22. Micro-program Control Unit Overview
The chapter delves into the architecture of micro-programmed control units, highlighting the control signals, branching mechanisms, and the micro-program counter's functionality. It emphasizes the design principles between horizontal and vertical micro-program control, exploring their respective advantages and drawbacks. Additionally, the processes of instruction fetching, decoding, and execution are elucidated, establishing a foundational understanding of micro-architecture design.
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What we have learnt
- Micro-programmed control units employ control signals that dictate operations within the CPU.
- Branching in micro-program technology requires conditional checks to navigate different instruction paths.
- Differences between horizontal and vertical micro-programming techniques can significantly impact efficiency and memory use.
Key Concepts
- -- MicroProgrammed Control Unit
- A unit that uses a sequence of micro-instructions stored in memory to control the operations of the computer.
- -- MicroProgram Counter (MPC)
- A register that keeps track of the address of the current micro-instruction being executed.
- -- Conditional Branching
- The mechanism that allows the control unit to alter the flow of execution based on certain conditions.
- -- Horizontal MicroProgramming
- A method where control signals are sent out in parallel allowing for simultaneous operations, potentially leading to memory wastage.
- -- Vertical MicroProgramming
- A technique that optimizes memory by using shorter micro-instructions, hence requiring more complex control logic.
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