Bus
In computing, a bus is an electronic pathway used to transfer data, addresses, and control signals between internal components like the CPU and memory, and external peripherals such as keyboards and printers. Buses enable communication by sending signals along these shared pathways and are categorized by their function, like the address bus, data bus, and control bus, or by their location and purpose, such as internal (system) buses for core functions and external (peripheral) buses for connecting devices.
Key Characteristics
Shared Pathway: A bus is a common set of wires or connections that allows multiple components to share a single communication channel.
Signal Types:
Different parts of a bus handle specific types of signals:
Address Bus: Specifies the memory location or device to be accessed.
Data Bus: Carries the actual data to and from components. Control Bus: Transmits commands, status information, and timing signals to synchronize operations.
Performance Factors:
Key performance metrics include:
Bus Width: The number of bits that can be transferred simultaneously, with a wider bus transferring more data per cycle.
Bus Speed (or Clock Speed): The rate at which signals are transferred, typically measured in MHz or GHz.
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