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A CPU cache [71] is a hardware cache used by the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer to reduce the average cost (time or energy) to access data from the main memory. A cache is a smaller, faster memory, closer to a processor core, which stores copies of the data from frequently used main memory locations.
The control unit (CU) is a component of a computer's central processing unit (CPU) that directs the operation of the processor. A CU typically uses a binary decoder to convert coded instructions into timing and control signals that direct the operation of the other units (memory, arithmetic logic unit and input and output devices, etc.).
They can be used in place of traditional NICs to relieve the main CPU of complex networking responsibilities and other "infrastructural" duties; although their features vary, they may be used to perform encryption/decryption, serve as a firewall, handle TCP/IP, process HTTP requests, or even function as a hypervisor or storage controller.
In computing and computer science, a processor or processing unit is an electrical component (digital circuit) that performs operations on an external data source, usually memory or some other data stream. [1]
[54] [55] An interrupt service routine may cause the central processing unit (CPU) to have a context switch. [56] [a] The details of how a computer processes an interrupt vary from architecture to architecture, and the details of how interrupt service routines behave vary from operating system to operating system. [57]
Users of such systems quickly become aware that for much of the time that a computer was allocated to a single user – for example, when a user was entering information or debugging programs – the processor was idle. Computer scientists observed that the overall performance of the machine could be improved by letting a different process use ...
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Block diagram of a basic computer with uniprocessor CPU. Black lines indicate control flow, whereas red lines indicate data flow. Arrows indicate the direction of flow. In computer science and computer engineering, computer architecture is a description of the structure of a computer system made from component parts. [1]