The Background Of Computer Architecture

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Today, it is widely recognized computer is really essential for the entire world. During the 21th century, many people were realize using computer could help them successful a lot of things with easier, either that’s for calculation or management. So, as we know computer is a very useful digital machine, but not everyone actually know how it created by. Therefore in this assignment, we would discuss all the things about computer architecture.

In this assignment, it has been recognized in four sections, which are introduction, content conclusion and references, each section would go in to details. First of all, in first question we would talk about some several generations of computer central processing unit (CPU), which included the stage of design and development of early CPU as well. During this section, we will make some comparison with the latest CPU and how much faster is the design and development of the latest CPU as opposed to the beginning of the CPU inventions. After that, during the secondary question in this assignment, we would create a diagram and discuss about the bus system. In this part, we should explain more detail about the bus system in term of interconnection, transmission and architecture as well.

As a conclusion, this assignment is about the function and structure of computer. The purpose of this assignment is to present as clearly and completely as possible, the characteristics and nature of modern-day computer system. Although most of the resources of this assignment are taken from internet and reference book, the objective is to present the material in a fashion that keeps new material in a clear context to those readers.

2.0 Definition of question 1

The meaning of computer architecture can be properly defined as a specification detailing that how a set of the hardware and software technologies standards interacting to form the platform or computer system. It is refers to how compatible with a computer system technologies and its design. Likewise, computer architecture also could refer to those attribute within the system, and those attribute have a direct impact on the logical execution of a program. For example, architecture attribute have include a lot of instruction set, those are the number of bits inside the program were used to represent a various data type, and the data type can be a numbers or characters.

Besides that, I/O mechanisms and some techniques for the addressing memory also have been included within the architecture attribute. In addition, there have three type of computer architecture in our daily use, which is system design, instruction set architecture (ISA) and computer organization (known as mircoarchitecture). In short, computer architecture mostly likes to determine what the user, system or technology were needs and create some logical design and standard based on those requirement.

(Techopedia.com, 2012-2013)

3.0 The brief history of computer

The history of computer development was often referring to several different generations of computing devices. Each generation of computer is characterized by its technological development. Those purposes are wanted to increate smaller, cheaper, efficient, powerful and reliable devices.

3.1First Generation (1940-1956) Vacuum Tubes

For the first generation computer, its circuitry and magnetic drums of memory almost are making by vacuum tubes. It often larger and should have a rooms size to place it. It is very expensive to operate, since this kind of computers are enormous and should use a great deal of electricity to make it work. Besides that, it also would generate a lot of heat, so that is the most common cause to become malfunction.

The first generation computers were relied on the lowest-level programming language or machine language to perform an operation system, but it just only can solve the problem at a time. By using an input, it was based on the punched cards or paper tape, and the output would be displayed on printouts. The ENIAC and UNIVAC computers are the great examples of first-generation computing devices. The UNIVAC was the first commercial computer that delivered to a business client, which is the U.S. Census Bureau in 1951.

3.2 Second Generation (1956-1963) Transistors

While completely develop a second generation computing devices, the transistors had been developed and replaced vacuum tubes. In 1947, the transistor was already invented, but it is not widespread to use until 1950s. Though this transistor was far superior to vacuum tube, it became more reliable than their first generation predecessors, and allows computer to increasingly smaller, cheaper, faster, and more energy efficient. In fact, although the problem about generated a great deal of heat are haven’t solve yet, its improvement are still biggest than vacuum tube. Because of this reason, its input and output must still reliable on punched card and printout.

In addition, the cryptic binary machine language of second generation computer was evolving a change to languages, symbolic or assembly, which could allow programmer to specify a proper instruction in word form. Moreover, the high-level programming language had also being developed at the same time, such as the early version of FORTRAN and COBOL.

During this invention, the technology of magnetic drum had been changed to magnetic core, which means the first computer can store their instruction to their memory. So there have many atomic energy industry in this generation would started to use this type of computer to operate their system.

3.3 Third Generation (1964-1971) Integrated Circuits

For the third generation computer, the development of integrated circuit was began the hallmark. In this generation, its transistor was evolved to become miniaturized, and it could place on the silicon chips, which is called semiconductor. Therefore, it has a decisive prerequisite to increase the efficiency and speed of the computer. Besides that, it was also instead of printouts and punched cards. The user interact with the third generation computer was through the monitors, keyboard and interface with an operating system, which would allow any device to run many kind of application at a same time, and its application should run with the central program that had been monitored within the memory. Lastly, it was increasingly smaller and cheaper than before generation.

3.4 Fourth Generation (1971-Present) Microprocessors

The microprocessor was the fourth generation of the computer, it have a thousand of integrated circuits were built onto the single silicon chip. Different with the first generation, the shape of this computer now could fit into the palm of the hand as well.

For example in 1971, the Intel 4004 chip has been developed, it was located the entire component within the computer, which is from the central processing unit and memory until to the input/output controls that onto the single chip. After that, the IBM was introduced its first computer that suggest for the home user in 1981, and in 1984 Apple company introduced Macintosh. Besides that, during this generation, as a small computer to become more powerful and efficiently, Microprocessors are not only could be used in realm of desktop computer, many products in our daily use was begin to use microprocessor, for example like handheld devices, though the development of GUI, it could be easily link together and form a network, and it was led to the development of the internet.

3.5 Fifth Generation (Present and Beyond) Artificial Intelligence

For the concept of fifth generation computing devices, there are almost based on the artificial intelligence. Although this is still in development, there have some application like voice recognition was being to use. In addition, based on this development, the usage of parallel processing and superconductor was helping to make artificial intelligence to become more reality. There have some technologies were most radically change the face of computer, which is molecular, quantum computation and nanotechnology. Normally, the goal of fifth generation computing is to develop some device that could properly respond to the natural language input or become more capable of self-organization and learning.

4.0 The comparison of computer generation

Depended on this assignment, as we can see there have a very big change during those evolutions of computer generation, whether that is hardware or software components, they still have a lot of improvements to become smaller, faster and efficiently. Below diagram was obviously showing those differences between each computer generation.

COMPARISION IN GENERATIONS OF COMPUTERS

1STGENERATION

2nd GENERATION

3rdGENERATI-ON

4th GENERATION

5thGENERATION

PERIOD

1940-1956

1956-1963

1964-1971

1971-PRESENT

TODAY- FUTURE

CIRCUITRY

VACUUME TUBE

TRANSISTOR

INTEGRATED CIRCUITS (IC)

MICROPROCESSOR

(VLSI)

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGNCE

MEMORY CAPACITY

20 KB

128KB

1 MB

SEMICONDUCTOR TYPE & VERY HIGH

-

PROCESSING SPEED

300IPS

300 IPS

1 MIPS

FASTER THEN 3RDGENERATION

-

PROGRAMMING

LANGAUAGES

ASSEMBLY

LANGUAGE

HIGH LEVEL LANGAUGAE (FORTRAN , ALGOL)

C, C++

C , C++ , JAVA

-

POWER CONSUMED

HIGH

LESS COMPARE TO 1ST GEN.

LESS

LESS

-

SIZE

VERY LARGE

LESS SPACE COMPARE TO 1ST GENERATION

SMALL & CAN BE USED IN HOMES

SMALL & USED IN HOMES

-

EXAMPLES OF COMPUTERS

UNIVAC,EDVAC

IBM 1401,IBM 7094,CDC3600,D UNIVAC 1108

IBM 360 SERIES,1900 SERIES

PENTIUM SERIES , MULTIMEDIA, STIMULATION

-

5.0 Definition of question 2

The meaning of bus could properly define as a communication pathway that used to connect to two or more devices within the computer system, it also knows as a medium of sharing transmission. Whenever the multiple devices are connecting to the bus, its signal will be transmitted by any devices which their reception was available, and though receptions mostly were coming from the other devices that have been attached to the bus. In addition, if there have two devices try to transmit during at the same time period, its signal will become overlap and sometimes begin garbled. Therefore, the transmission could be successful at a time, but only did by one device.

Typically,