Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Operating System

Computers are machines that perform tasks or calculations according to a set of instructions, or programs. The first fully electronic computers, introduced in the 1940s, were huge machines that required teams of people to operate. Compared to those early machines, today's computers are amazing. Not only are they thousands of times faster, they can fit on your desk, in your lap, or even in your pocket.

Computers work through an interaction of hardware and software. Hardware refers to the parts of a computer that you can see and touch, including the case and everything inside it. The most important piece of hardware is a tiny rectangular chip inside your computer called the central processing unit (CPU), or microprocessor. It's the "brain" of your computer—the part that translates instructions and performs calculations. Hardware items such as your monitor, keyboard, mouse, printer, and other components are often called hardware devices, or devices.

Software refers to the instructions, or programs, that tell the hardware what to do. A word processing program that you can use to write letters on your computer is a type of software. The operating system (OS) is software that manages your computer and the devices connected to it. Two well-known operating systems are Windows and Mac OS. Your computer uses the Windows operating system.

ENIAC PC (1946)

Introduced in 1946, ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) was the first general-purpose electronic computer. It was built for the United States military to calculate the paths of artillery shells. Physically, ENIAC was enormous, weighing more than 27,000 kilograms (60,000 pounds) and filling a large room. To process data, ENIAC used about 18,000 vacuum tubes, each the size of a small light bulb. The tubes burned out easily and had to be constantly replaced.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

XEON BY INTEL

The Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® processor 7300 series, based on the Intel® Core™ microarchitecture, offers leading scalable performance and best-in-class virtualization for server consolidation.

Experience up to 2x greater scalable performance¹ 2.5x greater virtualization performance², and 3x performance per watt³ than the industry-leading Dual-Core Intel Xeon processor in the same power envelope. These quad-core-based servers enable you to be more productive and reduce data center space, power and administration/operation costs by consolidating your data center onto fewer servers.

80-watt Intel Xeon processors set new standards in energy efficiency. The E7340, E7330, E7320 processors provide 15 percent up to 47 percent decreases in power.◊ For ultradense deployments the 50-watt Intel Xeon processor L7345 provides 47 percent up to 67 percent decrease in power§ from Intel® dual-core 95- and 150-watt processors.


sSpec Number:
CPU Speed:
PCG:
Bus Speed:
Bus/Core Ratio:
L2 Cache Size:
L2 Cache Speed:
SL9YM
2.66 GHz

1333 MHz
8
8 MB
2.66 GHz
Package Type:
Manufacturing Technology:
Core Stepping:
CPUID String:
Thermal Design Power:
Thermal Specification:
VID Voltage Range:
LGA771
65 nm
B3
06F7h
120W
65°C
1.162V-1.200V

linux on xeon

$ uname -a
Linux lanmaster 2.6.22-14-generic #1 SMP Sun Oct 14 21:45:15 GMT 2007 x86_64 GNU/Linux

$ cat /proc/cpuinfo
processor : 0
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 15
model : 4
model name : Intel(R) Xeon(TM) CPU 3.20GHz
stepping : 1
cpu MHz : 3200.210
cache size : 1024 KB
physical id : 0
siblings : 2
core id : 0
cpu cores : 1
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 5
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm syscall nx lm constant_tsc pni monitor ds_cpl cid cx16 xtpr
bogomips : 6404.88
clflush size : 64
cache_alignment : 128
address sizes : 36 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
power management:

processor : 1
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 15
model : 4
model name : Intel(R) Xeon(TM) CPU 3.20GHz
stepping : 1
cpu MHz : 3200.210
cache size : 1024 KB
physical id : 3
siblings : 2
core id : 0
cpu cores : 1
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 5
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm syscall nx lm constant_tsc pni monitor ds_cpl cid cx16 xtpr
bogomips : 6400.81
clflush size : 64
cache_alignment : 128
address sizes : 36 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
power management:

processor : 2
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 15
model : 4
model name : Intel(R) Xeon(TM) CPU 3.20GHz
stepping : 1
cpu MHz : 3200.210
cache size : 1024 KB
physical id : 0
siblings : 2
core id : 0
cpu cores : 1
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 5
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm syscall nx lm constant_tsc pni monitor ds_cpl cid cx16 xtpr
bogomips : 6400.78
clflush size : 64
cache_alignment : 128
address sizes : 36 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
power management:

processor : 3
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 15
model : 4
model name : Intel(R) Xeon(TM) CPU 3.20GHz
stepping : 1
cpu MHz : 3200.210
cache size : 1024 KB
physical id : 3
siblings : 2
core id : 0
cpu cores : 1
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 5
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm syscall nx lm constant_tsc pni monitor ds_cpl cid cx16 xtpr
bogomips : 6400.85
clflush size : 64
cache_alignment : 128
address sizes : 36 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
power management:

$ dmesg | grep -i throttling
[ 55.718656] ACPI: Processor [CPU0] (supports 8 throttling states)
[ 55.718683] ACPI: Processor [CPU1] (supports 8 throttling states)
[ 55.718704] ACPI: Processor [CPU2] (supports 8 throttling states)
[ 55.718725] ACPI: Processor [CPU3] (supports 8 throttling states)

$ lsmod | grep -i cpufreqcpufreq_stats 8160 0
cpufreq_conservative 9608 0
cpufreq_userspace 6048 0
cpufreq_powersave 3072 0
cpufreq_ondemand 10896 0
freq_table 6464 2 cpufreq_stats,cpufreq_ondemand

$ sudo modprobe acpi_cpufreq
FATAL: Error inserting acpi_cpufreq (/lib/modules/2.6.22-14-generic/kernel/arch/x86_64/kernel/cpufreq/acpi-cpufreq.ko): No such device

$ sudo cpufreq-selector -g ondemand
No cpufreq support

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Architecture

To design optimized code to run on Pentium III and future IA-32 processors, the best approach is to optimize with a forward-looking perspective. The IA-32 Intel® Architecture Optimization Reference Manual (Order Number 248966) addresses the programmer?s need to deliver highly-optimized results for current and future generations of IA-32 processors using a common code base. The IA-32 Intel® Architecture Optimization Reference Manual is the recommended reference manual for creating highly-optimized applications to run on Pentium III and Pentium 4 processors.

The Intel® Architecture Optimization Reference Manual (Order number 245127) provides information on the micro-architecture of the Pentium III processor, and describes code optimization techniques to enable you to tune your application for optimized results specifically on Pentium Pro, Pentium II and Pentium III processors.

86 Family CPU

No one can seem to tell me the difference between the two (45nm and x38)? What do these numbers mean, and are they both just CPU’s of different generations? I can’t seem to see these numbers in any specifications for processors, so how do you know which processors are which? I hope you can help, since no one I know can tell me. It’s important because I want to buy a new motherboard and want to make sure everything is compatible. Also, if you can tell me, what does the 775 number mean? I sent a copy of this to my brother, who knows a lot more about computers than I do.


A few quick answers for you:

The 775 number refers to a “775 socket”. A computer’s CPU will plug into a certain type of slot on the motherboard. The 775 socket is a certain type of slot. If you have a motherboard with a 775 socket type, and you’re purchasing a CPU for it, you want to make sure the CPU is also a 775 socket type.

The “x38″ number you mention is probably a partial description. It’s most likely a variation of “x386″ or “x86″. A 386 processor or “x86″ processor is a certain type of CPU used in old computers. Compared to today’s machines, this processor was very slow.

Finally, “45nm”: This is a certain type of advanced processor. Read for more detail on the 45nm semiconductor.

All these numbers are pretty technical, and are generally not considered when purchasing a new PC. (That’s for the general population - if you’re a techie, these numbers might be pretty important!) Also see this link for minimum hardware recommendations when purchasing a new computer.

Intel® Core™2 Extreme quad-core processor

When more is better-with four processing cores the Intel Core 2 Extreme processor delivers unrivaled¹ performance for the latest, greatest generation of multi-threaded games and multimedia apps.
Now with a new version based on Intel's cutting edge 45nm technology utilizing hafnium-infused circuitry to deliver even greater performance and power efficiency. The Intel® Core™2 Extreme processor QX9770 running at 3.2 GHz delivers the best possible experience for today's most demanding users.
* 12 MB of total L2 cache * 1600 MHz front side bus
Intel® Core™2 Extreme mobile processorExperience the world's highest performing mobile processor². Bar none. Now you have the performance to play the latest multi-threaded games anywhere, with the Intel® Core™2 Extreme dual-core mobile processor X9000.
* 6 MB of shared L2 cache * 800 MHz front side bus
Now every new Mac ships with an Intel processor. Experience delightful responsiveness from the smallest Mac mini to the most beefed-up Mac Pro. Use one of more than 7,000 universal applications that take full advantage of the Intel chip. Run programs from your PowerPC-based Mac in translation. Powered by Intel chips, your new Mac will do all those things that only Macs can do — and do so at an astonishing level of performance.IntelThe new Mac core
Every Mac uses a chip based on Intel Core technology, the next generation in processor design from the world’s leading chip maker. The result of massive R&D effort involving thousands of engineers. An entire collection of revolutions shrunk into an unimaginably small space, consuming less energy, too. Two cores work together to share resources, and are designed to conserve power when their functions aren’t required. Whether in an ultra-sleek MacBook, or workstation class Mac Pro, Intel Core technology lets you get more power with less power.Mac Pro and Final Cut StudioFour on the floor
And that means pure creative exhilaration with four 64-bit cores inside the new Mac Pro. The Core-based Intel Xeon is so power efficient, that Apple engineers were able to remove the liquid cooling system from the previous Power-PC based model. Which means you can load up the Mac Pro with more cards, more hard drives, more memory. So you can do more with Final Cut Studio, Aperture, Logic Pro, and the growing number of universal applications for creative professionals.Intel Core DuoDual-roar
The Intel Core 2 Duo is actually two processors (cores) engineered onto a single chip — offering virtually twice the computational power of a traditional single processor in the same space. With two cores tightly integrated, increased L2 cache, and a host of engineering breakthroughs, the Intel Core 2 Duo delivers higher performance for all the things you do — from enhancing the family photos to rendering special effects for a feature film.