Computer System Structure - Course 2

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Questions and Answers

Which of the following is NOT a performance requirement for computer systems?

  • Large physical size (correct)
  • High memory capacity and speed
  • Short reaction time to external events
  • Predictability, safety, and fault tolerance

All types of computers serve the same purpose.

False (B)

Name one type of dedicated computer.

Military computers

A _________ is an example of a general-purpose computer.

<p>personal computer</p> Signup and view all the answers

Match the following computer types with their descriptions:

<p>High Performance Computers = Used for complex scientific calculations Mobile Computers = Portable devices like laptops and tablets Embedded Systems = Integrated within larger systems for specific tasks Microcomputers = Based on microprocessors and typically used for personal use</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the advantages of using the geometric mean for benchmarking?

<p>It is independent of the running times of individual programs. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The geometric mean can predict execution time accurately.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the goal of writing a package of benchmark programs?

<p>To best measure the performance of a computer system.</p> Signup and view all the answers

When using computer A as a reference, computer C is _____ times slower than computer A.

<p>55</p> Signup and view all the answers

Match the following computers with their relative performance when using arithmetic mean:

<p>Computer A = Fast as A Computer B = 5 times slower than B Computer C = 18 times faster than C</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following types of benchmarks is designed to measure the performance of a computer's basic components?

<p>Micro-benchmarks (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The arithmetical mean benchmark formula includes weights for each program in the execution time calculation.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of normalization in benchmarking?

<p>To ensure that the execution time of each benchmark program is equal on a reference computer.</p> Signup and view all the answers

A ___ Benchmark measures the throughput and response times of database management systems.

<p>Database</p> Signup and view all the answers

Match each benchmark type with its description:

<p>Kernel = Performs specific basic operations abstracted from actual programs Synthetic = Based on statistical operations from various application programs Micro-benchmark = Measures performance of a very small piece of code I/O = Assesses input/output operations and their delays</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the maximum speed of the Blue Gene supercomputer?

<p>360 teraflops (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

CERN's HPC architecture consists of a single tier system.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How many virtual processors does CG-UTCN support?

<p>1024</p> Signup and view all the answers

Dedicated and embedded systems typically have a speed range of _____ MIPS.

<p>1-20</p> Signup and view all the answers

Match the following types of computers with their primary features:

<p>PC = 1-8 cores, 1-200 Gflops speed Mobile Devices = 1-4 cores, 20-600 Mflops speed Dedicated Systems = single processor, very low power consumption HPC = 100,000 processors in 32 countries</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Execution time

Time taken to complete a task or program.

Reaction time

The ability to respond quickly to external events.

Dedicated purpose computers

Computers designed for specific tasks, like military use or medical analysis.

Optimal computer architecture

Balancing performance features for a specific purpose.

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General purpose computers

Computers used for general tasks - work, entertainment, and more.

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HPC at CERN

A high-performance computer system that operates on a grid architecture, utilizing multiple computers across geographically dispersed locations to perform complex tasks.

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Peak Speed (Teraflops)

Describes the computational power of a computer, often measured in Floating Point Operations per Second (FLOPS).

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Parallel Architecture

A type of computer architecture where multiple processors work together to solve complex problems, improving efficiency.

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Benchmark Programs

Programs designed to test and compare the performance of different computer systems.

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Blue Gene (IBM)

A specialized computer designed for high-performance computing, often used for scientific research and simulations.

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Benchmarking

A technique that compares the performance of different computers by running standardized tests (benchmark programs), allowing you to evaluate how well they perform specific tasks.

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Component Benchmarks/ Micro-benchmarks

These programs are designed to test the performance of a computer's fundamental components, such as the processor, memory, and storage.

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Real Programs/ Application Benchmarks

A type of benchmark that uses real-world applications, such as word processing software or specific tasks, to measure performance.

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Synthetic Benchmarks

A type of benchmark that simulates the workload from many different real world programs, providing a broad measure of overall performance.

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Normalization (Benchmarking)

Using a reference computer, we adjust benchmark results so that the performance of each test program on that reference computer is equal, allowing for a fairer comparison across different machines.

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Geometric Mean

A mathematical method that takes the nth root of the product of n numbers. Used in benchmark calculations to represent the average performance of multiple tests.

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Workload

A set of tasks or operations used to characterize the workload imposed on a computer system. A benchmark program often has a specific workload associated with it.

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Geometric Mean Independence

The advantage of using Geometric Mean in benchmark calculations is that it's independent of the reference system used for normalization. Meaning, comparing the performance of different systems is not skewed by which machine is used as the 'baseline'.

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Geometric Mean Limitation

Geometric Mean, although useful for benchmark calculations, does not predict the actual execution time of a program. It provides a relative measure of performance.

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Study Notes

Computer System Structure - Course 2

  • Computer Performance and Optimality is the focus of this course.
  • Performance Requirements:
    • Short execution time
    • Quick reaction to external events
    • High memory capacity and speed
    • Many input/output facilities (interfaces)
    • Efficient development processes
    • Compact size and specific shapes
    • Predictability, safety, and fault tolerance
    • Low cost (absolute and relative)

Optimal Computer Architecture

  • A Balance between performance parameters.
  • Design depends on the purpose and type of the computer.
  • Computer Types (Based on Purpose):
    • General Purpose Computers: For general computing tasks
    • High Performance Computers (HPC): For intensive calculations
    • Personal Computers: Common use computers
    • Mobile Computers: Portable computing devices
    • Dedicated Purpose Computers:
      • Scientific Computing: Calculations and data analysis in science
      • Military Computers: Safety-critical and highly reliable systems
      • Industrial Control and Automation: Embedded systems for automation
      • Measurement and Analysis (e.g., medical devices, sensors)

Classification Based on Architecture

  • Single Processor Computer
  • Multiprocessor Computers:
    • Parallel Systems
    • Multi-core Processors
    • Symmetric and Asymmetric Parallel Systems
    • Distributed Systems
    • Personal Computers and Network Communication (specific/common purpose)
    • Grids
    • Clouds (computer as a service, storage as a service, platform as a service, software as a service)

HPC - High Performance Computers

  • Key parameters for different types of high-performance computers

  • HPC: High-performance computers

    • Highly parallel computers (1,024 - 10,000,000 cores/processors)
    • Scientific computing, simulations (fluid flow, weather, cryptography)
    • Speed: 1-20,000 Tflops
    • Memory Capacity: 1-700 TBytes
    • Communication: InfiniBand (2-300 Gbs), Cray Gemini
    • Power Consumption: 10KW-10MW
    • Price: Difficult to determine, varies substantially

  • Example HP Architecture:

    • HPC at CERN (GRID architecture with at least 100,000 processors across 32 countries) for 5,000 scientists with 128 quad-core processors, 512 cores at CERN,
    • Blue Gene/IBM uses 65,536 dual-core processors and 360 teraflop peak speeds.

  • CG-UTCN:Central GRID at UTCN with 64 processor boards, 128 quad-core processors, 512 cores, 1024 virtual processors, 12 Tbytes

  • SPEC - Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation

  • SPEC benchmarks: Various (INT, FP, speed)

  • CPU 2017: 43 Tests, 4 collections based on speed and rate types

Benchmark Programs

  • Definition: Programs designed to measure a computer's performance.
  • Importance
  • Real Programs: Practical applications (word processing, simulations, games)
  • Microbenchmarks: Very small code snippets evaluating specific operations
  • Kernel Programs: Basic operations from real applications, like Livermore loops.
  • Synthetic Benchmarks: Simulate real applications' operation procedures.
  • I/O Benchmarks: Assess throughput and response times of database systems
  • Other Benchmarks: Used to evaluate other aspects like memory access or operation delays in distributed systems.

Computing Benchmark Results

  • Arithmetic Mean: Average execution time
  • Geometric Mean: Used to assess performance regarding the whole set of programs independently.
  • Normalization: The process of comparing computer performance given a reference computer.

Computer Architecture - General

  • The architecture of a CPU (central processing unit), GPUs, mainframes, PCs, mobile devices, etc., depend fundamentally on their intended use case.
  • Dedicated computing often has smaller dimensions, limited computational ability, lower price, and a specific shape.
  • The choice of instruction set is an important part of the design.
  • The specific memory layout and processing unit types (and any others) help determine the computer's design overall.

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