CS121 - Computer Organizations Exam 1 Review

What is the maximum decimal value that can be represented in 32 bit unsigned binary integer notation?

+4,294,967,295

What are the primary components of Van Neumann Architecture?

- CPU - I/O - System Memory

Five Generations of Computers are?

- First Generation - Vacuum Tubes - Second Generation - Transistors - Third Generation - Integrated Circuits - Fourth Generation - Microprocessors - Fifth Generation - Artificial Intelligence

Define what a 'word' is (in the context of computer organization).

A word is the natural unit of data used by a particular processor design. A word is a fixed-sized piece of data handled as a unit by the instruction set or the hardware of the processor.

Describe the underlying process of requesting a PHP file (hosted on your Raspberry Pi) through a browser on your laptop (i.e. how does it work?)

Client types URL (where PHP file is located) into browser, web server receives the request, interprets the PHP code on the server and generates HTML - response is sent back to client to be rendered in the browse

What Linux distribution is Raspbian based on?

Debian

How does the CPU locate the correct place in memory for reading and writing?

Each data in memory has a unique address, so the CPU uses unique those addresses to located the correct data.

Stack Pointer

Holds an address in memory where the (stack data structure using last-in-first-out/LIFO) location is stored (stack pointer / push and pop)

What is an interrupt and how does it allow multitasking?

Interrupts are signals that tell the CPU and other hardware which software process to prioritize. Based on user interaction the order changes. This allows multitasking by slicing CPU time and allocating it so that the prioritized process gets more CPU.

Does a larger die size increase or decrease the overall wafer yield (given a fixed number of defects/area)? Explain.

It decreases it, because there are more chips per defect on a larger wafer than on a smaller one.

What does a switch do?

It ovoid's ethernet packet collisions, by creating an isolated connection between two network nodes. The connection is just long enough for a packet it to be sent.

What is a SoC? Explain.

It stands for system-on-a-chip and it is an integrated circuit (IC) that has the major components of a computer or any other electronic system on a single chip.

What is the function of the Status register?

It's purpose is to hold the status of the process the CPU had just completed.

Moore's Law

It's the observation that number of transistors on a circuit double about every 2 years.

What is the IEEE 754 floating-point standard?

It's the standard used to make floating point computations.

What is the function of a cable modem?

Its function is to create an internet connection between a computer and an internet service provider through landlines to allow a computer to connect to the internet

What determines the number of bits that can be transferred at a time on the system bus?

Number of lines, "bus width"

What is an Apache web server?

Open source web server software.

What is meant by the term overflow in binary arithmetic?

Overflow in binary arithmetic means that the result of the operation is too large to fit within the number of bits available

Why are registers used instead of memory?

Registers are faster than memory read/write, because they are physically located on the CPU.

What part of the operating system is responsible for allocating memory resources?

The Kernal

Describe the function of a DNS server

The function of a DNS is to translate domain names into IP address for computers to be able to understand.

What is the System Bus and what are the three things it carries?

The system bus is the pathway between CPU and system memory. It transfers data values, control signals and memory addresses.

Copy/Paste

cp "filename" dirLocation

Display IP address command:

hostname -I

What are the four basic types of instructions the CPU accepts and executes?

i. Arithmetic ii. I/O iii. Logical iv. Control

General Linux booting process.

i. BIOS executes MBR ii. MBR executes GRUB iii. GRUB executes Kernel iv. Kernel executes /sbin/init v. Init executes Runlevel Programs vi. Runlevel pograms are excecuted from /etc/rc.d/rc*.d/

Change password command:

passwd

What is the Linux command to find out what the IP address of UVM's website is?

ping

Command to show current directory?

pwd

List the distinct symbols available in hexadecimal notation.

{0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F}

What is the difference between a LAN, MAN, and WAN?

• LAN (Local Area Network) is a group of computers connected to the same network usually in a building. • MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) is network that covers a wider range like a school campus. • WAN (Wide Area Network) is a network that covers a much bigger range than MAN and it's not restricted to an area like MAN. • In conclusion, the difference is the area they cover, this is because LANs are a network or computers, whereas WANs are a network of networks.

OPERATING LAYERS

▸Users: input data, require steps to be executed, save data or generate output ▸Application: responds to requests such as saving a file by passing it along to the Operating System ▸OS layer: ("other system software" = device drivers - software that assists the OS) ▸Hardware: the physical computer. Kernel performs/controls the actions on the hardware.

What is a kernel and what is it responsible for?

The responsibility of a kernel is to form a bridge between applications to enable control of CPU, and other hardware. It's also responsible for doing the data processing, CPU time, and managing and allocating the resources of memory.

What is computer architecture?

The science integrating computers parts in a way that will achieve a functionality and performance.

How many volts does the Raspberry use?

5V

What is the range for an n-bit unsigned binary integer?

0 to + (2^n)-1

Single Precision (32-bits) IEEE 754 Standard formula

1 bit - 8 bits - 23 bits 1=negative 0=positive (+/-)1.F x 2^(E - 127)

How many bytes do typical memory locations store?

1 byte (8 bits)

What is the relationship between a bit and a byte?

1 byte == 8 bits

How many bits are in 8 kilobytes?

1 kilobyte == 1000 bytes; 1 byte == 8 bits; 8 kilobytes = 64,000 kilobits

Typical integrated circuit fabrication process

1. Incoming Inspection 2. Laser 3. Sputter 4. Photoresist 5. Photolithography 6. Develop 7. Etch 8. Dice + Dismount 9. Final Inspection

Describe two different methods of transferring files between a host laptop and connected Raspberry P

1. Using SCP on the command line 2. Using FTP client on the host laptop

What type of processor does the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B have, and who manufactures it?

1.2 GHz 64-bit quad core ARMv8 CPU built by Broadcom.

What is a nibble?

4 bits (or 1/2 byte)

What is an IP address?

An IP address is a string of numbers separated by periods used as a unique identifier for a computer on a network. IP addresses are the address of a network.

What is the function of an Accumulator?

An accumulator is a register that hold the result of an arithmetic and logical operations.

What is an operating system and what are some examples of the functions it performs?

An operating system is the software that controls the basic functions of a computer. Allowing software to function properly.

What is the purpose of the ALU?

Arithmetic Logic Unit: handles simple integer math and logical operations.

What is computer organization?

The study of computer components form which computers are build.

How are binary states (0's and 1's) represented at the lowest level of the CPU and memory?

The presence or absence of voltage.

What is the function of the Program Counter?

The purpose of the Program counter is to hold the address of the next instructions to be executed.

What are general-purpose registers and where are they physically located?

They are located in the silicon of the CPU and they hold data for fast processing.

What is the purpose of a computer memory?

To store programs and data.

What is the purpose of two's complement signed integer notation?

Two's complement is a method for representing signed numbers in binary number system. It's useful because in two's complement notation regular unsigned addition can be used to calculate the sum of signed values, regardless of whether they are positive or negative.

What is the difference between "Harvard" and "Van Neumann" computer architectures?

Van Neumann architecture treated data and instructions as the same, whereas Harvard architecture separated data and instructions.

What is virtual memory?

Virtual memory is memory locations used for more than one process. This allows computers to use several times their actual physical memory space. The way it works is processes are scheduled to occupy the memory location and different times and they are there for access at different time.

Provide the details of the Raspberry Pi booting process.

i. GPU executes bootloader from ROM on the SoC ii. The first stage boot loader reads the microSD card and loads bootcode.bin. Which is the second stage boot loader. This takes whatever OS is on the card and puts it into the L2 cache and executes it. iii. Next, bootcode.binturns on SDRAM loads the third stage programloader.bin and starts it. iv. loader.bin reads start.elf, the GPU's firmware v. start.elf reads config.txt, cmdline.txtand kernel.img, and starts the OS

Move file location

mv "filename" dirLocation

What command is used to add a user?

sudo adduser

Commands to update:

sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Launch Configuration menu command:

sudo raspi-config

What command is used to delete a user?

sudo userdel