Quick Revision Notes: Computer Organization & Architecture
Peripheral Devices and Their Characteristics
- Devices connected externally to a computer (e.g., keyboard, mouse, printer).
- Classified as input, output, or storage devices.
- Characteristics:
- Speed: Can be slower than CPU.
- Communication: Through I/O controllers.
- Buffering: Temporary data holding.
- Data Transfer: Can be synchronous or asynchronous.
Input-Output Subsystems
- I/O subsystem includes all hardware and software for communication with peripherals.
- Components:
- I/O devices
- Device controllers
- I/O buses
- I/O modules
I/O Device Interface
- Interface between I/O device and computer.
- Includes status registers, data registers, control logic.
- Manages device communication and data transfer.
I/O Transfers - Program Controlled, Interrupt Driven, and DMA
- Program Controlled:
- CPU polls device status.
- Interrupt Driven:
- Device signals CPU via interrupts.
- DMA (Direct Memory Access):
- Data transferred directly between memory and device, CPU is bypassed.
Quick Revision Notes: Computer Organization & Architecture
Privileged and Non-Privileged Instructions
- Privileged:
- Only OS can execute (e.g., I/O control).
- Non-Privileged:
- User-level instructions (e.g., arithmetic).
Software Interrupts and Exceptions
- Software Interrupt:
- Triggered by a program.
- Exception:
- Event disrupting normal instruction flow (e.g., divide by zero).
Programs and Processes - Role of Interrupts in Process State Transitions
- Process States: New, Ready, Running, Waiting, Terminated.
- Interrupts cause transitions (e.g., Running -> Waiting).
I/O Device Interfaces - SCSI, USB
- SCSI (Small Computer System Interface):
- High-speed data transfer interface.
- USB (Universal Serial Bus):
- Plug-and-play interface for various devices.
- Supports hot swapping and power supply.
