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Course 1 - Motivation

The document discusses the abstraction layers in modern computing systems that allow applications to be efficiently executed using manufacturing technologies. It describes the layers as: 1) Physics 2) Devices 3) Circuits 4) Register Transfer Level 5) Microarchitecture 6) Instruction Set Architecture 7) Operating System/Virtual Machines 8) Programming Language 9) Algorithms 10) Applications. The lower layers of physics, devices, and circuits represent technology constraints, while the higher layers of applications and algorithms represent application requirements that help coordinate architecture improvements.

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Marian George Morosac
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29 views

Course 1 - Motivation

The document discusses the abstraction layers in modern computing systems that allow applications to be efficiently executed using manufacturing technologies. It describes the layers as: 1) Physics 2) Devices 3) Circuits 4) Register Transfer Level 5) Microarchitecture 6) Instruction Set Architecture 7) Operating System/Virtual Machines 8) Programming Language 9) Algorithms 10) Applications. The lower layers of physics, devices, and circuits represent technology constraints, while the higher layers of applications and algorithms represent application requirements that help coordinate architecture improvements.

Uploaded by

Marian George Morosac
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Aplication <-> Physics:

Computers Architecture is about taking an application and mapping the way down to physics The abstraction in modern day computing systems: (the tiny layers in between) Applications Algorithm Programming Language - Operating System/ Virtual Machines Instruction Set Architecture Microarchitecture Register-Transfer Level Gates Circuits Devices Physics

Def: (in its bradest sense) Comp architecture is the abstraction/implementation layers that allow us to execute information processing applications efficiently using manufacturing technologies).

1. Physics 2. Devices = Any machine or component that attaches to a computer. Examples of devicesinclude disk drives, printers, mice, and modems. These particular devices fall into the category of peripheral devices because they are separate from the main computer. Most devices, whether peripheral or not, require a program called a device driver that acts as a translator, converting general commands from an application into specific commands that the device understands 3. Circuits = (constructed on devices)

This course is about:


4. Register Transfer Level =? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registertransfer_level 5. Microarchitecture = how do you actually build an implementation of the chip 6. Instruction set Architecture = gives us some coordinatability . 7. 8. 9. 10. Operating System/ Virtual Machines Programming Language Algorithm Applications

1,2,3,= Application requirements: suggest how to improve architecture; provide revenue to fund development => gives coordination for what you should do in 4,5,6. 7,8,9,10 = Technology constraints: restrict what can be done efficiently, new technologies make new arch possible = you can fit more application on one chip

Hystory:
1952 John von Neumann, booted first machine at Priceton = IAS Machine The chart of sequential processor performance shows a exponential performance. That came not only from better computer architecture, but also from better technology. What computer architectures do, is to figure out how to turn buckets of transistors into more performance. RESEARCH: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_architecture

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