1: Computer Hardware
Disk Cache
-a portion of RAM used to speed up access to data on a disk
-before reading the data from the disk, the operating system first checks if the data is in the cache
-data can be accessed from RAM much faster than from a disk
-disk caching increases performance
-may also predict what data is needed next so they can place that data in the cache ahead of time
RAM Cache
-RAM cache memory is (part of the main store) between the CPU and the rest of memory
-use of cache memory reduces processing time
Device Drivers
-required when devices (printers, PCs, etc) need to communicate
-enables devices to interface with each other
-a driver is a piece of software that ensures device and PC understand each other
-PCs require device driver software installed to interface with devices