Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
unwieldy. Instead, most computers connect several components to a
single ribbon of wire, called a bus . (Figure 1.3.)
Utilizing a bus, each component requires only a single connec
tion point. For a data movement, one component copies the relevant
data onto the bus, and the second component stores this informa
tion. Also, a bus contains wires, called control lines , to facilitate the
sending of signals between components, so each component knows
what to do when.
For the most part, the use of a bus provides several important
benefits:
A single collection of wires can be used for all data and con
trol communication.
Each component connected to a bus need know only how to
interpret its own commands and how to move data to and
from the bus.
Numerous components can be combined in the same machine
with minimal interference.
New components can be added to a machine over timeā€”as
long as there is a place to connect them on the bus.
As an aside, note that the ability to add new components to a bus
comes into play when considering the upgrading of a current machine
Bus
CPU
Central
Processing
Unit
Keyboard
Monitor
Main Memory Elements
Printer
I/O Devices
Figure 1.3
Diagram of multiple components connected via a bus.
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