utasításfolyam

An utasításfolyam, or instruction stream, is a sequence of instructions executed by a computer's central processing unit (CPU). It is a fundamental concept in computer architecture and programming, representing the flow of control in a program. The instruction stream is typically stored in the computer's memory and fetched by the CPU in a sequential manner, although modern architectures may employ techniques such as pipelining and branch prediction to optimize performance.

Each instruction in the stream is a command that tells the CPU to perform a specific operation, such as arithmetic calculations, data movement, or control flow changes. Instructions are usually encoded in a binary format known as machine code, which is specific to the CPU's instruction set architecture (ISA). The instruction stream is generated by compiling or interpreting a high-level programming language source code into machine code.

The concept of an utasításfolyam is closely related to the von Neumann architecture, which is the basis for most modern computer systems. In this architecture, both instructions and data are stored in the same memory space, and the CPU fetches and executes instructions from this memory in a continuous stream.

Modern computer systems often employ various techniques to optimize the execution of the instruction stream, such as caching, out-of-order execution, and speculative execution. These techniques aim to improve performance by reducing the time spent waiting for instructions and data, and by allowing the CPU to execute instructions more efficiently.