Ch 1 Computer Abstractions and Technology

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Ch 1 Computer Abstractions and Technology

• 1.1 Introduction
• 1.2 Below Your Program
• 1.3 Under the covers
• 1.4 Integrated Circuits Fueling Innovation
• 1.5 Real Stuff Manufacturing Pentium Chips

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1.1 Introduction

• Computer Industry contributes 5-10 of the US
  GNP
• Since 1985, we had half a dozen or so
  revolutionizing machines
• Phenomenal technological leaps
• CPU logic Capacity 30/yr
• CPU clock rate 20/yr
• DRAM capacity 60/yr
• DRAM speed 10/yr
• DRAM bit/ 25/yr
• Disk bit density 25/yr
• Disk bit/ 25/yr

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1.1 IntroductionContinued

• What has been the impact of all these
  innovations?
• ATM machines
• Cars laden with IC's
• Laptops, notebooks, PDA's
• Human Genome Project
• WWW
• Where could this trend lead to?
• cashless society
• automated intelligent highways
• computers everywhere

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1.1 IntroductionContinued

• So, why study computer organization?
• Required class
• Understand issues affecting program performance
• Improve program performance
• Rest of chapter looks at
• basic ideas and definitions
• puts major h/w and s/w components into
  perspective
• introduces IC's

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1.2 Below Your Program

• Computers are digital beasts thus,
• use a machine language, aka binary
• simple alphabet, 0,1
• 0,1 called binary digits, or bit for short
• Computers do exactly what they are told or
  instructed (unlike some children and some adults)
• Instructions must be in machine language
  (1000110010100000)

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1.2 Below Your ProgramContinued

• Humans use natural languages for communication
• How does a human then, communicate with a
  computer?
• By using a translator of course.
• First, we wrote in machine language (tedious)
• Then, we developed a symbolic language, assembly,
  (translated by hand)
• Next, we developed a program to translate
  (assembler)

add A, B would translate to 1000110010100000
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1.2 Below Your ProgramContinued

• Next, we developed high-level languages and
  translators (compilers)
• Benefits of high-level languages
• sanity
• closer to natural-languages
• designed according to intended use
• improved programmer productivity
• device independent (portable)

A B would translate to add A, B add A,
B would translate to 1000110010100000
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1.2 Below Your ProgramContinued
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1.2 Below Your ProgramContinued

• Occupational observations
• why reinvent the wheel with every program?
• write once, put into library, use many times
• separate control program from application program
• thus, I give you the OS
• Categories of s/w
• Systems s/w provide useful services
• Applications s/w aimed at computer users

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1.2 Below Your ProgramContinued
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1.2 Below Your ProgramContinued
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1.3 Under the CoversMouse

• I/O devices (looked at in detail in ch 8)
• mouse

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1.3 Under the CoversCRT

• CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)
• Raster device based on TV technology
• Scans 30-75 frames/sec
• Pixels
• Bit map (in frame buffer)
• Bits per pixel
• LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
• Used on laptops

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1.3 Under the CoversMotherboard

• CPU
• I/O boards
• Memory

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1.3 Under the CoversProcessor

• Processor
• Datapath
• Control

Intel Pentium
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1.3 Under the CoversFive Components

• Processor
• Control (CU)
• Datapath (ALU)
• Memory (DRAM, cache)
• Input
• Output

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1.3 Under the CoversAbstractions

• High level abstractions allow us to hide the
  details at the lower levels
• Instruction Set Architecture or Architecture (h/w
  to lowest-level s/w abstraction)
• Architecture v. implementation

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1.3 Under the CoversPermanent Storage

• Secondary storage
• Floppy disks, Zip disks
• Hard Disks
• CD, DVD
• Primary v. Secondary
• Speed
• Cost

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1.3 Under the CoversNetworks

• Benefits
• Communication
• Resource sharing
• Nonlocal access
• Ethernet (LAN)
• cable based
• 8 mbps
• lt 1 km in length
• WAN
• fiber optics
• satellite

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1.4 Integrated Circuits

• I thought computers would be a universally
  applicable idea, like a book is. I didn't
  envision we'd be able to get as many parts on a
  chip as we finally got. The transistor came along
  unexpectedly. It all happened much faster than we
  expected.
• J. Presper Eckert, co-inventor of ENIAC,
  speaking in 1991

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1.4 Integrated CircuitsContinued
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1.4 Integrated CircuitsDRAM Capacity
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1.4 Integrated CircuitsIC Manufacturing Process

• Silicon Ingot
• Slicer
• Blank wafers
• 20-30 processing steps
• Patterned Wafers

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1.4 Integrated CircuitsIC Manufacturing Process
Continued

• Dicer
• Individual dies
• Die tester
• Tested dies

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1.4 Integrated CircuitsIC Manufacturing Process
Continued

• Bond die to package
• Packaged dies
• Part tester
• Tested packaged dies
• Ship to customers

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1.5 Real Stuff Manufacturing Pentium Chips

• A Pentium wafer contains more dies than a Pentium
  Pro wafer
• The larger Pentium Pro die costs more
• Designers must justify increased cost with
  enhanced performance