Sai-Sudhir Degree &PG College

BBA II Year I Semester

Information Technology for Business

 UNIT-1
Introduction to IT
Contents:
Computer Systems
Hardware-I/o device
Memory Devices
Processors-software
•Classification of Software
•System Software
•Application Software
Operating Systems
•Definition
•Types of OS
Understanding of GUI
Networks
•Definition
•Types of Networks
LAN
WAN
•Network Topologies
•Physical Communication Media
•TCP/IP
•OSI Model
 INTRODUCTION
IT is defined as “the application of computers
and internet to store, retrieve, transmit, and
manipulate data, or information.”
Network Administration & Security is a
specific category of Information Technology,
focused on the transmitting data aspect of IT.
From small businesses run by a single person
to huge multi-national corporations, the
importance of information technology in any
business setting is evident.
Computer technology is used across the
business world in every department and has
become vital to business operations in the
modern world.
Without information technology and system
support, businesses simply stop!
 If the internet or phone service goes down in
an office, nothing can get done
HR, finance, operations, communications,
sales, and all other departments depend on
functional computer and information systems to
complete their work.
 IT and Information Services (or IS) protect
the integrity of data and keep it safe from a
world of technological threats.
 Definition

Computer is an electronic device that receives

input, stores or processes the input as per user
instructions and provides output in desired
format.
Computer Systems
A computer system is a set of integrated
devices that input, output, process, and store
data and information.
 Computer systems are currently built around
at least one digital processing device.
There are five main hardware components in
a computer system: Input, Processing, Storage,
Output and Communication devices.
Computer System
Computer hardware
Computer hardware includes the physical parts
of a computer, such as the case, central processing
unit(CPU),monitor,mouse, keyboard, computer data
storage, graphics card, sound card, speakers and
motherboard.
There are five parts of computer hardware that
can be found in most computer systems, from smart
phones to desktop computers: processor, primary
storage, secondary storage, input devices and output
devices.
I/O Devices:
input/output device is any hardware used by
a human operator or other systems to
communicate with a computer.
As the name suggests, input/output
devices are capable of sending data (output) to
a computer and receiving data from a computer
(input).
Memory Devices
Computers and many electronic gadgets
usually rely on stored information which is
mainly data which can be used to direct circuit
actions.
The digital information is stored in memory
devices.
Memories can be divided into 2 categories
based on what memory cells can be accessed at
a given instant.
SAM (Sequentially Access Memory) is accessed by
stepping through each memory location until the
desired location is reached.
Magnetic tape is an example of SAM.
The second category of memory devices is called
RAM (Random Access Memory) where the memory
can be randomly accessed at any instant, without
having to step through each memory location.
It is generally faster to access a RAM compared to
SAM.
Most of the electronics gadgets memory are of RAM
type.
Random Access Memory (RAM) Memory
Device
RAM memory is "volatile" which means that the
information stored in the RAM will be lost once the
power to it is removed.
Two common types of RAM are DRAM (Dynamic
RAM) and SRAM (Static RAM).

Read Only Memory (ROM) Memory Device

ROM is non volatile in that its contents are not lost
when power to it is removed.
All ROMs can be programmed at least once.
Processor:
A processor, or "microprocessor," is a small chip that
resides in computer and other electronic devices.
Its basic job is to receive input and provide the
appropriate output.
Software:
Software is a set of programs, which is designed to
perform a well-defined function.
program is a sequence of instructions written to solve
a particular problem.
There are two types of software
System Software
Application Software
System Software
The system software is a collection of
programs designed to operate, control, and
extend the processing capabilities of the
computer itself.
System software is generally prepared by the
computer manufacturers.
Some examples of system software are Operating
System, Compilers, Interpreter, Assemblers, etc.
Application Software
Application software products are designed to
satisfy a particular need of a particular environment.
 All software applications prepared in the computer
lab can come under the category of Application
software.
Examples of application software are Income Tax
Software, Railways Reservation Software, Microsoft
Office Suite Software
Operating System
Definition

An Operating System (OS) is an interface between a

computer user and computer hardware.
An operating system is a software which performs
all the basic tasks like file management, memory
management, process management, handling input and
output, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk
drives and printers.
Some popular Operating Systems include Linux
Operating System, Windows Operating System, MAC,
VMS etc.
Types of Operating system
Batch Operating System
Multitasking/Time Sharing OS
Multiprocessing OS
Real Time OS
Distributed OS
Network OS
Mobile OS
Batch Operating System
Some computer processes are very lengthy
and time-consuming.
To speed the same process, a job with a
similar type of needs are batched together and
run as a group.
The user of a batch operating system never
directly interacts with the computer.
 In this type of OS, every user prepares his
or her job on an offline device like a punch
card and submit it to the computer operator.
Multi-Tasking/Time-sharing Operating systems
Time-sharing operating system enables people
located at a different terminal(shell) to use a single
computer system at the same time.
The processor time (CPU) which is shared among
multiple users is termed as time sharing.

Real time OS
A real time operating system time interval to process
and respond to inputs is very small.
 Examples: Military Software Systems, Space
Software Systems.
Distributed Operating System
Distributed systems use many processors located in
different machines to provide very fast computation
to its users.

Network Operating System

Network Operating System runs on a server. It
provides the capability to serve to manage data, user,
groups, security, application, and other networking
functions.
Mobile OS
Mobile operating systems are those OS which
is especially that are designed to power smart
phones, tablets, and wearable devices.
Some most famous mobile operating systems
are Android and iOS, but others include
BlackBerry, Web, and watchOS.
Graphical User Interface (GUI)
GUI is an interface that allows users to interact with
different electronic devices using icons and other visual
indicators.
The graphical user interfaces were created because
command line interfaces were quite complicated and it
was difficult to learn all the commands in it.
In today’s times, graphical user interfaces are used in
many devices such as mobiles, MP3 players, gaming
devices, smart phones etc.
The below diagram provides the position of the
graphical user interface with respect to the computer
system
Elements in Graphical User Interface
Graphical User Interface makes use of visual
elements mostly.
These elements define the appearance of the GUI.
Some of these are described in detail as follows
Window
This is the element that displays the information on
the screen.
It is very easy to manipulate a window. It can be
opened or closed with the click of an icon.
Moreover, it can be moved to any area by dragging
it around.
In a multitasking environment, multiple windows
can be open at the same time, all of them performing
different tasks.
There are multiple types of windows in a graphical
user interface, such as container window, browser
window, text terminal window, child window,
message window etc.
Menu
A menu contains a list a choices and it allows users
to select one from them.
 A menu bar is displayed horizontally across the
screen such as pull down menu.
 When any option is clicked in this menu, then the
pull down menu appears.
Another type of menu is the context menu that
appears only when the user performs a specific action.
An example of this is pressing the right mouse
button.
 When this is done, a menu will appear under the
cursor.
Icons
Files, programs, web pages etc. can be represented
using a small picture in a graphical user interface.
This picture is known as an icon. Using an icon is a
fast way to open documents, run programs etc.
 because clicking on them yields instant access.
Controls
Information in an application can be directly read
or influences using the graphical control elements.
These are also known as widgets. Normally,
widgets are used to display lists of similar items,
navigate the system using links, tabs etc. and
manipulating data using check boxes, radio boxes
etc.
Tabs
A tab is associated with a view pane. It usually
contains a text label or a graphical icon. Tabs are
sometimes related to widgets and multiple tabs allow
users to switch between different widgets.
Tabs are used in various web browsers such as
Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari etc.
Multiple web pages can be opened in a web browser
and users can switch between them using tabs.
Network
A network is a collection of computers, servers,
mainframes, network devices, peripherals, or other
devices connected to one another to allow the sharing
of data.
An example of a network is the Internet, which
connects millions of people all over the world.
Computer Network Types

A computer network is a group of computers linked

to each other that enables the computer to communicate
with another computer and share their resources, data,
and applications.
A computer network can be categorized by their size.
A computer network is mainly of four types:
LAN(Local Area Network)
PAN(Personal Area Network)
MAN(Metropolitan Area Network)
WAN(Wide Area Network)
LAN(Local Area Network)
Local Area Network is a group of computers
connected to each other in a small area such as
building, office.
LAN is used for connecting two or more personal
computers through a communication medium such as
twisted pair, coaxial cable, etc.
It is less costly as it is built with inexpensive
hardware such as hubs, network adapters, and Ethernet
cables.
The data is transferred at an extremely faster rate in
Local Area Network.
Local Area Network provides higher security.
MAN(Metropolitan Area Network)

A metropolitan area network is a network that

covers a larger geographic area by interconnecting a
different LAN to form a larger network.
Government agencies use MAN to connect to the
citizens and private industries.
In MAN, various LANs are connected to each other
through a telephone exchange line.
It has a higher range than Local Area
Network(LAN).
WAN(Wide Area Network)
A Wide Area Network is a network that extends
over a large geographical area such as states or
countries.
A Wide Area Network is quite bigger network than
the LAN.
A Wide Area Network is not limited to a single
location, but it spans over a large geographical area
through a telephone line, fiber optic cable or satellite
links.
The internet is one of the biggest WAN in the
world. A Wide Area Network is widely used in the
field of Business, government, and education.
PAN(Personal Area Network)
Personal Area Network is a network arranged within
an individual person, typically within a range of 10
meters.
Personal Area Network is used for connecting the
computer devices of personal use is known as Personal
Area Network.
Network Topology

The arrangement of a network which comprises of

nodes and connecting lines via sender and receiver is
referred as network topology.
The various network topologies are :
a) Mesh Topology :
In mesh topology, every device is connected to
another device via particular channel.
Figure 1 : Every device is connected with another
via dedicated channels. These channels are known
as links.
If suppose, N number of devices are connected with
each other in mesh topology, then total number of ports
that is required by each device is N-1.
 In the Figure 1, there are 5 devices connected to each
other, hence total number of ports required is 4.
If suppose, N number of devices are connected with
each other in mesh topology, then total number of
dedicated links required to connect them is NC2 i.e.
N(N-1)/2. In the Figure 1, there are 5 devices
connected to each other, hence total number of links
required is 5*4/2 = 10.
Advantages of this topology :

It is robust.
Fault is diagnosed easily. Data is reliable because
data is transferred among the devices through
dedicated channels or links.
Provides security and privacy.
Problems with this topology :

Installation and configuration is difficult.

Cost of cables are high as bulk wiring is required,
hence suitable for less number of devices.
Cost of maintenance is high.
b) Star Topology :
In star topology, all the devices are connected to a
single hub through a cable.
This hub is the central node and all others nodes are
connected to the central node.
The hub can be passive in nature i.e. not intelligent
hub such as broadcasting devices, at the same time
the hub can be intelligent known as active hubs.
Active hubs have repeaters in them.
Figure 2 : A star topology having four systems
connected to single point of connection i.e. hub.
Advantages of this topology :

If N devices are connected to each other in star

topology, then the number of cables required to connect
them is N. So, it is easy to set up.
Each device require only 1 port i.e. to connect to the
hub.
Problems with this topology :

If the concentrator (hub) on which the whole

topology relies fails, the whole system will crash down.
Cost of installation is high.
Performance is based on the single concentrator i.e.
hub.
c) Bus Topology :
Bus topology is a network type in which every
computer and network device is connected to single
cable.
It transmits the data from one end to another in single
direction. No bi-directional feature is in bus topology.
Figure 3 : A bus topology with shared backbone cable.
The nodes are connected to the channel via drop lines.

Advantages of this topology :

If N devices are connected to each other in bus

topology, then the number of cables required to
connect them is 1 which is known as backbone cable
and N drop lines are required.
Cost of the cable is less as compared to other
topology, but it is used to built small networks.
d) Ring Topology :
In this topology, it forms a ring connecting devices
with its exactly two neighboring devices
A number of repeaters are used for Ring topology
with a large number of nodes, because if someone
wants to send some data to the last node in the ring
topology with 100 nodes, then the data will have to
pass through 99 nodes to reach the 100th node.
Hence to prevent data loss repeaters are used in the
network.
The transmission is unidirectional, but it can be
made bidirectional by having 2 connections between
each Network Node, it is called Dual Ring Topology.
Figure 4 : A ring topology comprises of 4 stations
connected with each forming a ring..
Advantages of this topology :

The possibility of collision is minimum in this

type of topology.
Cheap to install and expand.

Problems with this topology :

Troubleshooting is difficult in this topology.

Addition of stations in between or removal of
stations can disturb the whole topology.
e) Tree Topology :
 This topology is the variation of Star topology.
 This topology have hierarchical flow of data.
Figure 5 :
 In this the various secondary hubs are connected to
the central hub which contains the repeater.
In this data flow from top to bottom i.e from the
central hub to secondary and then to the devices or
from bottom to top i.e.
devices to secondary hub and then to the central
hub.
Advantages of this topology :

It allows more devices to be attached to a single

central hub thus it increases the distance that is travel
by the signal to come to the devices.
It allows the network to get isolate and also
prioritize from different computers.

Problems with this topology :

If the central hub gets fails the entire system fails.
The cost is high because of cabling.
PHYSICAL TRANSMISSION MEDIA
Physical transmission media used in communications
include twisted-pair cable, coaxial cable, and fiber-
optic cable.
These cables typically are used within or
underground between buildings.
Twisted-Pair Cable
One of the more commonly used transmission media
for network cabling and telephone systems is twisted-
pair cable.
 Twisted-pair cable consists of one or more twisted-
pair wires bundled together.
Each twisted-pair wire consists of two separate
insulated copper wires that are twisted together.
The wires are twisted together to reduce noise.
Noise is an electrical disturbance that can degrade
communications.
Coaxial Cable
Coaxial cable, often referred to as coax (pronounced
KO-ax), consists of a single copper wire surrounded by at
least three layers:
 (1) an insulating material,
 (2) a woven or braided metal, and
(3) a plastic outer coating
Cable television (CATV) network wiring often uses
coaxial cable because it can be cabled over longer
distances than twisted-pair cable.
Most of today’s computer networks, however, do not
use coaxial cable because other transmission media such
as fiber-optic cable transmit signals at faster rates.
Fiber-Optic Cable
The core of a fiber-optic cable consists of dozens or
hundreds of thin strands of glass or plastic that use light to
transmit signals.
 Each strand, called an optical fiber, is as thin as a human
hair.
 Inside the fiber-optic cable, an insulating glass cladding
and a protective coating surround each optical fiber

Fiber-optic cables have the following advantages over

cables that use wire, such as twisted-pair and coaxial
cables:
Capability of carrying significantly more signals than
wire cables
Faster data transmission
Less susceptible to noise (interference) from other
devices such as a copy machine
Better security for signals during transmission
because they are less susceptible to noise
Smaller size (much thinner and lighter weight)
OSI Model
OSI stands for Open System Interconnection is a
reference model that describes how information from
a software application in one computer moves through
a physical medium to the software application in
another computer.
OSI consists of seven layers, and each layer performs
a particular network function.
OSI model was developed by the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 1984, and it
is now considered as an architectural model for the
inter-computer communications.
OSI model divides the whole task into seven smaller
and manageable tasks. Each layer is assigned a
particular task.
Each layer is self-contained, so that task assigned to
each layer can be performed independently.
Characteristics of OSI Model:
The OSI model is divided into two layers: upper
layers and lower layers.
The upper layer of the OSI model mainly deals with
the application related issues, and they are
implemented only in the software.
The application layer is closest to the end user.
Both the end user and the application layer interact
with the software applications.
An upper layer refers to the layer just above another
layer.
The lower layer of the OSI model deals with the
data transport issues.
The data link layer and the physical layer are
implemented in hardware and software.
The physical layer is the lowest layer of the OSI
model and is closest to the physical medium.
The physical layer is mainly responsible for
placing the information on the physical medium.
Functions of the OSI Layers
There are the seven OSI layers. Each layer has different
functions. A list of seven layers are given below:
TCP/IP model
The TCP/IP model was developed prior to the OSI
model.
The TCP/IP model is not exactly similar to the OSI
model.
The TCP/IP model consists of five layers: the
application layer, transport layer, network layer, data
link layer and physical layer.
The first four layers provide physical standards,
network interface, internetworking, and transport
functions that correspond to the first four layers of the
OSI model and these four layers are represented in
TCP/IP model by a single layer called the application
layer.
TCP/IP is a hierarchical protocol made up of
interactive modules, and each of them provides specific
functionality.

Layers in TCP/IP Model

The TCP/IP Model has four layers:
1. Physical Layer and data link layer – combined
known as host-to-network layer
2. Network layer
3. Transport
4. Application
Complete scenario, Internet layer model formed by
TCP/IP protocol stack running on computers.
Difference between OSI and TCP/IP Reference Model

OSI(Open System Interconnection) TCP/IP(Transmission Control

Protocol / Internet Protocol)

1. OSI is a generic, protocol 1. TCP/IP model is based on standard

independent standard, acting as a protocols around which the Internet
communication gateway between the has developed. It is a communication
network and end user. protocol, which allows connection of
hosts over a network.

2. In OSI model the transport layer 2. In TCP/IP model the transport

guarantees the delivery of packets. layer does not guarantees delivery of
packets. Still the TCP/IP model is
more reliable.

3. Follows vertical approach. 3. Follows horizontal approach.

OSI model has a separate 4. TCP/IP does not have a separate
Presentation layer and Session layer. Presentation layer or Session layer.

5. Transport Layer is Connection 5. Transport Layer is both

Oriented. Connection Oriented and
Connection less.
6. Network Layer is both 6. Network Layer is Connection
Connection Oriented and less.
Connection less.
7. OSI is a reference model around 7. TCP/IP model is, in a way
which the networks are built. implementation of the OSI model.
Generally it is used as a guidance
tool.

8. Network layer of OSI model 8. The Network layer in TCP/IP

provides both connection oriented model provides connectionless
and connectionless service. service.
9. OSI model has a problem of 9. TCP/IP model does not fit any
fitting the protocols into the model. protocol

10. Protocols are hidden in OSI 10. In TCP/IP replacing protocol is

model and are easily replaced as not easy.
the technology changes.

11. It has 7 layers 11. It has 4 layers