Computer Hardware

1. Computer Hardware

2. Learning Objectives • Understand the history and evolution of computer hardware. • Identify the major types and uses of microcomputer, midrange, and mainframe computer systems. • Outline the major technologies and uses of computer peripherals for input, output, and storage.

3. Learning Objectives • Identify and give examples of the components and functions of a computer system. • Identify the computer systems and peripherals you would acquire or recommend for a business of your choice, and explain the reasons for your selection.

4. Information System Resources

6. Early Computing • 1880s • Punched cards turned sensors On or Off • 1946 • ENIAC • First Digital computer - programmable • Used vacuum tubes • Would fill room 39 ft by 39 ft • Late 1950s • Transistors replaced vacuum tubes • Smaller, faster, cooler

7. Waves of Computing • First Generation - Prior to 1950 • Vacuum tubes • Second Generation - Late 1950s • Transistors & integrated circuits – Jack Kilby • 200,000 to 250,000 calculations per second • Third Generation - Mid-1960s • Integrated circuitry and miniaturization • Fourth Generation - 1971 • Further miniaturization • Multiprogramming and virtual storage • Fifth Generation - 1980s • Millions of calculations per second

8. Age of Microcomputers • 1975 • MITS introduced ALTAIR 8800. • 1977 • Commodore and Radio Shack • 1979 • Apple computer, fastest selling • Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak • 1982 • IBM introduced the PC • Changed the market

9. Categories of Computer Systems

10. Mainframe Computer Systems • Large, fast, powerful computer systems • Large primary storage capacity • High transaction processing • Handles complex computations • Widely used as superservers for… • Large client/server networks • High-volume Internet websites • Becoming popular computing platform for… • Electronic commerce applications • Data mining and warehousing

11. Midrange Systems • High-end network servers • Large-scale processing of business applications • Not as powerful as mainframes • Less expensive to buy, operate, and maintain • Often used to manage • Large Internet websites • Corporate intranets and extranets • Integrated, enterprise-wide applications • Used as front-end servers • Assist mainframes with telecommunications and networks

12. Supercomputer Systems • Extremely powerful systems • Scientific, engineering, and business applications • Massive numeric computations • Markets include… • Government research agencies • Large universities • Major corporations • Uses parallel processing • Billions to trillions of operations per second • (gigaflops and teraflops) • Costs $5 to $50 million

13. Recommended PC Features

14. Corporate PC Criteria • Solid performance, reasonable price • Operating system ready • Connectivity • Network interface cards • Wireless capabilities

15. Information Appliances • Hand-held microcomputer devices • Known as personal digital assistants (PDAs) • Web-enabled • Touch screens, handwriting recognition, keypads • Access email or the Web • Exchange data with desktop PCs or servers • Latest entrant is the BlackBerry • PDAs include • Video-game consoles • Cellular and PCS phones • Telephone-based home email appliances • iPhone 4 and smart phones

16. Computer System Concept

17. Computer Processing Speeds • Commonly called “clock speed” • Early computers • Milliseconds (thousandths of a second) • Microseconds (millionths of a second) • Current computers • Nanoseconds (billionth of a second) • Picoseconds (trillionth of a second) • Program instruction processing speeds • Megahertz (millions of cycles per second) • Gigahertz (billions of cycles per second)

18. Moore’s Law

19. Peripherals Advice

20. Input Technologies • Keyboard • Graphical User Interface (GUI) • Electronic Mouse • Trackball • Pointing stick • Touchpad • Touch screen

21. Pen-Based Computing • Used in Tablet PCs and PDAs • Pressure-sensitive layer, similar to touch screen, under liquid crystal display screen • Software digitizes handwriting, hand printing, and hand drawing

22. Speech Recognition Software • Digitize, analyze, and classify speech and sound patterns • Compares to sound patterns in its vocabulary • Passes recognized words to the application software • Speaker-independent voice recognition systems • Recognizes words from never heard voice • Voice-messaging computers

23. Optical Scanning • Converts text or graphics to digital • Document management library system • Scanners • Optical Character Recognition (OCR) • Reads characters and codes • Optical scanning wands

24. Optical Scanning • QR code?

25. Optical Scanning

26. Other Input Technologies • Magnetic Stripe on credit cards • Smart Cards • Digital Cameras • Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)

27. Output Technologies • Video Displays • Cathode-ray tube (CRT) • Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) • Plasma displays • Printed Output • Dot matrix • Character printers • Inkjet printers spray ink • Laser printers • Electrostatic process • Similar to a photocopying machine

28. Storage Tradeoffs

29. Representing Characters in Bytes

30. Using Binary Code to Calculate

31. Storage Capacity Measurement • Kilobyte (KB): one thousand bytes • Megabyte (MB): one million bytes • Gigabyte (GB): one billion bytes • Terabyte (TB): one trillion bytes • Petabyte (PB): one quadrillion bytes

32. Direct and Sequential Access

33. Types of Semiconductor Memory • Random Access Memory (RAM) • Most widely used primary storage medium • Volatile memory • Read/write memory • Read-Only Memory (ROM) • Permanent storage • Can be read, but not overwritten • Frequently used programs burnt into chips during manufacturing process • Called firmware • Flash Drive

34. Flash Drives • Jump drive, travel drive, etc. • Small chips thousands of transistors • Stores data virtually unlimited periods without power • Easily transported and highly durable • Storage capacity of up to 20 GB • New 1 TB • Plugs into any USB port

35. Direct Access – Magnetic Disk • Used for secondary storage • Fast access and high capacity • Reasonable cost

36. RAID Storage • Redundant Arrays of Independent Disks • Arrays of hard disk drives • Virtually unlimited online storage • 6 to more than 100 small hard disk drives in a single unit • Data are accessed in parallel over multiple paths from many disks • Redundant storage of data on several disks provides fault-tolerant capacity • Storage area networks can interconnect many RAID units

37. Magnetic Tape • Secondary storage • Tape reels, cassettes, and cartridges • Used in robotic, automated drive assemblies • Archival and backup storage • Lower-cost storage solution

38. Optical Disks

39. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) • One of the newest and fastest growing storage technologies • System for tagging and identifying moving objects • Merchandise, postal packages, casino chips, pets • Tag 1 inch square • Chips half the size of a grain of sand • Passive chips derive power from reader signal • Active chips are self-powered • Privacy Issues

40. Predictions for the Future • Biological memories • Health remedies • Longer life spans • Virtual activities • Memory recall

41. RWC 3: Grid (cloud) Computing • Grid (cloud) computing • Tapping into available computer power on other systems • Better use of underutilized hardware • Avoid dedicated hardware costs • Cancer Institute in New Jersey • Convert hundreds of thousands of images of cancerous tissues and cells into digital images. • Check accuracy • Diagnose and treat cancer patients faster and with more success.

42. RWC 4: Touch Screen Comes of Age • The WIMP - Windows, Icons, Menus, and Pointing devices dominated for 15 years. • New human interface technologies revolutionize interaction with computers. • Microsoft and Starwood Hotels & Resorts introduce surface computing • Gesture recognition is logical extension of touch technology

43. RWC 4: Touch Screen Comes of Age