COMPONENTS OF A COMPUTER

A computer system consists of both hardware and information stored on

hardware. Information stored on computer hardware is often called software.
The hardware components of a computer system are the electronic and
mechanical parts.
The software components of a computer system are the data and the
computer programs.
The major hardware components of a computer system are:
Processor (CPU)
Main memory
Secondary memory
Input devices
Output devices

1.) PROCESSOR

For typical desktop computers, the processor, main memory, secondary

memory, power supply, and supporting hardware are housed in a metal case.
Many of the components are connected to the main circuit board of the
computer, called the motherboard. The power supply supplies power for
most of the components. Various input devices (such as the keyboard) and
output devices (such as the monitor) are attached through connectors at the
rear of the case.
The terms input and output say if data flow into or out of the computer. The
picture shows the major hardware components of a computer system. The
arrows show the direction of data flow.
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A bus is a group of wires on the main circuit board of the computer. It is a

pathway for data flowing between components. Most devices are connected
to the bus through a controller which coordinates the activities of the device
with the bus.
The processor is an electronic device about a one inch square, covered in
plastic. Inside the square is an even smaller square of silicon containing
millions of tiny electrical parts. A processor may contain 100 million
transistors. It does the fundamental computing within the system, and
directly or indirectly controls all the other components.
The processor is sometimes called the Central Processing Unit or CPU. A
particular computer will have a particular type of processor, such as a
Pentium chip or a SPARC chip.

2.) MEMORY
The processor performs all the fundamental computation of the computer
system. Other components contribute to the computation by doing such
things as storing data or moving data into and out of the processor. But the
processor is where the fundamental action takes place.
A processor chip has relatively little memory. It has only enough memory to
hold a few instructions of a program and the data they process. Complete
programs and data sets are held in memory external to the processor. This
memory is of two fundamental types: main memory, and secondary memory.
Main memory is sometimes called volatile because it loses its information
when power is removed. Secondary memory is usually nonvolatile because it
retains its information when power is removed. (However, it needs power
when information is stored into memory or retrieved from it.)
Main memory:
- closely connected to the processor.
- stored data are quickly and easily changed.
- holds the programs and data that the processor is actively working
with.
- interacts with the processor millions of times per second.
- needs constant electric power to keep its information.
Secondary memory:
- connected to main memory through the bus and a controller.
- stored data are easily changed, but changes are slow compared to
main memory.
- used for long-term storage of programs and data.
- before data and programs can be used, they must be copied from
secondary memory
into main memory.
- does not need electric power to keep its information.

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Information and Communication Technology

A.) MAIN MEMORY

Main memory is where programs and
data are kept when the processor is
actively using them. When programs and
data become active, they are copied
from secondary memory into main
memory where the processor can
interact with them. A copy remains in
secondary memory.
Main memory is intimately connected to
the processor, so moving instructions
and data into and out of the processor is very fast. Main memory is
sometimes called RAM. RAM stands for Random Access Memory.
"Random" means that the memory cells can be accessed in any order.
When people say that a computer has "512 megabytes of RAM" they are
talking about how big its main memory is. One megabyte of memory is
enough to hold approximately one million (106) characters of a word
processing document. (There will be more about bytes and megabytes later
on in these notes.)
Nothing permanent is kept in main memory. Sometimes data are placed in
main memory for just a few seconds, only as long as they are needed.

B.) SECONDARY MEMORY

Secondary memory is where programs and data are kept on a long-term
basis. Common secondary storage devices are the hard disk and optical
disks.
The hard disk has enormous storage capacity compared to main
memory.
The hard disk is usually contained inside the case of a computer.
The hard disk is used for long-term storage of programs and data.
Data and programs on the hard disk are organized into files.
A file is a section of the disk that has a name.
A hard disk might have a storage
capacity of 500 gigabytes (room for
about 500 x 109 characters). This is
about 100 times the capacity of main
memory. A hard disk is slow compared to
main memory. If the disk were the only
type of memory the computer system
would slow down to a crawl. The reason
for having two types of storage is this
difference in speed and capacity.
Large blocks of data are copied from
disk into main memory. The operation is
slow, but lots of data is copied. Then the
processor can quickly read and write
small sections of that data in main
memory. When it is done, a large block of data is written to disk.

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Information and Communication Technology

Often, while the processor is computing with one block of data in main
memory, the next block of data from disk is read into another section of main
memory and made ready for the processor. One of the jobs of an operating
system is to manage main storage and disks this way.
Primary memory
Fast
Expensive
Low capacity
Works directly with
the processor

Secondary memory
Slow
Cheap
Large capacity
Not connected directly
to the processor

4.) INPUT DEVICES &

5.) OUTPUT DEVICES
Input and output devices allow the computer system to interact with the
outside world by moving data into and out of the system. An input device is
used to bring data into the system.
Some input devices are:
Keyboard
Mouse
Microphone
Bar code reader
Graphics tablet
An output device is used to send data out of the system. Some output
devices are:
Monitor
Printer
Speaker
A network interface acts as both input and output. Data flows from the
network into the computer, and out of the computer into the network.

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I/O
Input/output devices are usually called I/O devices. They are directly
connected to an electronic module attached to the motherboard called a
device controller. For example, the speakers of a multimedia computer
system are directly connected to a device controller called an audio card,
which in turn is plugged into a bus on the motherboard.
Sometimes secondary memory devices like the hard disk are called I/O
devices (because they move data in and out of main memory). What counts
as an I/O device depends on context. To a user, an I/O device is something
outside of the computer case. To a programmer, anything outside of the
processor and main memory is an I/O device. To an engineer working on the
design of a processor everything outside of the processor is an I/O device.

SOFTWARE
Computer software consists of both programs and data. Programs consist of
instructions for the processor. Data can be any information that a program
needs: character data, numerical data, image data, audio data, and
countless other types. The distinction between programs and data is not as
clear-cut as you might think, however.
Fundamental Idea: Both programs and data are saved in computer
memory in the same way. The electronics of computer memory (both main
memory and secondary memory) make no distinction between programs and
data.
The insight that both programs and data can be saved using the same
electronic methods is an important concept in computer science. Computer
systems use memory for either programs or data, as needed.

TYPES OF PROGRAMS
There are two categories of programs. Application programs (usually called
just "applications") are programs that people use to get their work done.
Computers exist because people want to run these programs. Systems
programs keep the hardware and software running together smoothly. The
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difference between "application program" and "system program" is fuzzy.

Often it is more a matter of marketing than of logic.
The most important systems program is the operating system. The
operating system is always present when a computer is running. It
coordinates the operation of the other hardware and software components of
the computer system. The operating system is responsible for starting up
application programs, running them, and managing the resources that they
need. When an application program is running, the operating system
manages the details of the hardware for it. For example, when you type
characters on the keyboard, the operating system determines which
application program they are intended for and does the work of getting them
there.
Some embedded systems do not use an operating system, but run their
programs directly on the processor.
Modern operating systems for desktop computers come with a user
interface that enables users to easily interact with application programs
(and with the operating system itself) by using windows, buttons, menus,
icons, the mouse, and the keyboard. Examples of operating systems are
Unix, Linux, Windows XP, and System 10.
Application Programs
Word Processors
Game Programs
Spreadsheets
Data base systems
Graphics Programs
Web Browsers

Systems Programs
Operating System
Networking System
Programming Language Software
Website Server

OPERATING SYSTEMS
An operating system is a complex program that keeps the hardware and
software components of a computer system coordinated and functioning. It is
like the owner of a small shop, who keeps everything in order by attending to
customers, accepting deliveries, stocking the shelves, doing the
bookkeeping, and so on. The shopkeeper must promptly attend to tasks as
they arise. Without the shopkeeper the shop could not function.
Most computer systems can potentially run any of several operating
systems. For example, most Pentium-based computers can run either Linux
or a Windows operating systems. Usually only one operating system is
installed on a computer system, although some computers have several. In
any case, only one operating system at a time can be in control of the
computer system. The computer user makes a choice when the computer is
turned on, and that operating system remains in control until the computer is
turned off.

Nicole D. Pasamba BE-HUMSS 11P-4

Information and Communication Technology

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Nicole D. Pasamba BE-HUMSS 11P-4

Information and Communication Technology