ECE3055 Fall'99 Homework Assignment #2

Due before 3:00 p.m. Thursday 2/10/00

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#1.  Enter the word in ()'s which is the best answer.
 
 In a memory hierarchy, the higher levels are (relative to lower) :

[  ]  (Closer, farther) to/from the CPU.

[  ]  (Faster, slower) access time.

[  ]  (More, less) expensive.

[  ]  (Larger, smaller) memory size.

#2. Answer T (true) or F (false).

[  ]  The design goal is to have a memory nearly as fast as the
fastest level and as large as the cheapest level.

[  ]  In a Direct Mapped Cached, the oldest block is replaced when a
new block is needed.

[  ]  A "hit" means we have to read from a lower level.

[  ] The Tag concatenated with the Index is the Word address.

[  ] The Tag concatenated with the Index is the Byte address.

#3.  Enter the word in ()'s which is the best answer.

[  ]  Increasing the block width in a wide memory organization
(increases, decreases) the hit rate.
 
[  ]  Increasing the block width in a wide memory organization
(increases, decreases) the miss penalty (size constant).

[  ]  Increasing the block width in a wide memory organization
(always, sometimes, never) improves memory performance.

#4.  Having an n-way associative memory:

[  ]  Increasing n in a n-way associative memory organization
(increases, decreases) the hit rate.
 
[  ]  Increasing n in a n-way associative memory organization
(increases, decreases) the miss penalty.

[  ]  Increasing n in a n-way associative memory organization (always,
sometimes, never) improves memory performance.

#5.  Match answers to questions.

A. Dirty Bit
B. Valid Bit
C. Index
D. Tag
E. Byte Offset
F. Last Bit or Age Count

[   ]  Part of the Block Address not used as Tag.
[   ]  Part of the Block Address not used as Index.
[   ]  Not used to address or flag data in the cache.
[   ]  Flag that shows the Block has been written from lower level.
[   ]  Flag that shows the Block has been just written by the CPU.
[   ]  In an Associative memory, shows which element in a block is the
oldest. 

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