Architecture Examples And Hierarchy

Samuel Njoroge

Architecture Examples and Hierarchy - Overview Architecture Levels Bus interconnection and Bridging Controller chips System Level architecture Board level architecture Chip Level architecture

What are the architectural ranges?Macroscopic – Entire Computer System

Microsocopic – an integrated chip

Some Architectural terms System: This is the complete computer; it includes CPU, memory and

I/O devices. System architecture describes the interconnection of components and buses

Board: Individual circuit board that forms part of a computer. Board architecture describes the interconnection of chips and the interface to the bus

Chip: Individual integrated chip that is used on a circuit board. Chip architecture describes the interconnection of functional units and gates

Bus: Subsystem that transfers data and power between computer components

Functional Unit: An entity of hardware capable of accomplishing specified purpose.

System level Architecture of PC

Functional Units Processor

Memory

I/O Interfaces

Interconnections High Speed Buses: -

For functional units requiring high speed

Low speed buses:

For functional units requiring low seed

Bus Interconnection and Bridging

To interconnect buses we use Bridging With Bridge technology we can have

multiple bridges Bridge technology enables backward

compatibility (.e.g. old I/O devices can be used with new processor

Example of bridging

A processor uses Peripheral Component Interconnect Bus (PCI)

I/O devices uses Industrial Standard Architecture (ISA).

These buses are incompatible and cannot be connected

Solution: use Bridge Technology.

Physical Architecture of Bridge

Design of bridge is complex

The architecture of the Bridge uses special controllers – Controller Chips

Separates high speed and low speed units onto separate chips.

A controller can also provide an illusion of a bus

Example of PC architecture Two Controller chipsA). Northbridge Chip:-

Processor, MemoryAdvanced Graphic port (AGP).

B.) Southbridge Chip:-LAN interface, PCI Bus,Printer and Input Ports

PC controller layout

Board Level Architecture

For Board level Architecture I’ll use an example of a LAN Interface

LAN Interface:Connect computer to a NetworkTransmit data between computers and

networkComprised of an individual circuit board with

Processor and memory.

Board Level Architecture – LAN Interface.

SRAM Highest Speed Used for Instructions.

DRAM Lower Speeds Used for data transfer

Chip Level Architecture – Intel Network Processor

Chip Level Architecture shows us the internal design of an integrated circuit that are concealed in a board level architecture

Example of the functional units on a Chip

Summary

Architecture level of a system can be viewed at several layers of abstraction

System architecture shows the entire computer system

Board Architecture shows individual circuit board Chip architecture shows Individual integrated

circuit Functional unit architecture shows individual

functional unit on integrated circuit.

Works Cited.

http://www.eca.cs.purdue.edu/ http://www.cstp.umkc.edu/~mullinsj/cs282/ Essentials of Computer Architecture

Douglas E. Corner