Computer Systems From a Programmer’s Perspective
This book is written for programmers who want to build faster and more reliable programs. It is organized according to chapters and covers topics such as processor architecture and virtual memory. In addition, the book covers topics such as system-level I/O and concurrent programming. The author also explains how program instructions are mapped onto a system and how they are executed.
Chapters 4 (Processor Architecture) and 5 (Optimizing Program Performance)
Memory is the most important area to optimize for performance. The goal of memory optimization is to make full use of hardware resources, and to use as little slow-access memory as possible. The chapter also covers the different types of memory. Understanding which types of memory are best serves particular purposes and how to optimize them is a key part of the process.
Chapter 9 (Virtual Memory)
In Chapter 9 of Computer Systems From a Programmer’s Perspective, we will discuss Virtual Memory, a topic that’s crucial to any programmer’s knowledge. Virtual memory is an abstraction that programs use to store and retrieve data. To understand virtual memory, you must first understand the various memory management methods, including memory allocation and garbage collection. In this chapter, you will also learn about the importance of data locality and cache memory.
The chapter also discusses the file system and how it’s used to organize data and instructions. In addition, you’ll learn about the UNIX Fast File System, file systems, and virtual machines. Then, you’ll learn about virtual memory page swapping and memory hierarchy. Finally, you’ll learn about hardware caching and how virtual memory is used by operating systems.
Virtual memory is a great tool for computer programmers. It makes programming easier by separating the physical memory and the logical address space. Then, you can easily swap data between these two areas, reducing the physical memory requirement and speeding up overall system performance.
Virtual memory was developed when physical memory was expensive and limited. Often, computers had a limited amount of RAM and would eventually run out of space when running multiple programs. By using a portion of the hard drive as virtual memory, a system can load larger programs and run more programs simultaneously.
Chapter 12 (Concurrent Programming)
Concurrent programming is a technique that involves multiple independent programs executing the same tasks. This technique makes use of a synchronization mechanism, which allows multiple threads to execute the same program. The synchronization mechanism can be implemented by using various methods, such as a mailbox, binary semaphore, or FIFO queue.
Concurrent programming in computer systems is the execution of multiple instruction sequences at the same time. It occurs in operating systems where multiple process threads are running in parallel, communicating with each other via shared memory and message passing. This allows for the sharing of resources and avoids deadlocks and resource starvation. Concurrent processes are also called interleaved or overlapped processes.
Chapters 10 (System-Level I/O)
System-level I/O involves the creation of disk images and reading and writing from them. The fstat and stat functions can perform these operations. The metadata returned by these functions is stored in the struct stat. Among other things, this structure contains the filename, device, inode, protection, and user and group IDs. It also provides information about the total size of the device and when the file was last accessed.
Chapter 11 (Network Programming)
Computer systems are fundamental to many applications. Understanding how the hardware and software work together is essential if you’re going to create a computer system or create a software application. This book covers many topics including hardware architecture, security, and embedded systems. Written by Carnegie Mellon professors, Computer Systems from a Programmer’s Perspective will help you develop an understanding of the basics of computing.
The book introduces important computer concepts and demonstrates how they impact application programs. It also includes an extensive set of labs that will prepare you for future computer systems courses. Whether you plan to take an advanced course in computer science or are simply looking to brush up on your knowledge of computer systems, this textbook will provide you with the tools to succeed.
Computer systems from a programmer’s viewpoint outlines the underlying elements of computer systems and how they affect general application performance. It also teaches students how to write better applications by solving common programming problems. The book teaches students how to build and debug programs using various software technologies and pitfalls.
Chapter 11 (Network programming) covers the intricacies of network programming and the protocols that make it work. Although this chapter can be boring, it is essential for understanding how a network works. This chapter introduces how to implement and use primitives, such as goto statements.
