COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE The organization and interconnection of the various components of a computer system.

. The architectural design of computers differs from one system model to another. However, the basic organization remains the same for all computer systems. CONTROL UNIT Acts as a nervous system for the other components of the computer system. It manages and coordinates the entire computer system. It obtains instructions from the program stored in main memory, interprets the instructions, and issue signals that cause other units of the system to execute them. CPU The control unit and ALU are jointly known as the CPU. It is the brain of any computer system. In a computer system all major calculations and comparisons are made inside the CPU. The CPU is responsible for activating and controlling the operations of other units of a computer system. PROCESSOR The procedure that transforms raw data into useful information is called processing. To perform this operation the computer uses two components, the processor and memory. The processor is also called the central processing unit (CPU). It manages all devices and performs the actual processing of data. In a PC usually consists of one or more micro processors. It is plugged into the mother board. (Main circuit board) COMMUNICATION PATHWAYS The ALU, the control unit and the primary storage unit must have a way to communicate. The links among and within the various units are buses. It is an electrical path for data to flow from one point to point. A bus is classified by name according to its function Control bus Address bus Data bus A control bus is the pathway for all timings and controlling functions sent by the control unit to the other units of the system. The address bus is the pathway used to locate the storage position in memory where the next instruction to be executed. The data bus is the pathway where the actual data transfer takes place. Software: Bringing the Machine to Life What is Software? System Software Application Software

 Software is a set of electronic instructions that tells the computer how to do certain tasks. A set of instructions is often called a rogram. When a computer is using a particular program, it is said to be running or executing the program. The two most common types of programs are system software and application software. System software exists primarily for the computer itself, to help the computer perform specific functions. One major type of system software is the operating system (OS). All computers require an operating system. The OS tells the computer how to interact with the user and its own devices. Application software tells the computer how to accomplish tasks the user requires, such as creating a document or editing a graphic image. Some important kinds of application software are: Word processing programs Spreadsheet software

REGISTERS-SPECIAL PURPOSE MEMORIES A register holds an instruction or data that are to be worked on immediately. It is a part of the CPU and can hold only one piece of data at a time. It transfers data in and out of primary storage. The size and number of these registers help to determine the size and speed of the computer. The names and functions of the registers used most often are Accumulator- stores the result of the last processing step of the ALU Instruction register- Holds the instruction in the control unit before it is decoded. Storage register- holds data on the way to or from primary storage. Program counter- Holds the location of the next instruction to be executed. BUFFERS It is another temporary holding space for data. It can hold more than one piece of data at a time. It acts as a intermediary between CPU and any input or output device. Input and output devices operate at a much slower rates than CPU, so it is necessary to have a temporary holding place for larger amounts of data. Using a buffer allows the data to be stored temporarily, there by freeing the computer to do other tasks. ROM These are the memories in which data are permanently written. It is non volatile. i.e., it retains the stored data when the power supply is cut. It may contain micro program control instructions that cause the machine to perform certain operations such starting a computer or instructions to the entire computer system.

RAM It is the temporary memory. It is apart of the primary storage where data and program instructions are held temporarily while manipulated or executed. RAM is volatile it needs constant supply of power. When you turn off a computer, everything in RAM disappears. It is called RAM because any of the locations on a chip can be randomly selected and used to directly store and retrieve data and instructions. ALU Is the place where the actual execution of the instructions takes place during the processing operation. To be more precise, all calculations are performed and all comparisons/decisions are made in ALU OUTPUT UNIT It accepts the results produced by the computer which are in coded form It converts these coded results into a human readable form It supplies the converted results to the outside world. STORAGE UNIT The basic function is to store; All data processed and the instructions required for processing Intermediate results for processing Final results of processing before these results are released to an output device INPUT UNIT Functions performed by input units are It accepts data from the outside world Converts these instructions and data into computer acceptable form It supplies the converted instructions and data to the computer system for further processing.