Programme Name: BCS

Course Code: CSC 1002

Course Name: Computer Architecture

Assignment: Third

Date of Submission: 4 January 2021

Submitted By: Submitted To:

Student Name: Achyut Neupane Faculty Name: Amar Subedi

IUKL ID: Department: PO

Semester: 1st Semester

Intake: September 2021

Q. 1. Cache is an important invention that has greatly improve overall computer
performance.
A Cache is a small amount of memory part of the CPU that has a closer physical
connection with CPU than RAM has. Cache is used to increase the speed of
processing by storing frequently used instruction/data. Since cache is closer to CPU,
the processing becomes faster in comparison to instructions/data loaded directly from
RAM.

i. Describe the latest trend of cache design major focus on number of caches,
cache size, and replacement algorithm and write policy.
Þ Modern devices mostly use cache system with these elements:
a. Number of caches:
® Most of the modern-day devices use L3 cache to improve computer
performance. In previous days, L2 were used which were mounted near the
CPU.
® Latest trend of cache design include the L3 cache connected with L1 and
L2 cache.
® L1 is the internal cache integrated to the CPU. Nowadays L2 is also
integrated to the CPU and L3 is located in the motherboard between the L1
and L2 module.
b. Cache Size
® Cache must be as much as possible. Less the size, higher the speed.
® In modern-day devices, L1 cache has size up to 512 KB, L2 has size from
4MB to 8MB, and L3 has size from 10 MB to 64 MB.
c. Replacement algorithm
® Replacement algorithm are the method of selecting the cache line from the
cache memory to store the new information from main memory when cache
miss occurs.
® Some replacement algorithm used during cache miss are:
• Direct mapping: None. Each block is associated with respective line so
that line is replaced.
• Associative & Set-associative mapping: Least Recently Used (LRU),
First-in First-out (FIFO), Least Frequently Used (LFU), Random, etc.
® Various machine learning based replacement algorithms are being
introduced but none are strong enough to implement.
d. Write Policy
® Write policy is the response shown by the cache when CPU try to write
something.
® Some common write policies in modern days devices are:
• Write-through: Allows data to be saved into the cache and onto the
central storage at the same time. Data recovery is easy since this policy
provide extra layer of data security but system performance can be
decreased.
• Write-back: This allows the data to be written in cache only. Since
double work is eliminated, system performance is faster but there is risk
of data loss.
ii. Illustrate flow chart of cache read operation and explain its major read
operations.
Þ

Fig: Flow chart for cache read operation

RA (Read Address) is the word given to the processor directly if found or after the
block containing the word is put into cache if not found.
The CPU sends the address and if the address is found in cache, it fetches the word
from RA(cache hit) or else request the main memory with the RA, fetch the data,
and store the block into cache line and also return the RA to CPU.
Q. 2. Assume you are the Computer System Engineer and responsible to consult your
project manager regarding preparing the optimum data storage in IT project.
The project involves hundreds of user accessing to multiple databases
simultaneously.
Discuss your suggestion and recommendation to prepare the optimum memory
system for the server.
A As a computer system engineer, I am responsible for preparing optimum system
requirements for the system I am working on. To create a project that involves
hundreds of users accessing to multiple databases simultaneously, high speed and
highly efficient data storage is required.
i. Discuss the characteristics for each of the memory with major focus on
capacity, performance, access method and physical type.
Þ For this requirement, I would suggest to use these properties in the system:
a. Cache Memory
® I recommend using at least 8 MB cache with a quad core processor
divided 2MB cache each.
® The performance must be fast and data access rate must be higher. So, L3
cache should be used.
® Cache should use Set Associative method.
b. Main Memory (RAM)
® I recommend using 16GB or 32GB or at least 8GB DDR4 RAM.
® 8GB for average speed and minimal budgeting. 16 GB for high speed and
average budgeting. 32 GB for super-fast speed and high budgeting.
® If number of users using simultaneously increases than 100, 8GB won’t be
and 16GB RAM may not be enough for high processing.
c. Magnetic Disk
® I recommend using RAID 5 configuration for data storage since it can
withstand a single disk failure.
® Extra cache memory is used in RAID 5 for extra performance.

ii. What Operating system you think the best for this server? List four reason.
Þ There are varieties of operating system to use in a storage server like Linux,
Windows, UNIX, etc. Many use different distros of Linux whereas some build
their own distro of Linux (like google does). I think the best OS for this server is
Linux and among the various Linux distros, I think CentOS is the best choice
because:
a. CentOS gives the stable platform for corporate space with longer lifecycle.
b. CentOS is a compilation from RedHat source and provide similar specifications
in free cost.
c. The regular updates in CentOS are less sensitive in terms of time and
application. There won’t be any problems while or after updating the OS.
d. CentOS run basic applications. So, it is higher in speed than other OS.