The control bus is a computer bus through which signals are transmitted that determine the nature of the exchange of information on the highway. The control signals determine what operation (reading or writing information from the memory ) needs to be performed, synchronize the exchange of information between devices, etc.
This bus does not have the same clear structure as a data bus or address bus . The control bus conditionally combines a set of lines that transmit various control signals from the processor to all peripheral devices and vice versa. The control bus contains lines transmitting the following signals [1] :
- RD - read signal;
- WR - recording signal;
- MREQ - initialization signal for memory devices ( RAM or ROM );
- IORQ - I / O port initialization signal.
In addition, the control bus signals include: READY - ready signal, RESET - reset signal.