When you think about it, your computer is really just a collection of hardware components and software programs that work together to perform complex tasks. But how do these components and programs interact with each other?
That’s where system resources come in. System resources are tools used by either hardware or software to communicate with each other. For example, when you save a file to your hard drive, the software uses system resources to communicate with the device. Similarly, when you press a key on your keyboard, the hardware uses system resources to get the CPU’s attention.
There are four types of system resources: memory addresses, input/output addresses, interrupt requests, and direct memory access channels. Memory addresses are like seat numbers in a theater – each one corresponds to a specific location in memory that can hold data or instructions. Input/output addresses, or ports, are used by the CPU to access hardware devices in the same way it uses memory addresses to access physical memory.
Interrupt requests are how hardware devices call the CPU for attention. For example, when you press a key on your keyboard, the keyboard sends a signal to the CPU via an interrupt request. The CPU then knows that the keyboard needs attention and can respond accordingly.
Finally, direct memory access channels (DMA) are a shortcut method that allows an input/output device to send data directly to memory, bypassing the CPU. This can be useful for slower devices like floppy drives, sound cards, and tape drives.
All of these system resources work together to enable communication between hardware and software. When you press a key on your keyboard, the hardware uses an interrupt request to get the CPU’s attention. The software then looks at memory as if it were a hardware device and calls it with a memory address. Meanwhile, DMA channels pass data back and forth between hardware devices and memory.
In conclusion, system resources are the key to how software interacts with hardware. By using memory addresses, input/output addresses, interrupt requests, and direct memory access channels, hardware and software can communicate and work together to perform complex tasks.