Эксперт по сдаче вступительных испытаний в ВУЗах
Additional tasks to unit “Computer Architecture”
Task 1. Give the heading to the text.
An instruction set architecture (ISA) is the interface between the computer’s software and hardware and also can be viewed as the programmer’s view of the machine. Computers do not understand
high level languages which have few, if any, language elements that translate directly into a machine’s native
opcodes. A processor only understands instructions encoded in some numerical fashion, usually as
binary numbers. Software tools, such as
compilers, translate high level languages, such as
C into instructions.
Besides instructions, the ISA defines items in the computer that are available to a program—e.g.
data types,
registers,
addressing modes, and memory. Instructions locate operands with Register indexes (or names) and memory addressing modes.
The ISA of a computer is usually described in a small book or pamphlet, which describes how the instructions are encoded. Also, it may define short (vaguely) mnenonic names for the instructions. The names can be recognized by a software development tool called an
assembler. An assembler is a computer program that translates a human-readable form of the ISA into a computer-readable form.
Disassemblers are also widely available, usually in
debuggers, software programs to isolate and correct malfunctions in binary computer programs.
ISAs vary in quality and completeness. A good ISA compromises between programmer convenience (more operations can be better), cost of the computer to interpret the instructions (cheaper is better), speed of the computer (faster is better), and size of the code (smaller is better). For example, a single-instruction ISA is possible, inexpensive, and fast, but it was not convenient or helpful to make programs small. Memory organization defines how instructions interact with the memory, and also how different parts of memory interact with each other.
Task 2. Give the definitions to the following words:
mnemonic, opcode, disassembler, convenience, verify, computer-readable, arrange, data path, encode, require, implementation
Task 3. Define if the statements are true or false.
- Assemblers, dissemblers and debuggers are parts of hardware.
- High level languages are translated into instructions by special software tools.
- Processors read instructions written in English.
- Computers can understand any language.
- Interaction between memory and instructions is controlled by memory organization.
- CPU speed depends on computer architecture.
- Only one feature defines the quality of ISA.
- ISAs differ from each other in quantity and form.
Task 4. Correct the wrong statements in Task 3.
Task 5. Read the following definition of “implementation”. What stages of implementation are there?
Once an instruction set and micro-architecture are described, a practical machine must be designed. This design process is called the implementation. Implementation is usually not considered architectural definition, but rather hardware
design engineering.
Task 6. Match the parts of statements 1-4 and A-D to formulate the logical steps of implementation.
| 1. Logic Implementation
2. Circuit Implementation
3. Physical Implementation
4. Design Validation
|
A. tests the computer as a whole to see if it works in all situations and all timings. Once implementation starts, the first design validations are simulations using logic emulators. However, this is usually too slow to run realistic programs. So, after making corrections, prototypes are constructed using Field-Programmable Gate-Arrays (FPGAs). Many hobby projects stop at this stage. The final step is to test prototype integrated circuits. Integrated circuits may require several redesigns to fix problems.
B. does transistor-level designs of basic elements (gates, multiplexers, latches etc.) as well as of some larger blocks (ALUs, caches etc.) that may be implemented at this level, or even (partly) at the physical level, for performance reasons.
C. draws physical circuits. The different circuit components are placed in a chip floorplan or on a board and the wires connecting them are routed.
D. designs the blocks defined in the micro-architecture at (primarily) the register-transfer level and logic gate level. |
Task 7. Entitle each paragraph of the text above.
Task 8. Discuss the topic “Computer architecture” in class.
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