Deck 4: Cache Memory

Question 1

It has become possible to have a cache on the same chip as the processor.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

"Memory is organized into records and access must be made in a specific linear sequence" is a description of __________.

A)sequential access
B)direct access
C)random access
D)associative access

Answer 2

A

Question 3

No single technology is optimal in satisfying the memory requirements for a computer system.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Cache design for HPC is the same as that for other hardware platforms and applications.

Question 5

All of the Pentium processors include two on-chip L1 caches,one for data and one for instructions.

Question 6

For internal memory,the __________ is equal to the number of electrical lines into and out of the memory module.

A)access time
B)unit of transfer
C)capacity
D)memory ratio

Question 7

Both sequential access and direct access involve a shared read- write mechanism.

Question 8

External memory is often equated with main memory.

Question 9

individual blocks or records have a unique address based on physical location with __________.

A)associative access
B)physical access
C)direct access
D)sequential access

Question 10

The processor requires its own local memory.

Question 11

In a volatile memory,information decays naturally or is lost when electrical power is switched off.

Question 12

With write back updates are made only in the cache.

Question 13

The L1 cache is slower than the L3 cache.

Question 14

To achieve greatest performance the memory must be able to keep up with the processor.

Question 15

Internal memory capacity is typically expressed in terms of _________.

A)hertz
B)nanos
C)bytes
D)LOR

Question 16

Secondary memory is used to store program and data files and is usually visible to the programmer only in terms of individual bytes or words.

Question 17

Cache is not a form of internal memory.

Question 18

A typical computer system is equipped with a hierarchy of memory subsystems,some internal to the system and some external.

Question 19

The unit of transfer must equal a word or an addressable unit.

Question 20

__________ refers to whether memory is internal or external to the computer.

A)Location
B)Access
C)Hierarchy
D)Tag

Question 21

A line includes a _________ that identifies which particular block is currently being stored.

A)cache
B)hit
C)tag
D)locality

Question 22

The most commonly used physical types of memory are: semiconductor memory,__________ memory (used for disk and tape),and optical and magneto-optical.

Question 23

A logical cache stores data using __________.

A)physical addresses
B)virtual addresses
C)random addresses
D)none of the above

Question 24

When using the __________ technique all write operations made to main memory are made to the cache as well.

A)write back
B)LRU
C)write through
D)unified cache

Question 25

The ________ rate is the rate at which data can be transferred into or out of a memory unit.

Question 26

The three performance parameters for memory are: access time,transfer rate,and _________.

Question 27

External,nonvolatile memory is referred to as ___________ or auxiliary memory.

Question 28

__________ memory consists of peripheral storage devices,such as disk and tape.

Question 29

The cache consists of blocks called __________.

Question 30

In reference to access time to a two-level memory,a _________ occurs if an accessed word is not found in the faster memory.

A)miss
B)hit
C)line
D)tag

Question 31

__________ is the simplest mapping technique and maps each block of main memory into only one possible cache line.

A)Direct mapping
B)Associative mapping
C)Set associative mapping
D)None of the above

Question 32

_________ is a random access type of memory that enables one to make a comparison of desired bit locations within a word for a specified match,and to do this for all words simultaneously,thus retrieving a word based on a portion of its contents rather than its address.

Question 33

The ________ consists of the access time plus any additional time required before a second access can commence.

A)latency
B)memory cycle time
C)direct access
D)transfer rate

Question 34

For random-access memory,__________ is the time from the instant that an address is presented to the memory to the instant that data have been stored or made available for use.

A)memory cycle time
B)direct access
C)transfer rate
D)access time

Question 35

One byte equals __________ bits.

Question 36

From a user's point of view the two most important characteristics of memory are capacity and _____________.

Question 37

The key advantage of the __________ design is that it eliminates contention for the cache between the instruction fetch / decode unit and the execution unit.

A)logical cache
B)split cache
C)unified cache
D)physical cache

Question 38

A portion of main memory used as a buffer to hold data temporarily that is to be read out to disk is referred to as a _________.

A)disk cache
B)latency
C)virtual address
D)miss

Question 39

The three key characteristics of memory are capacity,access time,and _______.

Question 40

The Pentium 4 _________ component executes micro-operations,fetching the required data from the L1 data cache and temporarily storing results in registers.

A)fetch / decode unit
B)out-of-order execution logic
C)execution unit
D)memory subsystem

Question 41

__________ computing deals with super computers and their software.

Question 42

The Pentium 4 processor core consists of four major components: fetch / decode unit,out-of-order execution logic,memory subsystem,and __________.

Question 43

For set-associative mapping the cache control logic interprets a memory address as three fields: Set,Word,and __________.

Question 44

__________ memory is a facility that allows programs to address memory from a logical point of view,without regard to the amount of main memory physically available.

Question 45

The __________ units execute micro-operations,fetching the required data from the L1 data cache and temporarily storing results in registers.