IT 100- 08 IT Fundamentals Lecture 3Computer Systems
During the Second Lecture …
We talked about the evolution of computers
How initial computers were mechanical, and then came electro-mechanicals, then tube-based, and finally transistor based, and how the future belongs to quantum computers
We discussed how the size is drastically decreasing with time and how their capability is increasing year by year
Today’s Goal
1. To learn to classify computers according to their capability and targeted applications
2. To find out about the essential building blocks that make up a modern computer
Performance is judge by the:
Amount of data that can be stored in memory
Speed of internal operation of the computer
Number and type of peripheral devices
Amount and type of software available for use with the computer
Computer Types According to Capability
Supercomputers
Mainframes
Servers
Desktops
Portables
Supercomputers (1)
State-of-the-art machines designed to perform calculations as fast as the current technology allows
Used to solve extremely complex and large-scale problems: weather prediction, simulation of atomic explosions; aircraft design; movie animation
Cost tens of millions of dollars
Unique in that unlike mainframes & personal computers, designed to focus all their resources and capabilities on a single task at a time
Supercomputers (2)
Early supercomputers used a single or a few processors working in parallel
Those processors were custom-built for the supercomputers, and were, therefore, very expensive
Modern supercomputers use the same processors that are used in desktop PCs. They, however, are designed to use 1000’s of them working together in parallel
Why use many not-so-powerful processors working in parallel
Why not just design a single, really powerful processorPost your answers on YG
?
?
Processor board of a CRAY YMP vector computer
The Champion: ASCI White Most powerful computer as of February
2002 Capable of 12.3 trillion calculations/sec
74,000 times faster than Cray 1 (1976) 1,000 times faster than Deep Blue (1997)
Designed for complex 3-D simulations required for testing nuclear weapons
Powered by 8192 microprocessors 6 TB of memory; 160 TB of storage
capacity
Jaguar : Cray XT5
As of June 2010, Jaguar is the world's most powerful computer according to TOP500.
Peak performance of just over 1750 teraflops (1.75 petaflops)
Has 224, 256 Opteron processor cores
Operates with a version of Linux called Cray Linux Environment.
300TB of memory;
Mainframe Computers (1)
Also called “Enterprise Servers”
Designed for performing multiple, intensive tasks for multiple users simultaneously
Used by large businesses (e.g. banks, e-commerce sites), military, and industrial organizations
Mainframe Computers (2)
Designed for very-high reliability
Can be serviced/upgraded while in operation
Generally consist of multiple processors, GB’s of memory, and TB’s of storage
Cost in millions of dollars
Servers/Minicomputers (1) The name minicomputers used to
define the class of computers that lies between personal computers and mainframes
Then very high-end desktop computers – called low-end or mid-range servers – took over the role that was previously played by minicomputers
Servers/Minicomputers (2)
Low-end and mid-range servers are used by small businesses and organizations as file-stores, to run e-mail systems and Web sites
Generally are more reliable than desktops, but not as solid as the mainframes
Generally consist of 2 or more processors, GB’s of memory, and TB’s of storage
Costs in hundreds of thousands of dollars
Desktop Computers (1)
Also called microcomputers
Low-end desktops are called PC’s and high-end ones “Workstations”
Generally consist of a single processor only, some times 2, along with GB’s of memory, and GB’s of storage
Desktop Computers (2)
PC’s are used for running productivity applications, Web surfing, messaging
Workstations for more demanding tasks like low-end 3-D simulations and other engineering & scientific apps
Are not as reliable and fault-tolerant as servers
Workstations cost a few thousand dollars; PC around a $1000
Mobile Computers (1) Laptops, palmtops, and wearable computers
are very capable computers but are light-weight and consume very little power
Laptops (also called notebook computers) generally weigh around 2kg, use special low-power processors, typically have 1GB memory, 320GB of storage, can work for more than 2 hours on battery
Their usage is similar to that of PCs
They cost in the range of $1500-2500
Mobile Computers (2)
Palmtops, also known as PDA’s - Personal Digital Assistants
Weigh less than a pound, have very low-power processors, KB’s of memory, MB’s of storage capacity
Can run for many hours on AA batteries
Used as an electronic version of a pocket diary. Also for Web surfing and e-mail or even as mobile phones
Palmtops cost $200-600
Mobile Computers (3)
Wearables are small in size, carried in a pocket, worn on the arm, waist, or head or elsewhere on the body
Capability similar to PDA’s, but more expensive
They are always ON, and always accessible. That is, the user can always enter and execute commands, even while walking around or doing other activities
Each soldier of the future will be fitted with one
Picture of a wearable computer
Ranking w.r.t. installed number
PC’s PDA’s Workstations Servers Wearables (will take the top spot in
future) Mainframes Supercomputers
Now that we have learnt about the various types of computers and about their typical applications, let’s move on to a new topic
Let’s now find out about the essential components that are present in every type of computers
At the highest level, two things are required for computing
Hardware: The physical equipment in a computing environment such as the computer and its peripheral devices (printers, speakers, etc.)
Software: The set of instructions that operates various parts of the hardware. Also termed as “computer program”
We’ll have a lot to say about software during the duration of this course
However, for the rest of today’s discussion, let’s concentrate on hardware
All computers have the following essential hardware components:
Input – the component through which a user instructs a computer about what to do
Processor – the engine that processes the instructions given by the user
Memory – where the processor stores information that is required during its computations
Storage – where information that is required to be used much later is stored
Output – the component that communicates the results of a computation to the user
There is another quite essential component that is present in every computer …
????
The Bus!
Keyboard Mouse
PrinterMemory
HardDisk
MemoryBus
System Bus
Monitor
CompactDisk
Processor
IntegerUnit
ControlUnit
CacheMemory
FloatingPointUnit
Input Devices
Mouse Keyboard Joystick Camera Micropho
ne Scanner
What’s a Port?
Port
The connection point at which we connect input and output devices to a computer
Many Types of Ports
1. Parallel2. Serial3. SCSI4. USB5. Firewir
e
Processor
Pentium Celeron Athlon PowerPC StrongARM (PDA) Crusoe (Laptops) SPARC
(Workstations)
Memory/Storage
RAM Punch cards ROM Hard disk Floppy disk Tape CD DVD
Classifying Memory/Storage
Electronic (RAM, ROM)magnetic (HD, FD, Tape), optical (CD, DVD)
Volatile (RAM), non-volatile (HD)
Direct access (RAM, HD), serial access (Tape)
Read/write (HD, RAM), read-only (CD)
Output Devices
Printer
Plotter
Speakers
Monitor
modeminput device or output device?
modem
modulatordemodulatorom demmodem
Modem is an example of a device that acts both as an input as well as an output device
Can you think of any other such dual-purpose devices?
Network card Touch screens
What have we learnt today?
What are the various types of computers with respect to their size, capability, applications (FIVE TYPES)
The five essential components of any computer are input devices, processor, memory, storage and output devices
Next time we’ll find out about
1. What are the major building blocks of a modern personal computer?
2. How those building blocks are put together to form a PC?
Firewire
Parallel Port
Serial Port
USB Port