Why Caching Works

Why Caching WorksCache is in some ways a really amazing technology. A 512 KB level 2 cache, caching 64 MB of system memory, can supply the information that the processor requests 90-95% of the time. Think about the ratios here: the level 2 cache is less than 1% of the size of the memory it is caching, but it is able to register a "hit" on over 90% of requests. That's pretty efficient, and is the reason why caching is so important.The reason that this happens is due to a computer science principle called locality of reference. It states basically that even within very large programs with several megabytes of instructions, only small portions of this code generally get used at once. Programs tend to spend large periods of time working in one small area of the code, often performing the same...

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Function and Operation of the System Cache

Function and Operation of the System CacheThis section discusses the principles behind the design of cache memory, and explains how the secondary (level 2) cache works in detail. This will give you a much better understanding of how the cache works and what the issues are in its design--at least I hope it will, because that was my primary goal in writing this. I was frustrated as I put the site together with my inability to find anything on the 'net that really explained how the cache worked.This section is focused on the secondary cache, but in fact, the function of the primary (level 1) cache built into modern processors is in many ways identical: in terms of how associativity works, how the cache is organized, how the system checks for hits, etc. However, many of the implementation details...

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Function and Operation of the System Cache

Function and Operation of the System CacheThis section discusses the principles behind the design of cache memory, and explains how the secondary (level 2) cache works in detail. This will give you a much better understanding of how the cache works and what the issues are in its design--at least I hope it will, because that was my primary goal in writing this. I was frustrated as I put the site together with my inability to find anything on the 'net that really explained how the cache worked.This section is focused on the secondary cache, but in fact, the function of the primary (level 1) cache built into modern processors is in many ways identical: in terms of how associativity works, how the cache is organized, how the system checks for hits, etc. However, many of the implementation details...

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What Is 64-bit Computing?

What Is 64-bit Computing?When reading about PCs and servers, you'll often see the CPU described by the number of bits (e.g., 32-bit or 64-bit), here's a little info about what that means. 32-bit refers to the number of bits (the smallest unit of information on a machine) that can be processed or transmitted in parallel, or the number of bits used for single element in a data format. The term when used in conjunction with a microprocessor indicates the width of the registers; a special high-speed storage area within the CPU. A 32-bit microprocessor can process data and memory addresses that are represented by 32 bits.64-bit therefore refers to a processor with registers that store 64-bit numbers. A generalization would be to suggest that 64-bit architecture would double the amount of data a...

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Livecam: Overview Of The AMD And Intel Systems

Livecam: Overview Of The AMD And Intel Systems Camera: Both Systems Here you can see the setup of both systems from AMD and Intel. The AMD system is on the left and the Intel system is on the right. While the AMD platform is available only with an AGP interface for the graphics card, the Intel platform comes exclusively with a PCIe x16 slot. Camera: Outside the Lab The view of media mecca Munich from the THG lab. Stress Test: Both Systems Livecam: AMD System In Operation Camera: AMD System The AMD system in action: at its core is an MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum board based on the Nvidia NForce3 250 GB chipset Daily chart for AMD System A daily overview of live data for the AMD Athlon 64 3500+ (90 nm), which comes equipped with a boxed cooler. Weekly chart for AMD System Weekly overview of live stats...

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AMD Vs INTEL

Both the AMD and Intel systems will run non-stop at maximum load for at least five consecutive days. All data will be permanently displayed throughout the duration of the test, including time and temperature readings for the motherboards and CPUs, processor load, storage utilization and network load. A lot of time and debate went into deciding which software to use in the stress test. We wanted to pick a program that was up to date and useful, with an attractive visual display. In the end we opted for Benchmark 3D Mark05, which will be run in nonstop mode. To get all we could out of the graphics chips, we set all quality parameters to maximum. At the same time, the individual benchmark runs will be counted. There is also a display that will register any system crash and record the time it...

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Components Under Stress: Athlon 64 3500+ And P4 3.6 GHz

Components Under Stress: Athlon 64 3500+ And P4 3.6 GHz Buying all of the components for the test wasn't quite as easy as we had imagined it would be. It was fairly straight-forward to acquire the motherboards from Asus and MSI and the AMD and Intel processors. But it was downright difficult to get hold of the graphics cards (ATI Radeon X800 XT PCIe/AGP and Nvidia 6800 Ultra/6600 GT PCIe/AGP), which we eventually bought from a small dealer in Löhnberg, Germany - CP4U Computer Parts. Not a single dealer in Munich's computer district had all the graphics cards we wanted in stock when we went on our hardware spree. Granted, they were all high-end items, but such pricey cards can generate huge margins during the Christmas season, so we had hoped they would be available.Buying all of the components...

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Full Load All The Way: AMD Vs. Intel

Full Load All The Way: AMD Vs. Intel Around this same time last holiday season, we started a project that ended up setting a world record for processor speeds. Originally, we had planned to content ourselves with the ambitious enough 5 GHz Project: CPU Cooling With Liquid Nitrogen. In the end, we achieved a maximum speed of 5.25 GHz at -190°C. Chipmakers aren't likely to start offering production models capable of such speeds until 2006 at the earliest! So what about this year? No new speed record? After discussing the issue ad nauseam, we finally decided to shelve record-breaking in favor of revisiting the systems currently in use in real life - where stability and product quality are the primary factors in making a buying decision. This is especially true of the business environment. Here...

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server

server [a Webopedia definition](ser4ver) (n.) A computer or device on a network that manages network resources. For example, a file server is a computer and storage device dedicated to storing files. Any user on the network can store files on the server. A print server is a computer that manages one or more printers, and a network server is a computer that manages network traffic. A database server is a computer system that processes database queries. Servers are often dedicated, meaning that they perform no other tasks besides their server tasks. On multiprocessing operating systems, however, a single computer can execute several programs at once. A server in this case could refer to the program that is managing resources rather than the entire computer. If you're not familiar with the functions...

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server

server [a Webopedia definition](ser4ver) (n.) A computer or device on a network that manages network resources. For example, a file server is a computer and storage device dedicated to storing files. Any user on the network can store files on the server. A print server is a computer that manages one or more printers, and a network server is a computer that manages network traffic. A database server is a computer system that processes database queries. Servers are often dedicated, meaning that they perform no other tasks besides their server tasks. On multiprocessing operating systems, however, a single computer can execute several programs at once. A server in this case could refer to the program that is managing resources rather than the entire computer. If you're not familiar with the functions...

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File Scavenger ™Disk Data Recovery Program

bout File Scavenger™ File Scavenger ™ is the most comprehensive, award-winning file undelete and data recovery utility for NTFS volumes on Windows XP®, Windows 2000® or Windows NT®. File Scavenger™ can recover files accidentally deleted, including files removed from the Recycle Bin, in a DOS window, from a network drive (the program must be run on the computer where the drive physically resides), from Windows Explorer with the SHIFT key held down, provided that recovery is attempted before the files are permanently overwritten by new data. File Scavenger™ supports both basic and dynamic disks, NTFS compression, alternate data streams, sparse files, Unicode filenames, etc. Except in severe cases, both the file and the folder path leading to the file can be recovered. English and German versions...

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Google Alert for: linux

Google Alert for: linuxIBM to release low-end Linux serverZDNet.co.uk - UKIBM is expected to announce the release of a lower-end Linux-based server later this month. OpenPower 710, which can be powered ... See all stories on this topicHardware Today: For Linux, Maturity Leads to InroadsServer Watch - Darien,CT,USAIn the world of Linux servers, 2004 was not so much about revolutionary breakthroughs as it was about consolidation, growing maturity, and "corporatization ... See all stories on this topicMany SMEs keen on LinuxIT AsiaOne - Singapore,SingaporeAPART from large businesses and government agencies which are looking at Linux as an alternative to the various flavours of Unix, many SMEs (small and medium ... See all stories on this topicOpen source business conference includes embedded...

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JIDHU JOSE

JIDHU J...

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LINUX-ALERTS

Google Alert for: linuxSCO Wins Legal Round Against IBM Over Linux CodeReuters - USA... on Thursday after the small software company won a legal victory in its multibillion dollar lawsuit against IBM over computer software code used in Linux. ... See all stories on this topicStudy: Linux server attacks decliningComputerWorld - USAJANUARY 20, 2005 (TECHWORLD.COM) - Attackers are no longer bothering to attack average Linux systems, apparently because there's so much more money to be made ... See all stories on this topicRed Hat to refresh Linux desktopCnet Asia - AsiaIn line with its server product upgrade, Linux seller Red Hat will release a new operating system for desktop computers, a senior company official has confirmed ... See all stories on this topicIntel lets Linux into Centrino campCnet...

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PHOTOSHOP

The newest addition to the HCS's Seminar program, our Photoshop seminar covers the basics of using this incredibly powerful graphics program. We'll show you how to use Photoshop to create professional-looking graphics for your web pages and elsewhere. Topics covered include:Getting Started with Photoshop Working with Colors Essential Tools Manipulating Layers Working with Imported Images Selections and Masks Text and Text Effects Publishing Your Work We'll even give you a reference packet (also available here.) so everything you've learned is right at your fingertips. So join the cutting edge. Make your own home page with the Harvard Computer Socie...

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Basic Web Design

Basic Web DesignHave you ever thought, "Gee, I really ought to make a home page, but it's too confusing"? Do you have friends who have made their own home pages?Now you can too!Even if you've never surfed the web before, or have no idea what the difference is between HTTP and HTML, you can still create and publish your own work on the Internet! You'll come away from this seminar with all the knowledge you'll need to make your own home page. We'll teach you the basics of setting up a web page from start to finish. You'll need to have a fas account to put your page in, or a similar UNIX account on another machine, but beyond that, we'll teach you all you need to know.Topics covered include:Creating your public_html directory and setting file permissionsEditing files with picoHTML syntax and...

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Using Unix

Using Unix An Operating System is the main program that tells your computer how to operate, and provides support to all your other programs. Windows and MacOS are two common Operating Systems today. Unix is another such operating system. It was designed in the 1970s for large multi-user computer systems, and is extensively used today in the high-end academic and business computing world. Harvard has dozens of very powerful Unix systems available for student use, both for general purposes such as email and news, and also for academic computing needs. Unix is very powerful, and has had for decades features like multitasking and security that are just recently filtering down to Windows and MacOS. One Unix system can often be used by hundreds of users simultaneously! However, Unix is controlled...

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Tsunami Clouds Future of Marine Animals

Tsunami Clouds Future of Marine AnimalsJames Owen in Londonfor National Geographic NewsJanuary 17, 2005The depth of human tragedy resulting from the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster is incalculable, even though the scale of visible devastation to coastal towns is now shockingly clear. But what of marine life? When the tsunami struck, land and ocean merged in a most terrifying way. People and uprooted trees were carried out to sea, while stingrays and sharks were left stranded in fields and parking lots. The impacts are difficult to gauge. Scientists and conservationists say the future of coastal towns will be closely intertwined with that of fragile marine ecosystems. If coral reefs and mangroves aren't nursed and protected, they say, many human livelihoods will be hard to revive. The most obvious...

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Students Log On as Scientists Explore Deep Ocean

Students Log On as Scientists Explore Deep OceanJohn Roachfor National Geographic News December 6, 2004Deep in the ocean where the sun never shines, stinky clams, slippery tubeworms, ghost-white crabs, eel-like fish, and a gaggle of funky microscopic bacteria huddle around cracks in the Earth that spew scalding hot, toxic brews. The spewing cracks are known as hydrothermal vents and the life that thrives around them fascinates the scientific community. This month, thousands of school children are logging on to the Internet to join scientists exploring a series of hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise about 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) west of Costa Rica. The rise is part of an underwater mountain range known as the Mid-Ocean Ridge system that snakes the globe like the stitching on...

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Promoting Linux Requires Advertising. It Matters to Me. TMGnuCash!target="_top">What is RAID?So what exactly is RAID? Nope, it's not the bug spray I'm talking about here. It is a technique that was developed to provide speed, reliability, and increased storage capacity using multiple disks, rather than single disk solutions. RAID basically takes multiple hard drives and allows them to be used as one large hard drive with benefits depending on the scheme or level of RAID being used. Depending on your needs, there are many different RAID variations and implementations available with prices ranging from less than $100 to over $25,000. Of course, the better the RAID implementation, the more expensive it's probably going to be. There is really no one best RAID implementation. Some implementations...

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Promoting Linux Requires Advertising. It Matters to Me. TMGnuCash!target="_top">What is RAID?So what exactly is RAID? Nope, it's not the bug spray I'm talking about here. It is a technique that was developed to provide speed, reliability, and increased storage capacity using multiple disks, rather than single disk solutions. RAID basically takes multiple hard drives and allows them to be used as one large hard drive with benefits depending on the scheme or level of RAID being used. Depending on your needs, there are many different RAID variations and implementations available with prices ranging from less than $100 to over $25,000. Of course, the better the RAID implementation, the more expensive it's probably going to be. There is really no one best RAID implementation. Some implementations...

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