HW Assignment 6

1- (2 points) Describe the following memory types:

i) Primary Memory: It is the main memory of the system. It us used for immediate access
and It is directly access by the central processing unit (CPU).
ii) Secondary Storage: It is the storage device used to store on solid state drives. It is
slower than primary memory. It is not directly accessed by CPU.

2- (6 points) Categorize the following memory technologies based of the two memory types
“Primary memory” and “Secondary Storage”.

a) Cache memory: It is a secondary Memory.

b) Main memory: It is a Primary Memory.
c) Flash memory: It is a Primary Memory.
d) Solid State Disk: It is a Primary Memory.
e) CD: It is a Primary Memory.
f) DVD: It is a Primary Memory.

3- (10 points) Create a 2-column table to compare SRAM with DRAM memory. Indicate which class
of memory (i.e., SRAM, DRAM) is used to build: Cache memory main memory. Explain why

S-RAM
S-RAM is used to build cache memory. Because
cache is the fast memory. And S-RAM is cross-
coupled transistors. It helps to store data. It is
faster and costly than D-RAM
D-RAM
D-RAM is used to build main memory. Because It
is slightly slower than S-RAM. But provides low
power consumption. It allows CPU to access
data again and again. It is cheaper than SRAM

4- (6 points) In a computer with 32-bit data-bus, how many 4-bit wide memory components is
used? If the size of each 4-bit memory component is 4 x n cells where n = 1G (i.e., 4 x n uniquely
addressable locations—n : row, 4 : column/width), what is the total capacity of the memory
system?

We need to create 32-bit data-bus with 4-bit wide memory component: 32/4 = 8 components

N=1G = 10^9

4* 1G

= 2^2 *10^9

=2^2 *(10^3 *10^3*10^3) Let (10^3 ~ 2^10)

=2^2 *(2^10*2^10*2^10)

=2^(2+10+10+10)

=2^32 Represented in Bits

=2^32/2^3 = 2^(32-3) = 2^29 Bytes

5- (4 points) What is volatile memory? What is a non-volatile memory?

Volatile memory Non-volatile memory?

 Require consistent flow of power to  Does not require power to retain data
retain data
 Faster  Slower

 RAM  Hard Drive

6- (6 points) (True/False) Look at the table in slide # 21 and answer the following questions. Note
that you should memorize this table for future.

a) Size of SRAM is smaller than the size of DRAM. TRUE

b) DRAM is faster to access compared to SRAM. False
c) DRAM is used to build Cache memory. False
d) Flash memory is slower that SRAM and DRAM. TRUE
e) Flash memory is a volatile memory. False
f) SRAM is a non-volatile memory. False

7- (2 points) Order the following memory technologies according to access time (from fast to
slow), and then according to price (from expensive to cheap):

Tape, L1 Cache, DVD, L2 Cache, Blu-Ray, main memory, CD, Registers, Hard Disk.

Fast to Slow
1. Registers
2. L1 Cache
3. L2 Cache
4. Main memory
5. HD
6. CD
7. DVD

8- (4 points) what is the reason for including L2 cache in computer’s memory system?

Level 2 cache is the bridge between L1 cache and main memory. It helps to improve performance of
processor. It provides the data to processor can process without any delays.

9- (4 points) What is a memory controller? Where is it normally located? What type of operations
does it manage?

10- (30 points) To compare storage technology, there are a few measures including durability,
dependability, speed, capacity, and cost used to evaluating the storage options.

Define each of the above measuring metric. (10 points)

Then, pick two secondary storage technology of your choice and research the internet to compare
their advantages and disadvantages according to the above metrics and show the result of your
research in a 2-column table. You should also acknowledge your references. (20 points)

11- (6 points) What are the main components of a magnetic hard disk? Describe each component.

12- (8 points) Define the following concepts in the context of hard disks:

a) Track:
b) Sector:
c) Access Time:
d) Data Transfer Rate:

13- (8 points) Consider a disk with a sector size of 512 B, 60 sectors per track, 1000 tracks per
surface, and 5 single sided platters. The average seek time is 10 msec. Answer the following
questions:

a) What is the capacity of a track in bits?

512B*60 = 30,720 Bytes => 30,720*8 => 245,760bits

b) What is the capacity of each surface?

1000*30KB => almost 30MB
c) What is the total capacity of the disk?
5*30MB => 150MB
d) If the disk platters rotate at 5400 rpm, what is the maximum rotational latency?

60/5400=>0.011111111 seconds

14- (4 points) List and explain different types of solid-state storage devices

List of solid-state storage devices

 USB pen drives,

 SD cards
 micro SD cards
 newer types of hard drive
1. SD-Cards: Solid state storage medium that is used to in digital cameras and other media
players to computers.
2. Pen Drives: It is also known as “flash drive” and it is a portable storage device that plug and
play device which is used as storage device.
3.