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APPENDIX A

Hardware and Software Basics

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Overview

HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE BASICS– Hardware Basics

– Computer Categories

– Software Basics

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INTRODUCTIONInformation technology (IT) - Any

computer-based tool that people use to work with information and support the information and information-processing needs of an organization– Hardware - Consists of the physical devices

associated with a computer system

– Software - The set of instructions that the hardware executes to carry out specific tasks

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HARDWARE BASICSComputer - An electronic device operating

under the control of instructions stored in its own memory that can accept, manipulate, and store data

Hardware components include:1. Central processing unit (CPU)2. Primary storage3. Secondary storage4. Input device5. Output device6. Communication device

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HARDWARE BASICS

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HARDWARE BASICS

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HARDWARE BASICS

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HARDWARE BASICS

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Central Processing Unit Central processing unit (CPU) (or microprocessor) -

The actual hardware that interprets and executes the program (software) instructions and coordinates how all the other hardware devices work together

Control unit - Interprets software instructions and literally tells the other hardware devices what to do, based on the software instructions

Arithmetic-logic unit (ALU) - Performs all arithmetic operations (for example, addition and subtraction) and all logic operations (such as sorting and comparing numbers)

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Central Processing UnitThe number of CPU cycles per second

determines the speed of a CPU – Megahertz (MHz) - The number of millions of

CPU cycles per second

– Gigahertz (GHz) - The number of billions of CPU cycles per second

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Central Processing UnitCPU speed factors

– Clock speed

– Word length

– Bus width

– Chip line width

Binary digit (bit) - The smallest unit of information that a computer can process

Byte - A group of eight bits representing one natural language character

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Advances in CPU DesignComplex instruction set computer (CISC) chip -

Type of CPU that can recognize as many as 100 or more instructions, enough to carry out most computations directly

Reduced instruction set computer (RISC) chip - Limit the number of instructions the CPU can execute to increase processing speed

Virtualization - A protected memory space created by the CPU allowing the computer to create virtual machines

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Primary StoragePrimary storage - The computer’s main

memory, which consists of the random access memory (RAM), cache memory, and the read-only memory (ROM) that is directly accessible to the CPU

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Random Access Memory (RAM)

Random access memory (RAM) - The computer’s primary working memory, in which program instructions and data are stored so that they can be accessed directly by the CPU via the processor’s high-speed external data bus– Volatility – Cache memory

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Random Access Memory (RAM)

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Read-Only Memory (ROM)

Read-only memory (ROM) - The portion of a computer’s primary storage that does not lose its contents when one switches off the power– Flash memory

– Memory card

– Memory stick

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Secondary Storage

Secondary storage - Consists of equipment designed to store large volumes of data for long-term storage– Megabyte (MB or M or Meg) - Roughly 1 million

bytes

– Gigabyte (GB) - Roughly 1 billion bytes

– Terabyte (TB) - Roughly 1 trillion bytes

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Secondary Storage

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Magnetic Medium

Magnetic medium - A secondary storage medium that uses magnetic techniques to store and retrieve data on disks or tapes coated with magnetically sensitive materials

Magnetic tape - An older secondary storage medium that uses a strip of thin plastic coated with a magnetically sensitive recording medium

Hard drive - A secondary storage medium that uses several rigid disks coated with a magnetically sensitive material and housed together with the recording heads in a hermetically sealed mechanism

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Optical MediumOptical medium types include:

– Compact disk-read-only memory (CD-ROM) – Compact disk-read-write (CD-RW) drive– Digital video disk (DVD) – DVD-ROM drive– Digital video disk-read/write (DVD-RW)

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Input DevicesInput device - Equipment used to capture

information and commands

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Input Devices

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Output Devices

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Output Devices

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Communication DevicesCommunication device - Equipment

used to send information and receive it from one location to another– Dial-up access– Cable– Digital subscriber line– Wireless– Satellite

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COMPUTER CATEGORIESFor the past 20 years, federally funded

supercomputing research has given birth to some of the computer industry’s most significant technology breakthroughs including:– Clustering

– Parallel processing

– Mosaic browser

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COMPUTER CATEGORIESComputer categories include:

– Personal digital assistant (PDA) – Laptop– Tablet– Desktop– Workstation – Minicomputer – Mainframe computer– Supercomputer

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SOFTWARE BASICS

System software - Controls how the various technology tools work together along with the application software– Operating system software

– Utility software

– Application software

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Utility SoftwareTypes of utility software

– Crash-proof – Disk image– Disk optimization – Encrypt data– File and data recovery – Preventative security – Spyware – Uninstaller

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Application SoftwareTypes of application software

– Bowser– Communication– Data management– Desktop publishing– Email– Groupware– Presentation graphics– Programming– Spreadsheet– Word processing