Basic Elements
At a top level, a computer consists of Memory, Processor and I/O components, with one or more modules of each type. These components are interconnected in some fashion to achieve the main function of the computer which is to execute the programs. Thus, there are four main structural elements:
Processor:
Actually the main job of the processor is to control the operation of the computer and performs its data processing functions. When there is only one processor, it is often referred to as the Central Processing Unit (CPU).
I/O Modules:
These are used to move data between the computer and its external environment. The external environment consists of variety of devices, including secondary memory for example disks,communications equipment, and terminals.
Main Memory:
It stores data and programs. This memory is usually volatile; i.e. the contents of the memory are lost when the computer is shut down. In contrast, the contents of disk memory are retained even when the computer system is shut down. Main memory is also referred to as real memory and primary memory.
System Bus:
System bus provides for communication among processor, main memory, and I/O modules.
Above figure depicts these top level components. one of the processor's function is to exchange data with memory. For this purpose, it typically makes use of two internal registers: a memory address register (MAR), which specifies the address in memory for the next read or write; and a memory buffer register (MBR), which contains the data to be written into memory or which receives the data read from memory. Similarly, an I/O address register (I/OAR) specifies a particular I/O device. An I/O buffer register (I/OBR) is used for the exchange of data between an I/O module and the processor.
A memory module consists of set of locations, defined by sequentially numbered addresses. each location contains a bit pattern that can be interpreted as either an instruction or data. An I/O module transfers data from external devices to processor and memory, and vice versa. It contains internal buffers for temporarily holding data until they can be sent on.
Read also Processor registers
Read operating System
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