Computer Systems Architecture provides IT professionals and students with the necessary understanding of computer hardware. It addresses the ongoing issues related to computer hardware and discusses the solutions supplied by the industry.
The book describes trends in computing solutions that led to the current available infrastructures, tracing the initial need for computers to recent concepts such as the Internet of Things. It covers computers’ data representation, explains how computer architecture and its underlying meaning changed over the years, and examines the implementations and performance enhancements of the central processing unit (CPU). It then discusses the organization, hierarchy, and performance considerations of computer memory as applied by the operating system and illustrates how cache memory significantly improves performance.
The author proceeds to explore the bus system, algorithms for ensuring data integrity, input and output (I/O) components, methods for performing I/O, various aspects relevant to software engineering, and nonvolatile storage devices, such as hard drives and technologies for enhancing performance and reliability. He also describes virtualization and cloud computing and the emergence of software-based systems’ architectures.
Accessible to software engineers and developers as well as students in IT disciplines, this book enhances readers’ understanding of the hardware infrastructure used in software engineering projects. It enables readers to better optimize system usage by focusing on the principles used in hardware systems design and the methods for enhancing performance.
Introduction and Historic Perspective
INTRODUCTION AND HISTORIC PERSPECTIVE
The First Computers
The First Computers’ Attributes
The von Neumann Architecture
Computers’ Evolution
Moore’s Law
Classification of Computers
Historic Perspective
The Personal Computer
Computer Networks
1970s Computers: The First Mainframes
1980s Computers: The Last Mainframes
The Network Is the Computer
Network Computers
Computing Attributes
Terminal Services
Client Server
Additional "Computers"
Key Takeaway
Data Representation
DATA REPRESENTATION
Numerical Systems
Decimal Numbering System
Other Numbering Systems
Binary System
Representing Real Numbers
Converting Natural Numbers
Converting Fractions
Negative Numbers Representation
Range of Numbers
Computer’s Arithmetic
Additions and Subtractions
Floating Point
Scientific Notation
754 STANDARD
Range of Floating-Point Numbers
Special Numbers
Converting 754 Numbers
Adding Floating-Point Numbers
Multiplying Floating-Point Numbers
Decimal Numbers Representations
Key Takeaway
Hardware Architecture
HARDWARE ARCHITECTURE
Computer Generations
Computer Classification
Computer Systems
Processor
Key Takeaway
The Central Processing Unit
PART I: THE CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT
Registers
Stack-Based Architecture
Accumulator-Based Architecture
Memory-Register Architecture
Register-Register Architecture
Architecture Summary
Processor Paths
Instructions Execution
Performance
The Processor’s Internal Clock
The "Iron Law" of Processor Performance
CYCLES PER INSTRUCTION-BASED METRIC
Performance Estimation
Benchmark Programs
Calculating and Presenting the Results Obtained
Key Takeaway
PART II: THE CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT
Amdahl’s Law
Processors’ Types
CISC Technology
RISC Technology
Instruction-Level Parallelism
Instruction-Level Parallelism Problems
Instruction-Level Parallelism Hazards
Data Hazards
Resources’ Access Conflicts Hazards
Dynamic Scheduling
Scoreboarding
Performance Enhancements
Branch Prediction
Loop Buffer
Key Takeaway
Memory
MEMORY
Memory Sizes
Memory Organization
Running Programs
Estimating the Processor’s Utilization
Partitions
Virtual Memory
Paging
Segments
Swap
Memory Performance
Memory Organization
Memory Technologies
Key Takeaway
Cache Memory
CACHE MEMORY
Hit Rate
Miss Penalty
Address Translation
Multiple Processor Architectures
Key Takeaway
Bus
BUS
The Bus Principle
The Bus Evolution
Hard Drive Buses
The Serial Bus
Extending the Bus Concept
Bus Expansion beyond the System Boundaries
Reliability Aspects
Hamming Codes
Key Takeaway
Input and Output
INPUT AND OUTPUT
Methods for Performing I/O
Operating System Considerations
I/O Buffering
I/O and Performance
Key Takeaway
Storage
MASS STORAGE
Storage Devices
Disk Structure
Disk Speed
Disk Capacity
Performance Enhancements
Solid State Disk (SSD)
Access Algorithms
Disk Controller
Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks
Storage Attached Network (SAN)
Network Attached Storage (NAS)
Key Takeaway
Additional Architectures
ADDITIONAL ARCHITECTURES
Computer Classification
Grid Computing
Service-Oriented Architecture
Web Services
Cloud Computing
Virtualization
Key Takeaway
Software Architectures
SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURES
Software Architecture
The Prearchitectural Era
Client/Server Architecture
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Architecture
Layered Architecture
Tier Architecture
Object-Oriented Architecture
Service-Oriented Architecture
CORBA: Common Object Request Broker Architecture
Component Object Model (COM) and Distributed COM (DCOM)
Java RMI and Java Beans
Java 2 Enterprise Edition
Aspect-Oriented Architecture
Additional Architectures
Key Takeaway
References
Bibliography
Glossary
Biography
Aharon Yadin is a senior lecturer at Yezreel Valley College. He has over 40 years of IT experience encompassing systems analysis and design, systems architecture design and configuration, the analysis of current and emerging trends in software and hardware technologies, IT project management, benchmarking, system performance and evaluation, and the commercialization of research results. He is the author of dozens of papers and nine instructional books covering various areas of computing.
