A term that is often used interchangeably with computer architecture is instruction set architecture (ISA). The ISA defines instruction formats, instruction opcodes, registers, instruction and data memory; the effect of executed instructions on the registers and memory; and an algorithm for controlling instruction execution. The ISA serves as the boundary between the software and hardware.
Computer architecture includes the following areas:
• the fundamental physical components that constitute a computer system (the hardware)
• the kind of instructions/language the computer can understand
• the underlying computer technology that manipulates these instructions (sometimes referred to as microarchitecture).
Computer architecture specifies
– Functionality of major components
– Interconnections among components
Types of Computer Architecture:
*Von-Neumann Architecture
*Harvard Architecture
*Instruction Set Architecture
*Microarchitecture
*System Design
Computer architecture
