WORKSHEET
Student Name: ARUNAV RATTAN BHARDWAJ
UID: 21BCS5087
Branch: Computer Science & Engineering Section/Group: 511-
Semester:2
Date of Performance: 28/07/2022
Subject Name: COMPUTER WORKSHOP
Subject Code: 155
1. Aim of the practical: Memories
Concepts of Memory Hierarchy, Difference in terms of speed, capacity, storage
type &
Volatility. Demonstration of various types of memories installed in the system.
CONCEPTS OF MEMORY HIERARCHY:
In the Computer System Design, Memory Hierarchy is an enhancement to organize the
memory such that it can minimize the access time. The Memory Hierarchy was
developed based on a program behavior known as locality of references.The figure below
clearly demonstrates the different levels of memory hierarchy :
1. Capacity:
It is the global volume of information the memory can store. As we move from top to
bottom in the Hierarchy, the capacity increases.
2. Access Time:
It is the time interval between the read/write request and the availability of the data.
As we move from top to bottom in the Hierarchy, the access time increases.
3. Performance:
Earlier when the computer system was designed without Memory Hierarchy design,
the speed gap increases between the CPU registers and Main Memory due to large
difference in access time. This results in lower performance of the system and thus,
enhancement was required. This enhancement was made in the form of Memory
Hierarchy Design because of which the performance of the system increases. One of
the most significant ways to increase system performance is minimizing how far
down the memory hierarchy one has to go to manipulate data.
4. Cost per bit:
As we move from bottom to top in the Hierarchy, the cost per bit increases i.e.
Internal Memory is costlier than External Memory.
Demonstration of various types of memories installed in the system.
Internal Memory or Primary Memory
Comprising of Magnetic Disk, Optical Disk, Magnetic Tape i.e. peripheral storage
devices which are accessible by the processor via I/O Module.
Primary Memory Types: RAM and ROM
There are two key types of primary memory:
5. RAM, or random access memory
6. ROM, or read-only memory
Let’s look in-depth at both types of memory.
1) RAM Computer Memory
The acronym RAM stems from the fact that data stored in random access memory
can be accessed – as the name suggests – in any random order. Or, put another
way, any random bit of data can be accessed just as quickly as any other bit.
The most important things to understand about RAM are that RAM memory is
very fast, it can be written to as well as read, it is volatile (so all data stored in
RAM memory is lost when it loses power) and, finally, it is very expensive
compared to all types of secondary memory in terms of cost per gigabyte. It is
because of the relative high cost of RAM compared to secondary memory types
that most computer systems use both primary and secondary memory.
Data that is required for imminent processing is moved to RAM where it can be
accessed and modified very quickly, so that the CPU is not kept waiting. When the
data is no longer required it is shunted out to slower but cheaper secondary
memory, and the RAM space that has been freed up is filled with the next chunk of
data that is about to be used.
Types of RAM
DRAM: DRAM stands for Dynamic RAM, and it is the most common type
of RAM used in computers. The oldest type is known as single data rate (SDR)
DRAM, but newer computers use faster dual data rate (DDR) DRAM. DDR
comes in several versions including DDR2 , DDR3, and DDR4, which offer
better performance and are more energy efficient than DDR. However different
versions are incompatible, so it is not possible to mix DDR2 with DDR3
DRAM in a computer system. DRAM consists of a transistor and a capacitor in
each cell.
SRAM: SRAM stands for Static RAM, and it is a particular type of RAM
which is faster than DRAM, but more expensive and bulker, having six
transistors in each cell. For those reasons SRAM is generally only used as a
data cache within a CPU itself or as RAM in very high-end server systems. A
small SRAM cache of the most imminently-needed data can result in significant
speed improvements in a system
The key differences between DRAM and SRAM is that SRAM is faster than
DRAM – perhaps two to three times faster – but more expensive and bulkier.
SRAM is usually available in megabytes, while DRAM is purchased in gigabytes.
DRAM uses more energy than SRAM because it constantly needs to be refreshed
to maintain data integrity, while SRAM – though volatile – does not need constant
refreshing when it is powered up.
2) ROM Computer Memory
ROM stands for read-only memory, and the name stems from the fact that while
data can be read from this type of computer memory, data cannot normally be
written to it. It is a very fast type of computer memory which is usually installed
close to the CPU on the motherboard.
ROM is a type of non-volatile memory, which means that the data stored in ROM
persists in the memory even when it receives no power – for example when the
computer is turned off. In that sense it is similar to secondary memory, which is
used for long term storage.
When a computer is turned on, the CPU can begin reading information stored in
ROM without the need for drivers or other complex software to help it
communicate. The ROM usually contains “bootstrap code” which is the basic set
of instructions a computer needs to carry out to become aware of the operating
system stored in secondary memory, and to load parts of the operating system into
primary memory so that it can start up and become ready to use.
ROM is also used in simpler electronic devices to store firmware which runs as
soon as the device is switched on.
Memory vs. storage
The concept of memory and storage can be easily conflated as the same
concept; however, there are some distinct and important differences. Put
succinctly, memory is primary memory, while storage is secondary
memory. Memory refers to the location of short-term data, while storage
refers to the location of data stored on a long-term basis.
Memory is most often referred to as the primary storage on a computer,
such as RAM. Memory is also where information is processed. It enables
users to access data that is stored for a short time. The data is only stored
for a short time because primary memory is volatile, meaning it isn't
retained when the computer is turned off.
The term storage refers to secondary memory and is where data in a
computer is kept. An example of storage is a hard drive or a hard disk drive
(HDD). Storage is nonvolatile, meaning the information is still there after
the computer is turned off and then back on. A running program may be in
a computer's primary memory when in use -- for fast retrieval of information
-- but when that program is closed, it resides in secondary memory or
storage.
How much space is available in memory and storage differs as well. In
general, a computer will have more storage space than memory. For
example, a laptop may have 8 GB of RAM while having 250 GB of storage.
The difference in space is there because a computer will not need fast
access to all the information stored on it at once, so allocating
approximately 8 GB of space to run programs will suffice.
The terms memory and storage can be confusing because their usage
today is not always consistent. For example, RAM can be referred to as
primary storage -- and types of secondary storage can include flash
memory. To avoid confusion, it can be easier to talk about memory in terms
of whether it is volatile or nonvolatile -- and storage in terms of whether it is
primary or secondary
7. – Secondary Memory Types
8. Secondary memory comprises many different storage media which can be
directly attached to a computer system. These include:
Optical (CD or DVD) drives
Comprising of Main Memory, Cache Memory & CPU registers. This is directly accessible
by the processor.
Evaluation Grid (To be filled by Faculty):
Sr. Parameters Marks Obtained Maximum
No. Marks
1. Worksheet completion including 8
writinglearningobjectives/Outcomes.(To
besubmitted at the end of the day)
2. VIVA-VOCE 4
3. Student Engagement in 8
Simulation/Demonstration/Performance
and Controls
Signature of Faculty (with Date): Total Marks 20
Obtained:
