All of the answers are correct.
Unfinished paper.
Technique Review
- When writing 1 markers, consider the purpose and application.
- Always think about the marks.
- Include examples.
- Think about the context.
Exam
1.a.
Data bus - carries binary data between the CPU and memory, i.e., data being read from memory, data being written to memory Address bus - carries the binary address from the CPU to memory to indicate where memory is being written to/read from Control bus - carries control signals from the CPU to computer components
1.b.i.
Input device Device name: mouse Example use: to interface with the GUI of the game development tools
Output device Device name: monitor Example use: to display the GUI of the game development tools
1.b.ii.
Type of storage: magnetic Reason: magnetic storage, particularly HDDs, are quite affordable - especially for students like Charlie - but yet also provide a large amount of storage - should mention GBP/storage, i.e., magnetic storage, such as HDDs, are quite affordable for large amounts of storage which students such as Charlie need for storing high definition photos and videos
1.c.ii.
Benefit 1: more effective at displaying graphics (due to the large amount of difficult/repetitive mathematical operations) than the CPU since the GPU is specialised for mathematics - this allows for computer games to render better quality graphics Benefit 2: allows for the CPU to perform other operations whilst the GPU is processing/calculating the graphic
1.d.i.
Multi-tasking
1.d.ii.
The multi-level feedback queue scheduling algorithm is split into different levels of priority, i.e., high priority, low priority. The tasks are executed by levels of priority, performing higher-level priority tasks over lower-level priority tasks. Different CPU cores are assigned different priorities for inherent simultaneous execution.
1.d.iii.
Notes used:
- Used for I/O devices like a mouse
- Translates communication between the driver and mouse into a usable format for the operating system
- Could also mention: drivers are OS specific
A driver is used for I/O devices such as a mouse. It translates the communication between the driver and mouse into a usable format for the operating system. This is because operating systems do not inherently know how to communicate with all possible devices - for example, a custom-new mouse with special technology. Without a driver for this mouse, the computer would not know how to communicate with it.
1.e. Utility 1: anti-malware Purpose: prevent to installation/infection of malware on the computer, keeping it safe from potential threats
Utility 2: disk defragmenter Purpose: cluster and re-organise data in secondary storage to speed up the retrieval, this is effective for HDDs since they are magnetic and need to spin around discs in order to retrieve data
2.a.i.
Difference 1: The Harvard architecture has separate memory units for both instructions and data, whereas the Von Neumann has only one memory unit which holds both data and instructions together. One benefit of the Harvard architecture is that it allows for simultaneous access to both memory and instructions. Difference 2: The Von Neumann architecture has shared buses for both instructions and data, whereas the Harvard architecture has separate buses with the same purpose for each memory unit.
2.a.ii.
Benefit 1: pipelining allows for the CPU to run more efficiently, for example, fetching an instruction whilst another is being decoded Benefit 2: pipelining allows for the illusion of multi-tasking with just one core
2.a.iii.
Difference 1: CISC has a large number of complex, specific instructions, whereas RISC has lesser, basic instructions. This means that complex instructions which could be used in a CISC processor have to be broken down into multiple instructions for RISC. (bad - too complex, boils down to the same point) Difference 2: Pipelining for CISC is much more complex since the execution of some instructions may take multiple cycles, whereas pipelining for RISC is much more basic and follows the original pipelining design. Difference 2: CISC aims to perform instructions in more than one cycle (i.e., large AX512 instructions), whereas RISC aims to perform instructions in exactly one cycle.
2.a.iv.
A multi-core CPU allows for parallel processing, and therefore, working on multiple tasks (fetch-decode-execute cycles) at the same time in a faster manner than as if with just one core.
This is a benefit because it allows for more instructions to be performed per second.
2.b.
Points:
- Data security - thin client only transmits mouse/keyboard input, receives images/sound, much harder to intercept, no “raw” data, thick client transmits the data itself - easier to intercept despite encryption
- Time - thin client may represent the wrong time for the client, thick client may transmit the wrong time for the server
- Network - thin client demands much more network bandwidth than thick client since it it is constantly transmitting inputs, images, etc., whereas the thick client is only transmitting the database data
- Thin client - virtual machine
- Thick client - virtual storage (cloud storage)
Paragraph 1: (broken down)
The thin client is much more secure in terms of data security. For example, the database OCR Consultants is working with may hold sensitive information of users - this is a risk if exposed for the company. Since the thin client is remotely accessing a virtual machine running under a hypervisor, performing the actions of the user - it only transmits the required mouse/keyboard inputs and only retrieves images of the screen and captures sound.
This means that the data transmitted across the network/internet is much harder for attackers to intercept and decipher, restricting what they can retrieve and preventing them from accessing the data in a raw form itself, since only the data represented in the image, whereas the thick client transmits the data itself since it remotely access the database, giving attackers a wider attack-vector.
However, the thick client approach may also be better for data security since a large number of operations are performed locally without the need for network access.
(bad evaluation - does not link back to the topic) However, this approach to data security requires the thin client to have a strong internet connection and may introduce severe input delay making it hard for employees to use.
Paragraph 2: (broken down)
The thin client approach demands much more internet bandwidth than the thick client approach.
For example, employees may only be able to work from a corporate building rather than a café since the thin client requires fast internet access with a high bandwidth. This is because the client is actively transmitting both mouse and keyboard input, whilst retrieving multiple images per second to display the data to the client.
However, the thick client approach does not have the same limitations since only minimal data is transferred across the network/internet for the client to operate since it instead accesses virtual storage where the database is held and downloads it onto the client.
However, this could cause the client to experience data synchronisation issues if the bandwidth is too slow or if the local database copy is outdate.
Could also reference synchronisation issues with time.