NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF

LESOTHO
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CS1311A
COMPUTER APPRECIATION,
AWARENESS AND SKILLS
 Course Objectives
Computer Literacy Computer System Computer Hardware

What you will learn? What you will learn? What you will learn?
Computer literacy definitions Basic functions of Tangible components of a
and benefits. computers and categories. computer.

Computer Software Computer Networks Computer Security

What you will learn? What you will learn? What you will learn?
How to communicate with a Basic computer networking, The internet and basic
computer through programs. together with common computer security.
networking devices
 STORAGE & MEMORY DEVICES

 Storage holds data, instructions, and information for future use.

 A computer keeps data, instructions, and information on storage media.

 Memory can be divided into

• Primary memory

• Secondary memory
 STORAGE & MEMORY DEVICES

• Primary memory

• Alternatively referred to as internal memory is contained on memory chip mounted on

• Memory capacity is important because it determines how much data can be processed at once.

Types of primary memory

o Random Access Memory (RAM)

o Cache memory

o Read Only Memory (ROM)

 Random Access Memory (RAM)

• It is a form of data storage that can be accessed randomly at any time, in any order and
from any physical location, allowing quick access and manipulation.

• It is volatile.

• It is the main 'working' memory used by the computer. When the operating system loads
from disk when you first switch on the computer, it is copied into RAM.
 TYPES OF PRIMARY MEMORY

• Read Only Memory (ROM)

• It is non-volatile and retains instructions when the power to the computer is turned off.

• As the name suggests, it is a special type of memory chip that holds software that can be
read but not written to.

• The types of ROM include PROM, EPROM and EEPROM.

• Cache memory

• Most of today’s computers improve processing time with cache.

• Two types of cache are memory cache and disk cache. We focus on memory cache

• Memory cache

• Helps speed the process of the computer because it stores frequently used instructions
and data.

• It has two types, L1 cache build directly in the processor chip with very small capacity
and L2 cache which is slightly slower but has much larger capacity.
 SECONDARY MEMORY
• Secondary storage is designed to store very large amounts of data for extended periods of time.

• Secondary storage can have memory capacity of several terabytes or more and only small portions of that
data are placed in primary storage at any one time.

• Secondary storage has the following characteristics

• It is non-volatile.

• It takes much more time to retrieve data from secondary storage than it does from primary memory.

• Secondary storage devices can be categorized in three main groups:

• Magnetic

• Optical

• Electronic
 MAGNETIC STORAGE

• Floppy disk

• Floppy disks store small amount of data typically not larger than 1.44MB.

• These small diskettes are used mainly to transport small files from one computer to

another.

• Hard disk

• Hard disks are built with metal or glass platters covered with a substance that allows data
to be held in the form of magnetized spots.

• Today hard disks are composed of more than one disk (also named as platter), which are
stacked on each other.
 OPTICAL STORAGE

• Optical disks write data with a high power laser beam, which records data by burning tiny pits
onto the surface of the disk.

• In order to read data, a low power laser beam reads data by reflecting smooth areas, which are
interpreted as 1 bits, and not reflecting pitted areas which are interpreted as 0 bits.
 EXAMPLES OF OPTICAL STORAGE

CD-ROM (Compact Disk – Read Only Memory) CD-R (Compact Disk – Recordable)
• This is an optical disk where information is stored at the • It is a CD format that allows users to use a CD-R drive to
time of manufacturing. write data, only once, onto a specially manufactured disk
that can then be read by a standard CD-ROM drive.
• Examples of CD-ROM are Music CD’s and software that
one buys from computer shops such as games.

CD-RW (Compact Disk – Rewritable) DVD-ROM (Digital Video Disk or Digital Versatile Disk)

• This type of media allows users to copy and erase data. • This optical disk looks like a normal CD but in fact, it can
Thus, this disk can be used over and over again. store much more data than a CD.

• Much faster than CD-ROM drives but not as fast as hard

• Electronic memory is the latest technology in secondary storage media.

• This is also referred to as Flash memory.

• Flash memory is non-volatile solid-state computer memory storage that can be electrically
erased and reprogrammed.

• It is a technology that is primarily used in memory cards and USB flash drives for general
storage and transfer of data between computers and other digital products.

• It is a specific type of EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory)

• A communication device is a piece of equipment or hardware designed to move information

• There are many examples of communication devices and we will look at a few below.
• Network interface card
• Network hubs
• Network switch
• Modem
• Network router
 COMMUNICATION DEVICES

• Network interface card

• Computers on a network need be able to communicate with the server and with other
computers. In order to do this, a network interface card(NIC) is required or a built-in
network chip is included on a motherboard.

• The hardware handles all the physical network signals.

• The NIC allows data to be communicated to and from a networked computer.

• MODEM

• A modem is a device used to convert digital data to analogue data in order to transmit it
over the telephone network (MODulation).

• It will also convert the analogue data back into digital data when the computer is receiving
data from the telephone line (DEModulation).

• So together the device MODulates and DEModulates, MODEM

• Network hub

• A hub, in the context of networking, is a hardware device that relays communication data.
A hub sends data packets (frames) to all devices on a network, regardless of any MAC
addresses contained in the data packet.
 COMMUNICATION DEVICES

• Network Switch

• A network switch is a small hardware device that joins multiple computers together within
one local area network (LAN).

• A switch is different than a hub in that it keeps a record of all MAC addresses of all
connected devices. Thus, it knows which device or system is connected to which port.
When a data packet is received, the switch immediately knows which port to send it to.
 COMMUNICATION DEVICES

• Network router

• It is responsible for sending network traffic to it’s correct destination. It works by reading the
destination network address within each data packet and sends it along it’s way. We can
have a number of routers on a network.

• Switches create a network. Routers connect networks. A router links computers to the
Internet, so users can share the connection. A router acts as a dispatcher, choosing the
best path for information to travel so it's received quickly.
 COMMUNICATION DEVICES

• Network router vs. switch

• A computer stores data as a string of 0’s and 1’s called bits.

• Bits is an abbreviation of binary digits.

• Binary is a type of a number system.

• A bit is the smallest unit of information that can be stored or manipulated on a computer.

• The bits are bunched together so the computer uses several bits at the same time, such as for
calculating numbers.

• When a “bunch” consists of eight bits then it is called a byte. i.e. Byte = 8 bits
End of Lecture 3