Assignment

On
computer architecture and organization

Summer-2020

Submitted By: Submitted to:

Name: Md. Palash Miah Dr. Md. Fokhray Hossain
ID: 181-15-10518 Associate Dean & Professor, CSE
Section: O-1 Daffodil International University (DIU)
Department of CSE. 102, Sukrabad, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1207.
 Memory Organization of a Computer System
Introduction
Memory is an essential component in a computer system. It’s actually used for
storing programs and data that are required to perform a specific task. For CPU to
operate at its maximum speed, it required an uninterrupted and high-speed access to
these memories that contain programs and data. For that, some of the criteria need
to be taken into consideration while deciding which memory is to be used: Cost,
Speed, Memory access time, Data transfer rate and Reliability. According to those
criteria, the memory is organized. The memory is organized in the form of a cell,
where each cell is recognized by a unique number called address. Each cell is able
to identify control signals such as ‘read’ and ‘write’, generated by CPU when it
wants to read or write addresses. Whenever CPU executes the program there is a
need to transfer the instruction from the memory to CPU from where the program is
available in the memory. To access the instruction, a memory request generated by
the CPU.

Description
A memory unit is the collection of storage units or device together. The memory
units store the binary information in the form of bits. The whole organization of
memory can be defined by its hierarchy and access methods. Before that we need
to know the type of memories. Generally, memory is classified into 2 categories:
Volatile Memory: Data stored is temporary. This loses its data, when power
is switched off.
Non-Volatile Memory: This is a permanent storage and does not lose any
data when power is switched off.

Memory Hierarchy

The total memory capacity of a computer can be visualized by hierarchy of

components. The memory hierarchy system consists of all storage devices contained
in a computer system from the slow Auxiliary Memory to fast Main Memory and to
smaller Cache memory. The hierarchy is ordered by memory size, speed and cost.
 Fig 1: Memory Hierarchy

Auxiliary memory (Magnetic disk/tape) access time is generally 1000 times that of
the main memory, hence it is at the bottom of the hierarchy.
The main memory is at the second level of the hierarchy. Due to its direct
connection with the CPU, it is also known as central memory. The main memory
holds the data and the programs that are needed by the CPU. The main memory
mainly consists of RAM, which is available in static and dynamic mode.
Cache memory is at the top level of the memory hierarchy. This is a high-speed
memory used to increase the speed of processing by making current programs and
data available to the CPU at a rapid rate. Cache memory is usually placed between
the CPU and the main memory.

Fig 2: Organization of memories in a computer

A memory organization includes various kind of memories whose are works
together or individual. So, every memory perform different tasks according to the
CPU instructions.

Main Memory
The memory unit that communicates directly within the CPU, Auxiliary memory
and Cache memory, is called main memory. It is the central storage unit of the
computer system. It is a large and fast memory used to store data during computer
operations. Main memory is made up of RAM (primary memory) and ROM
(secondary memory), with RAM integrated circuit chips holing the major share.

• RAM: Random Access Memory

o DRAM: Dynamic RAM, is made of capacitors and transistors, and
must be refreshed every 10~100ms. It is slower and cheaper than
SRAM.
o SRAM: Static RAM, has six transistor circuit in each cell and retains
data, until powered off.
o NVRAM: Non-Volatile RAM, retains its data, even when turned off.
Example: Flash memory.
• ROM: Read only memory, is a non-volatile and is more like a permanent
storage for data and information. It also stores bootstrap loader program, to
load and start the operating system when computer is turned on. PROM
(Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM) and EEPROM (Electricity
Erasable ROM) are some commonly used ROMs.

Auxiliary Memory

Devices that provide backup storage are called auxiliary memory. For
example: Magnetic disks and tapes are commonly used auxiliary devices. Other
devices used as auxiliary memory are magnetic drums, magnetic bubble memory
and optical disks. It is not directly accessible to the CPU, and is accessed using the
Input/Output channels.
Cache Memory
The data or contents of the main memory that are used again and again by CPU, are
stored in the cache memory so that we can easily access that data in shorter time.
Whenever the CPU needs to access memory, it first checks the cache memory. If the
data is not found in cache memory then the CPU moves onto the main memory. It
also transfers block of recent data into the cache and keeps on deleting the old data
in cache to accommodate the new one.
Register Memory
Register memory is the smallest and fastest memory in a computer. It is not a part of
the main memory and is located in the CPU in the form of registers, which are the
smallest data holding elements. A register temporarily holds frequently used data,
instructions, and memory address that are to be used by CPU. They hold instructions
that are currently processed by the CPU. All data is required to pass through registers
before it can be processed. So, they are used by CPU to process the data entered by
the users.

Memory Access Methods

Each memory type, is a collection of numerous memory locations. To access data
from any memory, first it must be located and then the data is read from the memory
location. Following are the methods to access information from memory locations:

Random Access: Main memories are random access memories, in which each
memory location has a unique address. Using this unique address any memory
location can be reached in the same amount of time in any order.

Sequential Access: This method allows memory access in a sequence or in

order.

Direct Access: In this mode, information is stored in tracks, with each track
having a separate read/write head.

Conclusion

From the overall discussion, we know about the basic memory organization of a
computer system as well as all type of memories includes in this concept. In the
ancient period, it was very difficult to store data in the computer for future use. For
the first time IAS computer introduce the stored program concept. After that many
more high-speed stored program introduced till now, cache memory, register
memory, virtual memory etc. There is build a basic memory organization which are
use to program control and execution with the microprocessor. For that processor
getting update to with many more features which are interrelated with stored data,
can use stored data to execute instructions to in the CPU. Programs can control and
executed with more efficiently. Thus, Memory organization makes a ultimate
changes in the computer arena so that todays all computer system are included with
that memory organization.
References
Introduction Part
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/memory-organisation-in-computer-architecture/
Date: 24/07/2020
Time: 12.00 PM

Description Part

Book: Computer Architecture, 5th Edition by John L. Hennessy, David A. Patterson, Chapter 2-
Memory Hierarchy Design

https://www.studytonight.com/computer-architecture/memory-organization
Date: 24/07/2020
Time: 12.30 PM
https://www.javatpoint.com/register-memory
Date: 24/07/2020
Time: 2.30 PM