Computer Organization and Architecture, unit: Input/Output Systems. Core concepts, terminology, and worked-example cues a college student meets for this unit, building on prior units without repeating them. Front: a term, concept, or short problem cue. Back: the definition, explanation, or answer.
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- What is an I/O (input/output) system?
- The hardware and software that allows a computer to communicate with external devices
- What is a peripheral device?
- External hardware connected to a computer, such as a keyboard, mouse, or printer
- What is polling, as an I/O technique?
- Repeatedly checking a device's status to determine when it needs attention
- What is an interrupt?
- A signal that causes the CPU to pause its current task and handle an urgent event
- What is an interrupt handler?
- A routine executed in response to a specific interrupt signal
- What is direct memory access (DMA)?
- A method allowing peripherals to transfer data directly to memory without CPU involvement
- Why is DMA useful?
- It frees the CPU from managing large data transfers, improving overall system efficiency
- What is a device driver?
- Software that allows an operating system to communicate with a specific hardware device
- What is memory-mapped I/O?
- A technique where device registers are accessed using regular memory addresses
- What is port-mapped I/O?
- A technique where devices are accessed through a separate address space from memory
- What is a bus, in computer architecture?
- A communication pathway that transfers data between components of a computer
- What is bandwidth, in the context of a bus or I/O channel?
- The maximum rate at which data can be transferred
- What is a controller, in I/O systems?
- Hardware that manages communication between the CPU and a specific peripheral device
- What is buffering, in I/O operations?
- Temporarily storing data during transfer to account for speed differences between devices
- What is an interrupt priority level used for?
- Determining which interrupt should be handled first when multiple occur simultaneously
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