Consider the following analogy for the concept of caching. A serviceman comes to

Question

Consider the following analogy for the concept of caching. A serviceman comes to a house to repair the heating system. He carries a toolbox that contains a number of tools that he has used recently in similar jobs. He uses these tools repeatedly, until he reaches a point where other tools are needed. It is likely that he has the required tools in his truck outside the house. But, if the needed tools are not in the truck, he must go to his shop to get them.

Suppose we argue that the toolbox, the truck, and the shop correspond to the L1 cache, the L2 cache, and the main memory of a computer. How good is this analogy? Discuss its correct and incorrect features.      

Explanation / Answer

I would say overall that this is a good analogy. The comparison of tools to resources and his toolbox being the cache memory is where the analogy stands correct.
If the tool in his hand is not the necessary tool just like if the resource fetched is not the necessary resource then you can go back into the cache memory as simply as you would to go back into your toolbox to locate the correct tool or value.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse C
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.