Book Image

Modern Computer Architecture and Organization

By : Jim Ledin
Book Image

Modern Computer Architecture and Organization

By: Jim Ledin

Overview of this book

Are you a software developer, systems designer, or computer architecture student looking for a methodical introduction to digital device architectures but overwhelmed by their complexity? This book will help you to learn how modern computer systems work, from the lowest level of transistor switching to the macro view of collaborating multiprocessor servers. You'll gain unique insights into the internal behavior of processors that execute the code developed in high-level languages and enable you to design more efficient and scalable software systems. The book will teach you the fundamentals of computer systems including transistors, logic gates, sequential logic, and instruction operations. You will learn details of modern processor architectures and instruction sets including x86, x64, ARM, and RISC-V. You will see how to implement a RISC-V processor in a low-cost FPGA board and how to write a quantum computing program and run it on an actual quantum computer. By the end of this book, you will have a thorough understanding of modern processor and computer architectures and the future directions these architectures are likely to take.
Table of Contents (20 chapters)
1
Section 1: Fundamentals of Computer Architecture
8
Section 2: Processor Architectures and Instruction Sets
14
Section 3: Applications of Computer Architecture

Chapter 9: Specialized Processor Extensions

In the preceding chapters, we discussed the features of general-purpose computer architectures as well as some architectural specializations intended to address domain-specific requirements. This chapter will focus on extensions commonly implemented at the processor instruction set level to provide additional system capabilities beyond generic computing needs.

After reading this chapter, you will understand the purpose of privileged processor modes and how they operate in multiprocessing and multiuser contexts. You will be familiar with the concepts of floating-point processors and instruction sets, techniques for power management in battery-powered devices, and processor features intended to enhance system security.

We will discuss the following processor extensions in this chapter:

  • Privileged processor modes
  • Floating-point mathematics
  • Power management
  • System security management