C952 - Computer Architecture questions well
answered graded A+
Personal computer (PC)
A computer designed for use by an individual, usually incorporating a graphics display, a keyboard,
and a mouse
Server
A computer used for running larger programs for multiple users, often simultaneously, and typically
accessed only via a network
Supercomputer
A class of computers with the highest performance and cost; they are configured as servers and
typically cost tens to hundreds of millions of dollars
Embedded computer
A computer inside another device used for running one predetermined application or collection of
software
Processore cores
Many embedded processors are designed using _______ a version of processor written in hardware
description language
Personal mobile devices (PMDs)
Small wireless devices to connect to the internet; they rely on batteries for power, and software is
installed by downloading apps. Examples include smart phones and tablets
Cloud computing
Refers to large collections of servers that provide services over the internet; some providers rent
dynamically varying numbers of servers as a utility
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Delivers software and data as a service over the internet, usually via a thin program such as a browser
that runs on local client devices, instead of binary code that must be installed, and runs wholly on that
device.
Examples include web search and social networking
Warehouse Scale computers (WSCs)
Giant datacenters that companies like Amazon and Google build containing 100,000 servers and then
let companies rent portions of them so they can provide software services to PMDs
Multicore microprocessor
A microprocessor containing multiple processors ("cores") in a single integrated circuit.
Moore's Law
States that integrated circuit resources double every 18-24 months
, Abstractions
Major productivity technique for hardware and software used to characterize the design at different
levels of representation;
Lower level details are hidden to offer a simpler model at higher levels
Pipelining
A pattern of parallelism that moves multiple operations through hardware units that each do a piece
of an operation
Prediction
In some cases it can be faster on average to guess and start working rather than wait until you know
for sure
Dependable
Since any physical device can fail, we make systems _____ by including redundant components that
can take over when a failure occurs and to help detect failures
System software
Software that provides services that are commonly useful, including operating systems, compilers,
loaders, and assemblers
Operating system
Supervising program that manages the resources of a computer for the benefit of the programs that
run on that computer
Compiler
A program that translates high-level language statements into assembly language statements
Binary digit (bit)
One of the two numbers in base 2 (0 or 1) that are the components of information
Instruction
A command that computer hardware understands and obeys
Assembler
A program that translates a symbolic version of instructions into the binary version
Assembly language
A symbolic representation of machine instructions
Machine language
A binary representation of machine instructions
High-level programming language
answered graded A+
Personal computer (PC)
A computer designed for use by an individual, usually incorporating a graphics display, a keyboard,
and a mouse
Server
A computer used for running larger programs for multiple users, often simultaneously, and typically
accessed only via a network
Supercomputer
A class of computers with the highest performance and cost; they are configured as servers and
typically cost tens to hundreds of millions of dollars
Embedded computer
A computer inside another device used for running one predetermined application or collection of
software
Processore cores
Many embedded processors are designed using _______ a version of processor written in hardware
description language
Personal mobile devices (PMDs)
Small wireless devices to connect to the internet; they rely on batteries for power, and software is
installed by downloading apps. Examples include smart phones and tablets
Cloud computing
Refers to large collections of servers that provide services over the internet; some providers rent
dynamically varying numbers of servers as a utility
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Delivers software and data as a service over the internet, usually via a thin program such as a browser
that runs on local client devices, instead of binary code that must be installed, and runs wholly on that
device.
Examples include web search and social networking
Warehouse Scale computers (WSCs)
Giant datacenters that companies like Amazon and Google build containing 100,000 servers and then
let companies rent portions of them so they can provide software services to PMDs
Multicore microprocessor
A microprocessor containing multiple processors ("cores") in a single integrated circuit.
Moore's Law
States that integrated circuit resources double every 18-24 months
, Abstractions
Major productivity technique for hardware and software used to characterize the design at different
levels of representation;
Lower level details are hidden to offer a simpler model at higher levels
Pipelining
A pattern of parallelism that moves multiple operations through hardware units that each do a piece
of an operation
Prediction
In some cases it can be faster on average to guess and start working rather than wait until you know
for sure
Dependable
Since any physical device can fail, we make systems _____ by including redundant components that
can take over when a failure occurs and to help detect failures
System software
Software that provides services that are commonly useful, including operating systems, compilers,
loaders, and assemblers
Operating system
Supervising program that manages the resources of a computer for the benefit of the programs that
run on that computer
Compiler
A program that translates high-level language statements into assembly language statements
Binary digit (bit)
One of the two numbers in base 2 (0 or 1) that are the components of information
Instruction
A command that computer hardware understands and obeys
Assembler
A program that translates a symbolic version of instructions into the binary version
Assembly language
A symbolic representation of machine instructions
Machine language
A binary representation of machine instructions
High-level programming language
