IN1006: Systems Architecture History Quiz

Systems Architecture - IN1006

• Course Instructor: Dr. H. Asad
• Course Title: Introduction to Computer systems Architecture-History
• Course Code: IN1006

Learning Objectives

• History of Computers
• (Computer) Systems Architecture
• von Neumann components of a computer system
• Basic hardware components of a computer
• Semiconductors
• Introduction to Moore's law and technology trends
• Concept of Abstraction
• Computer system in terms of layers of functionality

Early Devices

• Mechanical calculating machines (1642 - 1945)
• Mechanical Calculating Clock: Add, subtract 6-digit numbers (W. Schickard - 1635)
• Difference Engine and Analytical Engine by Charles Babbage (1791-1871)
  • Analytical Engine had many modern computer components like ALU, memory, and input/output devices.

History of Computers

First Generation (1945 - 1953): Vacuum Tube Computers

• ENIAC (1946): First all-electronic, general-purpose computer
• Used 17,468 vacuum tubes
• Occupied 1800 square feet, weighed 30 tons, and consumed 174 kW of power
• Had 1,000 bits of memory

Second Generation (1955 - 1965): Transistors

• Used transistors, invented in 1948
• Computers became smaller, faster, and consumed less power.
• Still bulky and expensive.
• Examples: IBM 7094, DEC PDP-1, CDC 6600

Third Generation (1965 - 1980): Integrated Circuits

• Integrated circuits (or microchips)
• Each integrated circuit contains dozens of transistors.
• Computers became faster, smaller, and cheaper
• Examples: IBM 360, DEC PDP-11, Cray 1

Fourth Generation (1980 - Now): VLSI

• Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI): 10,000+ components per chip
• Introduced personal computers (PCs): IBM PC, Apple Mac
• Modern computers: System on a Chip (SoC)
  • Integrate all components onto one chip.
• Examples: Laptops, tablets, smartphones, smart watches

Computer History Driver: Technology of Computer Processors & Memory

• Computers improved through breakthroughs in underlying technology
• Mechanical → Vacuum tube → Transistor → Integrated Circuit → Very Large Scale Integration → System on Chip

Semiconductors

• Material type: Conductors allow electricity to flow. Insulators prevent electricity flow.
• Semiconductors can switch between these states
• Built transistors that function as switches
• Silicon is a semiconductor used to manufacture computer logic efficiently and inexpensively
• Popularized as "Silicon Chips"

Moore's Law

• Transistor count on integrated circuits doubles approximately every 18-24 months
• Gordon Moore (1965)
• Shrinking transistors have improved computing capabilities for over 60 years.
• Potential areas for future improvements: cloud computing, high performance computing, quantum computing.

Computer Systems Architecture

• Fundamental organization of a computer system: Components, relationships, and principles
• Enables understanding of capabilities.
• Realization of capabilities by components
• Ability to extend/modify computer systems
• Effect on capabilities after modifications

The von Neumann Model: An Abstract Model

• Basis for all modern stored-program computers

• Consists of five components:

  • Control Unit
  • Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
  • Registers
  • Main Memory
  • Input/Output (I/O) System

• Sequential instruction processing using a single datapath between CPU and main memory: The von Neumann bottleneck

The von Neumann Model (cont'd)

• Fetch-decode-execute cycle: Control unit fetches the next instruction, decodes it, fetches data operands as needed, ALU performs instructions, results are stored.
• Returning to step (1) to execute the next instruction

The Fetch-Execute Cycle: What's Your Computer Actually Doing?

• CPU components: Program Counter, Instruction Register, Accumulator, Clock

The von Neumann Model Has Evolved

• Incremental improvements: Specialized buses, floating-point units, cache memories, separate processors
• Separate data and instruction buses (Harvard architecture), cache memory improves performance

Computer Hardware Components: Personal Computer

• Main System: CPU, RAM, disks and other storage
• Input Devices: Keyboard, mouse, scanners, camera, etc.
• Output Devices: Monitor, speakers, printers, etc.

Key Processor Components

• Registers: Local storage for key data
• Memory Management Unit (MMU): Interfacing with main memory
• Instruction Fetcher/Decoder: Fetches and decodes instructions from the program counter
• Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU): Performs calculations/operations
• Datapath/Control: Controls information flow, enabling instruction execution

Inside a Modern CPU

• Discusses computer hardware inside a CPU and displays computer components

Abstraction

• Act of representing essential features without background details
• Reduction of complexity
• Efficient design and implementation of complex software systems

Key Layers of Abstraction in Computer Systems

• Systems can be decomposed into layers of abstraction
• Abstraction layers hide lower-level details from higher-level interactions
• Avoid unnecessary detail, focusing on higher-level functionality.

In Summary

• Brief overview of computer history
• Abstract model of computers and technology trends
• Computer system architecture and key hardware components
• Importance of abstraction in computer systems

Test your knowledge on the history of computer systems architecture with this quiz. Explore concepts ranging from early mechanical devices to the first generation of electronic computers and their components. Assess your understanding of key historical developments and technological trends in computing.