“Computers for Dummies” By: Chris Moyer Topic 3.3 – Computing System Fundamentals Use these...

“Computers for Dummies”

By:

Chris

Moyer

Topic 3.3 – Computing

System Fundamentals

Use these arrows to navigate

3.3.1

• What is an “operating system”?

• Knowledge of specific operating systems is not required.

• An operating system is a collaborative effort of code working together with your hardware to allow any person (user) to be able to use hardware without extensive knowledge about it.

3.3.2

• What are some functions of an operating system?

• What does it do “behind the scenes”?

Functions of an OS• Communicating with and between peripherals allows for input and output

functions of hardware to work properly. For example: Your keyboard needs to work in conjunction with the USB Hub, then the processor and other hardware to display the key code as a letter on the screen.

• The operating system also provides a GUI that works on top of the kernel or text-based system to allow any user to use the system without difficulty.

Back to the Questions

“Behind the Scenes”

• Hardware has limited memory, so to handle extra information the Operating System will use the hard drive. For example: Windows uses a “page file” that is held on the same partition and can be dynamically expanded; Linux uses a “swap” which is a fixed size on a separate partition.

• It also coordinates the concurrent processing of jobs, which allows you to complete jobs more efficiently than having things processed one by one.


3.3.3

• What is Single Tasking and Multi-Tasking?• How is it related to Single/Multi- Users?

• What is multi-programming?

• What is multiprocessing? What’s the difference between hardware and software multiprocessing?

Single users and Multi-users

Single Tasking generally explains itself, it is the limit of one user only being able to one task at a time. Like the Palm OS.

Multi Tasking also is self-explanatory. It is unlimited in processing things simultaneously. Like the Android OS. Android can also have multiple users, being that anyone can write code for it.


What is multiprogramming?

• It is the concurrent processing of of data without user interaction.

• It is used very commonly today in hardware and software situations.

• Multi-access is having access to one file, or multiple, from many locations. This is usually done by a server.


Hardware Multiprocessing

This kind of multiprocessing is used very widely throughout the world today. It is the automated actions that occur to speed up the process of things, instead of waiting for human interaction.

EX: Processors don’t ask where to put the data into the RAM, it just does it while doing other things.


Software Multiprocessing

This kind of processing is the automation of programs and the interaction between people. EX: When you install a program, it does the directory creation, checks if there is enough disk space, and if your hardware meets the requirements before you install.

Programs also take advantage of APIs, like The Office Suite. Making it work much faster, having access to more information or other software.


3.3.4

• What would you consider certain types of computers?

• Personal computers?• Portable computers?• Supercomputers?• Mainframes?

Everyday Computers vs After Market Computers

-Lower grade components. Lower purity

-Primary Memory: 1 Gigabyte of DDR2(older) RAM with a higher timing (slower) ex: 7-7-7

-Secondary Memory: A 40 Gigabyte Pata HDD at 5400rpm

-I/O Devices: Mouse, keyboard, Internet

Environment: (Size: Small) (Convenience: Usually Word Processing or less intensive programs) Libraries, Schools, Public Locations.

Cost: $200 or less.

Users: Single / Multi-

Processor: Intel Pentium 4 with Hyper Threading

Word Length: 32-bit

Bus Speed: 800MHz

Frequency: 2400MHz (2.4GHz)

Cores: 1 (Simulated: 2)

-High quality components. High purity.

-Primary Memory: 16 Gigabytes of DDR3 RAM with a lower timing (faster) ex: 2.5-2.5-3

-Secondary Memory: A 1 Terabyte PCI-Express Card with Primary Memory at 1.4GB/s read/write

-I/O Devices: Wireless mouse, keyboard, and internet

Environment: (Size: Large) (Convenience: Useful in almost any situation) Libraries, Schools, Public Locations.

Cost: $5000 or more.


Processor: Intel Core i7 with Hyper Threading

Word Length: 64-bit

Bus Speed: 6.4 GT/s




Portable ComputersThere are many types of

portable computers, the main ones usually being laptops. Netbooks and Tablets are also in this category.

They function as desktops would, but provide the extreme portability as they consume less power.

Specifications for these computers usually follow low, and variate in, power consumption and slimmer components.

A typical configuration:-Primary Memory: 2 Gigabytes of DDR2 RAM

with a normal timing ex: 5-5-5

-Secondary Memory: A 64GB Solid State Drive with 200MB/s read/write

-I/O Devices: Integrated Track-pad, keyboard, and wireless internet (card)

Environment: (Size: Very Small) (Convenience: Extremely) Libraries, Schools, Public Locations.

Cost: $250 or more.


Processor: Intel Atom 560 with Hyper Threading

Word Length: 32-bit

Bus Speed: 533MHz




Supercomputers

• These systems are rare and are usually used by big companies or the government.

• Their purposes include brute-forcing high bit encryption algorithms and solving for pi.

The specs of a cray cx1 maxed are:

-Primary Memory: 768 Gigabytes of DDR3 RAM

-Secondary Memory: 4x1 TB SATA

-I/O Devices: mouse, keyboard, and internet (cards), blades.

Environment: (Size: About the same as a low end computer) (Convenience: Good) Homes, Businesses, and Government.

Cost: $4000 or more.


Processor: Intel Xeon 6C X5670 (24 cores)

Word Length: 64-bit

Bus Speed: 153.6GT/s

Frequency: per one 2.93GHz (up to 768Gigaflops)

Cores: up to 24


Mainframes

Mainframes are used mainly to process bulk things, such as census, statistics, and financial data.

This computer here is the jaguar, which happens to be a supercomputer. It’s capable of 1.75 petaflop/s which is the fastest in the world at the moment. Supercomputers are generally used for these kinds of tasks because of their abilities.


3.3.5

• What are some of the characteristics of normal specialized electronics?

• Why do they vary?

• There are computers for many different purposes. One of the most common are used in cameras, music players, and phones.

Camera Hardware

• The hardware in the camera needs to be fast enough to capture the shot while allowing the CCD to change the incoming light into electrons. In the process, the camera disables the shutter and the processor writes the picture to the memory card.

These devices are used to provide a way to save your own memories, or for application in newspapers, magazines, art, and more.


Portable Music Player Hardware• The hardware in these computers usually

consist of a screen, speaker(s), NAND memory or HDDs, and low-power efficient ARM processors.

The application of these devices are to entertain the user with music or video. They can also be used in teaching situations, like: learning: another language, how to sing, or how to play an instrument. Back to the Questions

Phone Hardware

• Phone hardware generally consists of a speaker, microphone, screen, buttons, and a transmitter/receiver which is usually CDMA or GSM. Newer transmitters/receivers that use WiMax/LTE (4G) are oriented towards multimedia experiences, incorporating some of the technologies of the previously mentioned devices.


3.3.6 – Types of Processing

• How is processing helpful?

• Types of Processing:

• Batch

• Interactive

• Word

• Game

• Real-Time

Batch Processing

Payroll and bank check processing is one example of this.

Programs that control this type of data are usually automated after being initially set. The payroll is automatically determined by the type of job the worker has and his expertise. Checks are automated to be sent out to other businesses or people.


Interactive Processing

• Online interaction is one of these types of processing

• Flash, Silverlight, Shockwave, Java, and even HTML are all able to be interactive.

• Logic (which would be the limit for HTML) is used in conjunction with images and/or videos as well as 2D/3D graphics. This provides an experience for any person to enjoy while using input from people.

• The hardware to use these interactive experiences (learning, games, etc.) usually consist of many buttons or ways of input to enhance the experience.


Word Processing

The processing involved in words deals with characters. Applications like Microsoft Word have .dic (dictionary) files that have a set amount of “words” within them to correct any misspelled words.

Other ways to deal with words are with grammar. Word also is able to detect incorrect grammar by checking the location of parts of speech.


Computer Games

Games always need sufficient hardware, many of them today require mid-range computers to even run.

Many games need to run in real-time, or almost at it, due to the use of physics engines. Those games usually are logic intensive and require massive amounts of number crunching while playing. Other games, ones that are 2D, don't require as much logic. Many of those games are flash based.


Real-Time Processing

• Many applications use this kind of processing because of it's speed. Emulators and games are among those.

• Emulators use this to efficiently re-create the original Operating System or game at it's original speed while using hardware that wasn't made for it. The hardware needs to work harder to work like the original intended hardware.


3.3.7

• What are master files?

• What are transaction files?

• How are they related?

Master vs. Transaction Files

A master file is used in business to hold an employee's information as well as their associations with the company.

A transaction file is used to hold information about a particular employee's job and their current jobs as well as their performance.

These files may be used frequently in batch processing for purposes like payroll.

3.3.8

• Does a system last forever?

• What are the implications of system failure?

• What can be done to counter the dilemmas of hardware failure?

System Reliability

Hardware has a limited life-expectancy. Hard Drives have limited read and write times, Processors, RAM, Video Cards, Power Supplies, Motherboards, etc. aren't designed to last forever.

In the event that the hardware is defective or dies early can cause massive data loss or error in data processing, depending on what part was effected.


Backing-Up Data

Due to the fact that hardware doesn't last forever, backing up data to external media is necessary.

External media can include CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, Secure Digital Cards, Compact Flash Cards, MMC, xD, Memory Sticks, USB flash drives, etc.

Other ways of backing up data include transferring the data to other computers or using a few hard drives in RAID 1. RAID 1 is the mirroring of data onto another hard drive in-case of failure of one of them.


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