Processor Trends and I/O Device Rates

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Questions and Answers

What is a primary reason for the increase in hardware speed of a processor?

Improved user interface design

Enhanced software algorithms

Increased power consumption

Shrinking logic gate size (correct)

What happens to cache access times when part of the processor chip is dedicated to caches?

Cache access times increase dramatically

Cache access times drop significantly (correct)

Cache access times remain unchanged

Cache access times become less relevant

Which factor contributes to the RC delay in processors?

Reduction in transistor count

Thinning of wire interconnects (correct)

Increased clock rate

Higher processor throughput

What is one consequence of increased power density in processors?

Increased difficulty in dissipating heat Signup and view all the answers

What limits the speed at which electrons flow in processors?

Resistance and capacitance of metal wires Signup and view all the answers

How does memory latency affect overall processor performance?

It lags behind processor speeds Signup and view all the answers

What is an effect of changing processor organization and architecture?

Increased effective speed of instruction execution Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following shows a trend in processor development over the years?

Increase in transistors and frequency while maintaining power efficiency Signup and view all the answers

What is the main difference in processor behavior when I/O operations are performed with interrupts compared to without interrupts?

The processor does not wait during I/O operations with interrupts. Signup and view all the answers

How does I/O operation impact processor execution when interrupts are not used?

The processor experiences a reduced performance due to idle waiting. Signup and view all the answers

In the absence of interrupts, how does the sequence of operations typically proceed?

Wait for I/O to finish, then execute all queued instructions. Signup and view all the answers

Which phase of I/O operation does the processor wait for when interrupts are not implemented?

The completion phase of the I/O operation. Signup and view all the answers

What effect does using interrupts have on the I/O operation timing shown in the figures?

It allows the processor to handle other tasks during I/O operations. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of a benchmark in SPEC documentation?

To establish baseline performance for all benchmarks Signup and view all the answers

How is the speed metric defined in the context of SPEC documentation?

A measurement of the time taken to execute a compiled benchmark Signup and view all the answers

What describes the base metric in SPEC benchmarks?

Strict guidelines for compiling and reporting results Signup and view all the answers

What does the rate metric measure in SPEC documentation?

How many tasks a system can accomplish in a specified time Signup and view all the answers

Which component is utilized to establish a reference time for benchmarks?

Reference machine Signup and view all the answers

What does the flowchart in the provided content primarily illustrate?

The methodology for evaluating benchmarks Signup and view all the answers

When a program runs multiple times, what is the next step in the evaluation process according to the flowchart?

Select the median value from the runs Signup and view all the answers

What does the ratio of program time (Ratio(prog)) represent in the evaluation?

The comparison of reference time to the execution time of the system under test Signup and view all the answers

What is the main purpose of the SPEC benchmarking suite?

To evaluate computer system performance Signup and view all the answers

Which programming languages are used in the SPEC CPU2017 benchmark suite?

C, C++, and Fortran Signup and view all the answers

How many benchmarks are included in the SPEC CPU2017 suite for floating-point calculations?

23 Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes 'rate' benchmark programs from 'speed' benchmark programs in the SPEC CPU2017 suite?

Rate programs assess throughput, while speed programs assess execution time Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following benchmarks is focused on video compression?

525.x264_r Signup and view all the answers

Which application area is associated with the benchmark '531.deepsjeng_r'?

AI: alpha-beta tree search (chess) Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of Kloc in the context of SPEC benchmarks?

It shows the line count for source files used in a build. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following benchmarks involves XML to HTML conversion?

523.xalancbmk_r Signup and view all the answers

Which benchmark is primarily used for route planning?

505.mcf_r Signup and view all the answers

What type of applications is the SPEC CPU2017 benchmark suite primarily designed to measure?

Processor-intensive applications focused on computation Signup and view all the answers

What is the main function of a bus in a computer system?

To serve as a shared transmission medium Signup and view all the answers

What happens when two devices transmit signals simultaneously on a bus?

The signals will overlap and become garbled Signup and view all the answers

What is referred to as the width of the data bus?

The number of separate lines in the bus Signup and view all the answers

Which bus connects the major components of a computer system?

System bus Signup and view all the answers

What is a key factor in determining the overall performance of a computer system related to the bus?

The width of the data bus Signup and view all the answers

How many separate lines might a data bus consist of?

32, 64, 128, or more Signup and view all the answers

What type of communication does the data bus facilitate?

Bidirectional data transfer among system modules Signup and view all the answers

Which characteristic identifies the bus as a shared transmission medium?

It connects multiple devices simultaneously Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Typical I/O Device Data Rates

Input/Output (I/O) devices vary in data rate (bits per second or bps)
For example, Ethernet modems can have a data rate of up to 10^9 bps, while graphics displays can have rates of 10^6 bps.

Improvements in Chip Organization and Architecture

Shrinking logic gate size on processor chips leads to more gates packed tightly, increasing clock rate and reducing signal propagation time.
Dedicated cache memory on the processor chip reduces cache access times.
Changes in processor organization increase effective instruction execution speed through parallelism.

Problems with Clock Speed and Logic Density

Power density increases with denser logic and higher clock speeds, posing a challenge for heat dissipation.
Resistance and capacitance of metal wires connecting logic gates limit electron flow, leading to increased delay as components shrink.
Memory access speed and transfer speed lag behind processor speeds.

Processor Trends from 1970 to 2010

Significant increases in transistors, frequency, power, and cores over time.

System Performance Evaluation

Benchmark suites are collections of representative programs used to evaluate computer systems for specific applications.
SPEC, an industry consortium, develops and maintains benchmark suites for evaluating computer systems.
Performance measurements from these suites are used for comparison and research.

SPEC CPU2017

A widely used benchmark suite for processor-intensive applications.
Consists of integer and floating-point benchmarks designed to evaluate computational performance.
Includes benchmarks for various applications like Perl interpreter, compiler, route planning, network simulation, and video compression.

Terminology Used in SPEC Documentation

"Benchmark": A program designed to test system performance.
"Peak metric": Performance optimization for compiler output.
"Speed metric": Time taken to execute a benchmark, measuring single task completion.
"Rate metric": Amount of work completed per unit time, quantifying throughput or capacity.

SPEC Evaluation Flowchart

Benchmark programs are run three times, with the median value selected.
Ratio is calculated as Tref(prog) / TSUT(prog), where Tref is the reference time and TSUT is the system under test time.
Geometric mean of all ratios is computed to determine the system's overall performance.

Program Timing with Long I/O Wait

Without interrupts, the processor waits during I/O operations, leading to inefficient use of processing time.
With interrupts, I/O operations can occur concurrently with processing, maximizing system utilization.

Communication Pathways: Buses

A bus is a shared transmission medium connecting multiple devices.
Signals from one device are accessible to all other devices connected to the bus.
Multiple communication lines exist within a bus, each carrying signals representing binary 0 and 1.
Computer systems have various buses connecting components at different levels of the system hierarchy.

System Bus

Connects major components like the processor, memory, and I/O.
Key interconnection structure in computer systems.

Data Bus

Provides a path for moving data between system modules.
Consists of multiple data lines, determining the width of the data bus.
Wider data buses allow for more bits to be transferred simultaneously, leading to improved system performance.

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Description

Explore the advancements in chip organization and architecture, including I/O device data rates and challenges related to clock speed and logic density. Understand the implications of these trends on processor performance and efficiency.