11/12/2023

University of Sulaimani
College of Pharmacy
First Stage
First Semester

Computer Skills

2023-2024
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Computer Types (1 of 4)

The four basic types of computers are as under:

1- Supercomputer
The most powerful computers in terms of
performance and data processing are the
Supercomputers. These are specialized and task
specific computers used by large organizations.
These computers are used for research and
exploration purposes, like NASA uses
supercomputers for launching space shuttles,
controlling them and for space exploration
purpose.
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Computer Types (2 of 4)
2- Mainframe computer
Although Mainframes are not as powerful as
supercomputers, but certainly they are quite
expensive nonetheless, and many large firms &
government organizations uses Mainframes to run
their business operations. The Mainframe
computers can be accommodated in large air-
conditioned rooms because of its size. Super-
computers are the fastest computers with large data
storage capacity, Mainframes can also process &
store large amount of data. Banks educational
institutions & insurance companies use mainframe
computers to store data about their customers,
students & insurance policy holders.
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Computer Types (3 of 4)
3- Minicomputer

Minicomputers are used by small businesses & firms.

Minicomputers are also called as “Midrange
Computers”. These are small machines and can be
accommodated on a disk with not as processing and
data storage capabilities as super-computers &
Mainframes. These computers are not designed for a
single user. Individual departments of a large company
or organizations use Mini-computers for specific
purposes. For example, a production department can
use Mini-computers for monitoring certain production
process.

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Computer Types (4 of 4)
4- Microcomputer
Desktop computers, laptops, personal digital
assistant (PDA), tablets & smartphones are all
types of microcomputers. The micro-computers are
widely used & the fastest growing computers.
These computers are the cheapest among the other
three types of computers. The Micro-computers are Desktop PC
specially designed for general usage like
entertainment, education and work purposes. Well
known manufacturers of Micro-computer are Dell,
Apple, Samsung, Sony & Toshiba.

Laptop PC (Notebook)
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Why are computers so powerful?

 A computer derives its power from its:-

 Capability to perform the information processing cycle
with amazing speed, reliability (low failure rate), and
accuracy
 Capacity to store huge amounts of data and information
 Ability to communicate with other computers

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Computer Network
 What is a Computer Network?
A computer network is defined as the interconnection of two or more
computers. It is done to enable the computers to communicate and share
available resources.

Network Applications & Components

Applications:
i. Sharing of resources such as printers
ii. Sharing of expensive software's and database
iii. Communication from one computer to another computer
iv. Exchange of data and information among users via network
v. Sharing of information over geographically wide areas.

Components:
i. Two or more computers
ii. Cables or (external antenna) as links between the computers
iii. A network interfacing card(NIC) on each computer
iv. Switches
v. Software called operating system(OS) 8

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Communication devices Router

Coaxial Cable

UTP Cable

Networking Cables

Switch

•Nic Adapters Modem 9

Hub

Network Benefits
 Sharing
 Connectivity
 Increased speed
 Reduced cost
 Improved security
 Centralized software managements
 Electronic mail
 Flexible access

Disadvantages:
 High cost of installation
 Requires time for administration
 Failure of server
 Cable faults
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How many kinds of Networks?

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Classification by Area (1 of 3)
1- Local Area Network(LAN)
• LAN is a network which is designed to operate over a small physical
area such as an office, factory or a group of buildings.
• LAN’s are easy to design and troubleshoot
• Exchange of information and sharing of resources becomes easy
because of LAN.
• In LAN all machines are connected to a single cable.
• Different types of topologies such as star, tree, bus, ring, etc Can be used
• It is usually a privately owned network.

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Classification by Area (2 of 3)
2- Wide Area Network(WAN)
• When network spans over a large distance or when the computers to be
connected to each other are at widely separated locations a local area
network cannot be used. A wide area network(WAN) is installed.
• The communication between different users of WAN is established
using leased telephone lines, satellite links and similar channels.
• It is cheaper and more efficient to use the phone network for the link.
• Most WAN networks are used to transfer large blocks of data between
its users.

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Classification by Area (3 of 3)

3- Metropolitan Area Network(MAN)

• It is in between LAN & WAN technology that covers the entire city.
• It uses similar technology as LAN.
• It can be a single network such as cable TV network, or a measure of
connecting a number of LAN’s into a large network so that resources
can be shared LAN to LAN as well as device to device.

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DISTINGUISH BETWEEN LAN,WAN,MAN

PARAMETERS LAN WAN MAN
Ownership of
Private Private or public Private or public
network
Geographical area
Small Very large Moderate
covered
Design and
Easy Not easy Not easy
maintenance
Coaxial cables,
Communication PSTN or satellite
Coaxial cable PSTN, optical fibre,
medium links
cables, wireless

Bandwidth High Low moderate

Data rates(speed) High Low moderate

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Intranet & Internet & Extranet

An intranet is a private network that is contained within an enterprise. It
may consist of many interlinked local area networks and also use leased
lines in the wide area network. Teleconference is an example of Intranet.
The Internet, sometimes called simply "the Net," is a worldwide system of
computer networks - a network of networks in which users at any one
computer can, if they have permission, get information from any other
computer (and sometimes talk directly to users at other computers).
Extranet described as a "state of mind" in which the Internet is perceived
as a way to do business with other companies as well as to sell products to
customers.

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What is the Internet?

The Internet is a global network of billions of computers and other
electronic devices. With the Internet, it's possible to access almost any
information, communicate with anyone else in the world, and do
much more. You can do all of this by connecting a computer to the
Internet, which is also called going online. When someone says a
computer is online, it's just another way of saying it's connected to the
Internet.

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What is the Web?

The World Wide Web—usually called the Web for short—is a
collection of different websites you can access through the Internet.
A website is made up of related text, images, and other resources.
Websites can resemble other forms of media—like newspaper articles
or television programs—or they can be interactive in a way that's
unique to computers.
Once you are connected to the Internet, you can access and view
websites using a type of application called a web browser. Just keep
in mind that the web browser itself is not the Internet; it only displays
websites that are stored on the Internet.

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Things you can do on the Internet

One of the best features of the Internet is the ability to communicate
almost instantly with anyone in the world. Email is one of the oldest
and most universal ways to communicate and share information on
the Internet, and billions of people use it. Social media allows people
to connect in a variety of ways and build communities online.
There are many other things you can do on the Internet. There are
thousands of ways to keep up with news or shop for anything online.
You can pay your bills, manage your bank accounts, meet new
people, watch TV, or learn new skills. You can learn or do almost
anything online.

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Downloading & Uploading

Downloading means receiving
data or a file from the Internet on
your computer.
Uploading means sending data
or a file from your computer to
somewhere on the Internet.

Transfer rate(throughput) is the speed with which data can be transmitted

from one device to another. Data rates are often measured in megabits
(million bits) or megabytes (million bytes) per second. These are usually
abbreviated as Mbps and MBps, respectively.
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Computer Security
In computer security a threat is a possible danger that might exploit
a vulnerability to breach security and therefore cause possible harm.
Type of threats:-
• Malware: MALicious softWARE the most common threat to your system.
• Security Breaches
• DoS: Denial of Service attacks, attempts to deny authorized users access to the
system
• Web Attacks: The attacker attempts to breach a web application.
• Session Hijacking: This is a complex attack that involves actually taking over an
authenticated session.
• DNS Poisoning: This involves altering DNS records on a DNS server to redirect
client traffic to malicious websites, usually for identity theft.

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Malware
Software with a malicious purpose.
1- Trojan horse: a malicious program
disguised as something desirable or harmless.
-Named after the famous wooden horse of ancient
history.
-It disguises itself as something benign, something
you need or want, i.e. a game, screen saver,
account logon, etc.
-It captures your information and returns it to the
intruder.

Malware (cont.)
2- Spyware: the fastest-growing category of malware.
• Cookies: initially a good idea to help users surf the Web, now misused to spy on users.
• Key logger: both in software and hardware, captures all the user’s typing and logs it,
capturing passwords, account numbers, credit card numbers, etc.

3- Viruses: are small programs written so that they can jump from one computer
to another (via disk or a network), and which can cause disruption or damage to the
computer system. As well as causing damage to your data, or in some cases even
destroying your data, viruses can cause other effects; such as using your email
system to email all your email contacts and in the process infect other people’s
computers.

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Viruses
Some of the common virus activities are as follows:
o The computer may not boot.
o The window may crash.
o Data may automatically delete.
o The size & format of the file may change.
o The computer becomes slow.
o Computer perform wrong data & instructions.

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Virus Types (1 of 2)
Worm: A Worm is a program that replicates itself over and over in the
computer's memory until the computer can barely function. One of the
signs of invasion by a worm is the slowness of computers.

Time bomb: A time bomb is a virus which lies dormant until a certain
date or time or for a period of time. At this date or time, the virus
suddenly becomes active and carries out whatever task it is programmed
to do. This can include the deletion of everything on the hard drive.

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Virus Types (2 of 2)
Logic bombs: A logic bomb is similar to a time bomb, except that instead
of becoming active at a certain time, it becomes active when a particular
activity happens. For example, instead of formatting a diskette, the virus
causes the hard drive to be formatted.
Macro-viruses: Macro-viruses make use of a special customization
feature in applications called macros. Macros allow you to create mini-
programs to carry out certain tasks in your application.
Bacteria: also known as rabbits, are programs that do not directly damage
the system. Instead they replicate themselves until they monopolize CPU,
memory or disk space. This constitutes a denial of service attack.
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Top 5 Sources of Computer Virus Attack

 The most potent and vulnerable threat of computer users is virus attacks. Virus
attacks hampers important work involved with data and documents. It is
imperative for every computer user to be aware about the software and
programs that can help to protect the personal computers from attacks. One
must take every possible measure in order to keep the computer systems free
from virus attacks. The top sources of virus attacks are highlighted below:
 Downloadable Programs
 Cracked Software
 Email Attachments
 Internet (using open Wi-Fi)
 Booting From CD

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10 sure signs you’ve been hacked

1. Fake antivirus messages
2. Unwanted browser toolbars
3. Redirected Internet searches
4. Frequent random popups
5. Your friends receive fake emails from your email account
6. Your online passwords suddenly change
7. Unexpected software installs
8. Your mouse moves between programs and makes correct selections
9. Your antimalware software, Task Manager, or Registry Editor is disabled
and can’t be restarted
10.Your bank account is missing money

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9 Ways to Protect Yourself from Hackers Online

1. Make your password harder to hack
2. Change your password regularly
3. Clear your browser history
4. Do not use free Wi-Fi
5. Watch what you click
6. Try not to use public computers
7. Use anti-virus protection
8. Do not trust unknown person in the net
9. Use a VPN

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Best Antivirus Software

 Norton antivirus.
 MacAfee virus scan.
 Kaspersky antivirus.
 Others….

Their way of usage is different according to different version & product.

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Who want to cause threats

– Attacks that break through system resources
• Hackers: early internet joy riders, by intent not malevolent.
• Crackers: system intruders, with malevolent intent.
• Social engineering: intruding into a system using human nature, not
technology.
• War-driving: driving around looking for unprotected wireless networks.

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