Structural Composition of - These mechanisms are

Microprocessor/Microcontroller termed Arithmetic Logic Units

(ALUs) 
Microprocessor Execution
- they perform arithmetic
Microprocessor operations (such as addition,
 a circuit in von Neumann subtraction, shifting, and
 used to process program inverting) and logic operations
instructions and execute them. (such as AND and OR) on data
 To execute a program, the flowing through the datapath.
microprocessor first fetches a
programs' instructions from memory
and the data necessary to run them. HARVARD ACHITECTURE
Then, the microprocessor decodes
- the computer system's memory is
and separates the instructions and
separated into two discrete parts
data and activates the necessary
1. data
components and pathways needed
2. instructions
to run the program.
- In a pure Harvard system, the two different
 inally, the microprocessor executes
memories occupy separate memory
the program, running through the
modules, and instructions can only be
instructions, manipulating the data,
executed from the instruction memory.
and storing the results.
- designed to simultaneously access three
distinct memory areas:
CONTROL UNITS AND DATAPATHS
1. the program instructions
3 step process
2. the signal data samples
1. Fetching
3. filter coefficients (often called the P, X,
2. Decoding
and Y memories).
3. Executing
- In theory, such three-way Harvard
Implemented with two hardware
architectures can be three times as fast as a
components:
Von Neumann architecture that is forced to
1. a control unit
1. read the instruction
- reads instructions fetched
2. the data sample
from memory and uses them
3. the filter coefficient, one at a time.
to direct where data flows in
the Datapath
MODERN COMPUTERS
2. a Datapath
- computers based on the Intel x86 ISA are
- If data is thought of as
not Harvard computers
water, then the Datapath acts as
- the newer variants have features that are
a canal with many branches, and
"Harvard-Like".
the control unit acts as a series
- All information, program instructions, and
of locks..
data are stored in the same RAM areas.
- different branches of the
PAGING
datapath will contain different
- a modern feature
mechanisms for modifying and
- allows the physical memory to be
transforming the data flowing
segmented into large blocks of memory
through it.
called "pages".
-