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PART TWO

The Computer System

P.1 ISSUES FOR PART TWO

A computer system consists of a processor, memory, I/O, and the interconnections
among these major components.With the exception of the processor, which is suffi-
ciently complex to devote Part Three to its study, Part Two examines each of these
components in detail.

ROAD MAP FOR PART TWO

Chapter 3 A Top-Level View of Computer Function
and Interconnection
At a top level, a computer consists of a processor, memory, and I/O compo-
nents.The functional behavior of the system consists of the exchange of data
and control signals among these components.To support this exchange, these
components must be interconnected. Chapter 3 begins with a brief examina-
tion of the computer’s components and their input–output requirements.The
chapter then looks at key issues that affect interconnection design, especially
the need to support interrupts.The bulk of the chapter is devoted to a study of
the most common approach to interconnection:the use of a structure of buses.

Chapter 4 Cache Memory
Computer memory exhibits a wide range of type, technology, organiza-
tion, performance, and cost.The typical computer system is equipped with
a hierarchy of memory subsystems, some internal (directly accessible by
the processor) and some external (accessible by the processor via an I/O
module). Chapter 4 begins with an overview of this hierarchy. Next, the
chapter deals in detail with the design of cache memory, including sepa-
rate code and data caches and two-level caches.

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