what is the address bus for
this carries the address of the memory locations to be accessed (when an address is put on this bus that address becomes accessible for read and writes)
from here the instruction or data will be stored in cache
when an instruction is retrieved from ram where is it stored
what is a bus
this is wiring that connects all components inside the processor as well as components outside the processor such as main memory and other components on the motherboard
name 4 benefits that an operating system gives
- When a program is written knowledge of the processor is not needed and does not need to be coded into the program
- When a program is written knowledge of peripherals is not needed. This is handled by the operating system who holds device drivers that tell it how to operate different peripherals
- The operating system can handle memory management and ensure that two programs do not disturb/overwrite each other
- The operating system can orchestrate multiple programs running simultaneously
this sends out a number of pulses per second. The pulse is used to keep all components in sync and working together.
what is the processor clock used for
why is cache needed
this is intermediate memory that lies in between main memory and the registers.
its importance lies in the fact that the processor and registers transfer data at much higher speeds than main memory can handle and so this is needed to act as pool where instructions and data can be stored
explain the operator part of the instruction register
this part holds the instruction that the control unit will decode
- this will hold two or more processors on a single chip.
- each processor can run its own fetch-decode-execute cycle
- each processor will most likely have its own L1 cache
- in many cases L2 cache and higher will be shared
give 4 features of a multi core processor
this is the act of splitting a task up and distributing it between the cores.
explain what threading is
takes a program written in assembly language and converts it into an equivalent program in machine language. The program can then be loaded into memory and executed
what is an assembler
in general is a program written in a language where each instruction may be translated to one or more instructions in machine language
what is a high level programming language
what is the formula to find the bit rate (BPS)
Both machine language and assembly languages are examples of a low level language this is because for each instruction written in the program one instruction is carried out by the processor
what is a low level language and what are two examples
give an overview of what happens during the fetch
- the memory address of the next instruction held in the program counter is read and the instruction is then loaded into the instruction register
explain what threading is
this is the act of splitting a task up and distributing it between the cores.
this performs binary arithmetic on integers. it can also check for equality of two integers and also check if one integer is larger or smaller than another
what does the Arithmetic logic unit (ALU) do
what does the Arithmetic logic unit (ALU) do
this performs binary arithmetic on integers. it can also check for equality of two integers and also check if one integer is larger or smaller than another
what is the job of a compiler
This involves taking the source code (a high level language) as input and running it through a translator program to output machine language
how would you convert B02F to decimal
is a place in secondary memory that is used to store the least used data/chunks (called pages) in main memory this makes for better use of main memory especially when main memory is getting full
what is the page file/swap file
how many bytes does each memory address hold
each address holds 1 byte
this is the idea of being able to load a larger program from a smaller one
what is bootsrapping
this is how many bits are being processed per a second
what is the bit rate
this cycle takes just 1 clock cycle
how many clock cycles does the fetch-decode-execute cycle take
what is the role of the program counter
this holds the memory address of the next instruction and then when told by the control unit it will increment this address by one (this happens after execution but before fetching). if the control unit is told to jump to an address then the value will be held here
modern computers use 32-bit or 64-bit sizes of these
what word size do modern computers use for there instructions
This involves taking the source code (a high level language) as input and running it through a translator program to output machine language
what is the job of a compiler
what 2 components is the instruction register made up of
this is made up of the
- operator
- operand
- this can be found within the processor
- its role is to hold a report on the outcome of the last executed instruction
where can the status register be found and what is its role
- the control unit finds out what instruction is being held in the operator part of the instruction register and then sets up the necessary circuits and values for the instruction to take place
give an overview of what happens during decode
this is measured in bytes using powers of 2
what is cache and main memory measured in
what happens with every clock cycle
within this time frame one instruction will be executed
from registers where does the data or instruction go
from here the data or instruction is sent to the appropriate unit such as the ALU or FPU to be processed
what is a low level language and what are two examples
Both machine language and assembly languages are examples of a low level language this is because for each instruction written in the program one instruction is carried out by the processor
The disadvantage of this is that any changes made in the source code must be re compiled this means detecting and updating bugs and adding new features can be a time consuming process
what are some dissadvantges of compiling
this machine code is referred to as object code or object program
when a complier has translated (high level language) source code to machine code what is the machine code referred to as
name from the prefix kilo to tera and give there symbol for Bytes and power
how many bytes in a mebibyte (MiB)
this contains
220 = 1,048,576 bytes
when referring to secondary memory or data transfer speeds what base must be used
when referring to these two we use the standard SI units that is base 10
this is intermediate memory that lies in between main memory and the registers.
its importance lies in the fact that the processor and registers transfer data at much higher speeds than main memory can handle and so this is needed to act as pool where instructions and data can be stored
why is cache needed
give 4 features of a multi core processor
- this will hold two or more processors on a single chip.
- each processor can run its own fetch-decode-execute cycle
- each processor will most likely have its own L1 cache
- in many cases L2 cache and higher will be shared
what does ALU stand for and where can it be found
this stands for Arithmetic logic unit
this is temporary storage space and holds data that are on their way to the ALU or FPU or on their way back to main memory
what is the data register used for
what base is hexadecimal and what values does it use
this is base 16 and uses values from 0 to F
what is the bit depth
This is how many bits are being used per a sample and is also linked to how many quantisation levels there are
2 bits per sample would give 22 = 4 quantisation levels
- A prefix is 0X so
0XB02F
- A subscript is
B02F16
- appended would be
B02F h
what 3 ways might you see hexadecimal written as to convey that it is a hexadecimal value
what is bytecode and what is its benefit
this is an intermediate languge that some high level programming languages use
its benefit is that it can be ported to any platform as long as they have the languages virtual machine installed which understands this language
- control
- address
- data
name 3 buses
within this time frame one instruction will be executed
what happens with every clock cycle
when referring to the size of cache or main memory what base should be used
when refering to the size of these the base 2 sytsem should be used
so
1 Kib = 210 bytes
= 1024 bytes
= (1024 * 8) bits
= 8192 bits
what is the data bus for
this bus is used to carry the data
name from the prefix kilo to tera and give there symbol for Bytes and power
- the memory address of the next instruction held in the program counter is read and the instruction is then loaded into the instruction register
give an overview of what happens during the fetch
what is the formula to find the bit rate (BPS)
this is how many samples are being taken per a second
what is the sample rate
what is 1 clock cycle
this is the time between two clock pulses
from here the data will be stored inside its relevant register
when an instruction or data is retrieved from cache where is it stored
from here the data or instruction is sent to the appropriate unit such as the ALU or FPU to be processed
from registers where does the data or instruction go
what is the bit rate
this is how many bits are being processed per a second
this can be found inside the ALU and also inside the FPU
what 2 places can the accumulator be found
when referring to these two we use the standard SI units that is base 10
when referring to secondary memory or data transfer speeds what base must be used
if this did not exist there would be a bottleneck between the main memory and the registers
basically the processor would be constantly waiting on main memory when transferring and recieving data
what problem would occur if there were no cache
this is an intermediate languge that some high level programming languages use
its benefit is that it can be ported to any platform as long as they have the languages virtual machine installed which understands this language
what is bytecode and what is its benefit
what does secondary memory refer to
this refers to persistent storage such as HDDs or SSDs
what type of information might the bits held in the status reister tell you
the bits that are held by this might tell you that the outcome of the last operation
- the integer was negative/positive
- was to large or too small to hold in the accumulator
what does RISC stand for
this stands for
Reduced instruction set computing (RISC)
with this if a block of code is used frequently then it is compiled to machine code by the virtual machine and stored in cache. This eliminates the need for any further interpretation on the given block of code
explain what Just in time (JIT) compilation is
allows processes to be carried out in parallel (that is at the same time)
This allows a processor to finish tasks quicker and with more efficiency. Risc has the advantage here as each instruction predictably takes one clock cycle where as with cisc some processes take one clock cycle while others take more the downside of this is that waiting occurs on the process that takes longest
what is pipelining and which instruction set can utilize this technique best
this in general is used to hold software that can do simple hardware checks when the computer is switched on and also hold a bootstrap program
what is read only memory (ROM) generally used for
this is a type of instruction set where more complex operations are hardwired in. These instructions are usually variable in size as multiple locations in memory may be needed to carry out the instruction. These instructions generally take longer than one clock cycle aswell because of the nature of the complex operation
explain what Complex instruction set computing (CISC) is
the reason these give of less heat is because more heat is generated when a processor has to constantly switch between tasks. when a processsor can focus on one task it in turn will dissipate lesss heat
multi core processors give of less heat. why is this
what is the number of pulses the processor clock gives out usually measured in
The number of pulses per second is usually measured in GHz.
what are two advantages of bytecode
- Once the object code (bytecode) has been compiled it can be ran on any machine
- Programs ran in the virtual machine can be considered safer since the virtual machine can be programmed to do things such as only using trusted files
this bus is used to carry the data
what is the data bus for
what is bootsrapping
this is the idea of being able to load a larger program from a smaller one
this is made up of the
- operator
- operand
what 2 components is the instruction register made up of
this uses a translation program called an assembler
when a program is written in assembly language what is the name of the transalation program that translates it to machine language
what is the processor clock used for
this sends out a number of pulses per second. The pulse is used to keep all components in sync and working together.
what is a high level programming language
in general is a program written in a language where each instruction may be translated to one or more instructions in machine language
this refers to persistent storage such as HDDs or SSDs
what does secondary memory refer to
how would you convert B02F to decimal
convert
1111 0001
to hexadecimal
convert
F1
to binary
when refering to the size of these the base 2 sytsem should be used
so
1 Kib = 210 bytes
= 1024 bytes
= (1024 * 8) bits
= 8192 bits
when referring to the size of cache or main memory what base should be used
what 4 ways is cache made more efficient
this makes itslef more effiecient by
- predicting what instructions will need to be processed next
- using instructions that directly make this more efficient
- having a good management system for this
- loading large sequence of instructions into itself where possible
- this has the job of storing numbers that are about to be used in an arithmetic operation.
- it also has the job of storing the output value of the operation just performed which can then be held for the next operation or sent back to main memory
what are the 2 jobs of the accumulator
name 3 buses
- control
- address
- data
what problem would occur if there were no cache
if this did not exist there would be a bottleneck between the main memory and the registers
basically the processor would be constantly waiting on main memory when transferring and recieving data
this carries control signals between the components of the processor and main memory
what is the control bus for
what does CISC stand for
this stands for
Complex instruction set computing (CISC)
when a complier has translated (high level language) source code to machine code what is the machine code referred to as
this machine code is referred to as object code or object program
what are 3 dissadvantages of bytecode
- Each platform(OS/processor) will use a different virtual machine to interpret the bytecode
- Programs running in the virtual machine will be executed more slowly
- Since the bytcode is generic it is not optimized for any specific platform
what is cache and main memory measured in
this is measured in bytes using powers of 2
what is the base unit for the sample rate
The base unit for the sample rate is Hz
1Hz = 1 sample per second
(remeber Hz is the frequency per a second)
this is a type of instruction set that is made up of fundamental instructions and then relys on software for more complex operations. Each instruction is fundamental enough to be carried out in one clock cycle. The number of bits per instruction can be fixed aswell as only one memory loaction will ever be used
explain what Reduced instruction set computing (RISC) is
what word size do modern computers use for there instructions
modern computers use 32-bit or 64-bit sizes of these
what is read only memory (ROM) generally used for
this in general is used to hold software that can do simple hardware checks when the computer is switched on and also hold a bootstrap program
explain what Complex instruction set computing (CISC) is
this is a type of instruction set where more complex operations are hardwired in. These instructions are usually variable in size as multiple locations in memory may be needed to carry out the instruction. These instructions generally take longer than one clock cycle aswell because of the nature of the complex operation
what are 5 advantages of assembly language over machine language
- More human readable instructions with the use of (mnemonic names) such as MOV for move
- Memory addresses can be given symbolic names
- Can use decimal numbers and characters instead of just binary
- Comments may be added which are later ignored by the assembler
- Assemblers can do simple error checking before the program is ran
what 3 ways might you see hexadecimal written as to convey that it is a hexadecimal value
- A prefix is 0X so
0XB02F
- A subscript is
B02F16
- appended would be
B02F h
what value does the program counter hold
this holds the memory address of the next instruction to be fetched
what does FPU stand for and where can it be found
this stands for Floating-point unit
- Each platform(OS/processor) will use a different virtual machine to interpret the bytecode
- Programs running in the virtual machine will be executed more slowly
- Since the bytcode is generic it is not optimized for any specific platform
what are 3 dissadvantages of bytecode
the output data is carried back on the same journey in revese order
- registers
- cache
- main memory
once an instruction has been executed and output data produced what are the 3 steps the data then takes
each address holds 1 byte
how many bytes does each memory address hold
this handles binary arithmetic on floating point numbers. it can also check the equality of two floating point numbers and check if one is larger or smaller than another
what does the Floating-point unit (FPU) do
what does the Floating-point unit (FPU) do
this handles binary arithmetic on floating point numbers. it can also check the equality of two floating point numbers and check if one is larger or smaller than another
how does the processor distinguish between instructions and data since both are written in binary
it distinguishes between these because of the way everything is organised
the OS will store instructions in a sequential fashion and then set the program counter to the first address of the instructions this way instructions and data can be kept seperated
what is an assembler
takes a program written in assembly language and converts it into an equivalent program in machine language. The program can then be loaded into memory and executed
how many clock cycles does the fetch-decode-execute cycle take
this cycle takes just 1 clock cycle
name four layers of cache and there features
- L1 - the fastest level but can hold a very small amount of bits
- L2 - slower than L1 but can hold more bits
- L3 slower than L2 but can hold more bits
- L4 slower than L3 but can hold more bits
this contains
230 bytes
how many bytes in a gibibyte (GiB)
this contains
240 bytes
how many bytes in a tebibyte (TiB)
what 2 places can the accumulator be found
this can be found inside the ALU and also inside the FPU
this stands for
Reduced instruction set computing (RISC)
what does RISC stand for
how many bytes in 1 kibibyte (Kib)
this contains
210 = 1024 bytes
what is the page file/swap file
is a place in secondary memory that is used to store the least used data/chunks (called pages) in main memory this makes for better use of main memory especially when main memory is getting full
when an instruction is retrieved from ram where is it stored
from here the instruction or data will be stored in cache
what are some dissadvantges of compiling
The disadvantage of this is that any changes made in the source code must be re compiled this means detecting and updating bugs and adding new features can be a time consuming process
this is wiring that connects all components inside the processor as well as components outside the processor such as main memory and other components on the motherboard
what is a bus
when an instruction or data is retrieved from cache where is it stored
from here the data will be stored inside its relevant register
this carries the address of the memory locations to be accessed (when an address is put on this bus that address becomes accessible for read and writes)
what is the address bus for
how many bytes in a gibibyte (GiB)
this contains
230 bytes
this part holds any data that must be used with the instruction
such data could include
- a constant value
- a memory address holding a value
explain the operand part of the instruction register
The base unit for the sample rate is Hz
1Hz = 1 sample per second
(remeber Hz is the frequency per a second)
what is the base unit for the sample rate
this contains
210 = 1024 bytes
how many bytes in 1 kibibyte (Kib)
