Computer System

Learning objectives
Students will be able to understand
The various components of computer system
The functions of these components
The components of Von Neumann Architecture
Introduction to Computer system
Computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to accept data ( input), process it and
generate result (output)
A computer with additional hardware and software is called as computer system.
A computer system comprises of a
Central processing unit
Memory
Input/output devices
Storage devices.
All these components function together as a single unit
1. Central processing unit (CPU)
It carries out the actual processing
Also known as
Brain of the computer /
Processor /
Microprocessor
Physically, a CPU can be placed on one or more microchips called integrated circuits (IC).
The CPU is given instructions and data through programs.
The CPU then fetches the program and data from the memory and performs arithmetic and
logical operations as per the given instructions
Then Stores the result back to memory
Registers
Local memory in CPU stores the data as well as instructions
Two other main components
Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
ALU performs all the arithmetic and logic operations that need to be done as per the instruction
in a program
Control Unit (CU)
CU controls sequential instruction execution, interprets instructions and guides data flow through
the computer’s memory, ALU and input or output devices.
2. Input devices
The devices through which control signals are sent to a computer are termed as input devices.
These devices convert the input data into a digital form that is acceptable by the computer
system.
Examples : keyboard, mouse, scanner, touch screen
Data entered through input device is temporarily stored in the main memory (RAM)
For permanent storage, the data are stored permanently in secondary memory.
3. Output devices
The device that receives data from a computer system for display, physical production, etc., is
called output device.
It converts digital information into human understandable form.
Example: monitor, projector, headphone, speaker, printer
A printer is the most commonly used device to get output in hardcopy form.
Three types of commonly used printers are
Inkjet
Laserjet
Dot matrix.
3D-printer
Used to build physical replica of a digital 3D design.
Used in manufacturing industries to create prototypes of products.
Also being used in the medical field, particularly for developing body organs
Von Neumann Architecture
It consists of a Central Processing Unit (CPU) for processing arithmetic and logical instructions,
a memory to store data and programs, input and output devices and communication channels to
send/receive the output data.
Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer (ENIAC) is the first binary programmable
computer based on Von Neumann architecture.
AFL
Draw and explain the various components of computer system.
Write a short note on Von Neumann Architecture.
_________ convert the input data into a digital form that is acceptable by the computer system.
Data entered through input device is temporarily stored in ________ .
Evolution of Computer
Learning objectives
Students will be able to
Explain about the various stages of computer evolution
Evolution of computer

Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer (ENIAC) is the first binary programmable
computer based on Von Neumann architecture.
During the 1970s, Large Scale Integration (LSI) of electronic circuits allowed integration of
complete CPU on a single chip, called microprocessor.

In 1980s, the processing power of computers increased exponentially by integrating around 3

million components on a small-sized chip termed as Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI).

Further advancement in technology has made it feasible to fabricate high density of transistors
and other components (approx 106 components) on a single IC called Super Large Scale
Integration (SLSI)
IBM introduced its first personal computer (PC) for the home user in 1981,
Apple introduced Macintosh machines in 1984.
The popularity of the PC surged by the introduction of Graphical User Interface (GUI) based
operating systems by Microsoft and others in place of computers with only command line
interface, like UNIX or DOS.
Around 1990s, the growth of world wide web (WWW) further accelerated mass usage of
computers and thereafter computers have become an indispensable part of everyday life.
Further, with the introduction of laptops, personal computing was made portable to a great
extent. This was followed by smartphones, tablets and other personal digital assistants. These
devices have leveraged the technological advancements in processor miniaturisation, faster
memory, high speed data and connectivity mechanisms.
The next wave of computing devices includes wearable gadgets such as smart watch, lenses,
headbands, headphones, etc.
In 1965, Intel cofounder Gordon Moore introduced Moore’s Law which predicted that the
number of transistors on a chip would double every two years while the costs would be halved.
Evolution of Computer
AFL
Who is known as the father of modern computers?
EDVAC stands for __________________.
Tabulating machine is invented by ________________.
John Von Neuman architecture is based on ___________.
_________ is a silicon chip which contains entire electronic circuit on a very small area.
Computer Memory
Learning objectives
Students will be able to understand
The Units of computer Memory
Different types of computer memory like Primary memory and secondary memory
Computer Memory
A computer system needs memory to store the data and instructions for processing.
Units of Memory
Computer uses binary numbers to store and process data (0 & 1)
The elementary unit of memory is bit
A group of 8 bits – byte
A group of 4 bits – Nibble

1 Kilo Byte = 1024 bytes

1Mega Byte = 1024 KB
1Giga Byte =1024 MB
1 Tera Byte = 1024 GB
1 Peta Byte = 1024 TB

1 Exa Byte = 1024 PB

1 ZB (Zetta Byte)= 1024 EB
1 Yotta Byte = 1024 ZB
1 Bronto byte = 1024 YB
1 Geop Byte = 1024 Bronto byte
Types of memory
Computers have two types of memories namely
Primary memory
Secondary memory
1. Primary memory
Program and data are loaded into the primary memory before processing.
CPU interacts directly with the primary memory to perform read/ write operation.
Primary memory is of two types
i) Random access memory (RAM)
ii) Read only memory (ROM)
Random access memory (RAM)
RAM is volatile
i.e, When the power supply is turned off, all the contents of RAM are wiped out.
It is used to store data temporarily
Whenever the computer is started or a software application is launched, the required program
and data are loaded into RAM for processing.
RAM is usually referred to as main memory
It is faster than the secondary memory or storage devices.
Read only memory (ROM)
ROM is non-volatile
i.e, its contents are not lost even when the power is turned off.
It is a small memory, faster, permanent storage
The contents which are rarely changed.
Example: the startup program (boot loader) that loads the operating system into RAM is stored in
a ROM
Registers
Registers are high-speed temporary storage areas found in CPU

Registers work as per the instructions given by the CU, storing instructions and data immediately
required for performing an operation

CPU places the highest priority jobs inside registers for faster execution.
2. Secondary memory
Primary memory has limited storage capacity
Secondary storage devices are used to store a large amounts of data permanently
Secondary memory is non-volatile
Also called as “Auxiliary memory”
Secondary memory cannot be accessed directly by the CPU
Contents of secondary storage need to be first brought into the main memory for the CPU to
access
The amount of data a disk can hold is defined as Disk Capacity
Secondary Memory
Secondary storage devices are used to store a large amounts of data permanently

The amount of data a disk can hold is defined as Disk Capacity

List the various Secondary storage devices?

Secondary Storage Devices
Hard Disk
Blu-ray Disk
Compact Disk
Magnetic Tape
USB Pen Drive
Memory Card
Hard Disk
A hard disk is a non-volatile, high capacity storage device
It consists of solid rounded disks, packed on one another; made up of a magnetic material and
sealed in a case.
Data is stored on the platters in tracks, sectors and cylinders
Each platter is divided into concentric rings called tracks
Each track is divided into sectors
A cylinder consists of a set of tracks
Blu-Ray disk
A high capacity optical disk medium developed for recording, rewriting and playing back high
definition video.
It supports higher resolutions and more advanced audio and video formats
Compact Disc
CD is an optical disk used to store audio and video data
CD-R
CD-RW
Magnetic Tape – In this, magnetic coatings are stored as data on a thin tape

DVD – Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc is an optical disk storage device.

USB Pen Drive – It is a small, portable memory which can be plugged into a computer with USB
port.

Memory Cards – These are data storage devices used with digital cameras, computers, mobile
players etc.
Cache memory
RAM is faster than secondary storage, but not as fast as a computer processor.
So RAM may slow down CPU
To reduce the speed mismatch between CPU and RAM , a very high speed memory is placed
between the CPU and the primary memory known as “Cache”.
It stores the copies of the data from frequently accessed primary memory locations, thus,
reducing the average time required to access data from primary memory.
When the CPU needs to access memory, it first examines the cache.
In case the requirement is met, it is read from the cache
Otherwise the primary memory is accessed.
AFL
The concentric circles on the platters are called ________.
Draw is an example of an Operating system . True/False
Device driver is an example of _______________.
______________ converts each program instruction into machine code.
DVD stands for ___________________.
Distinguish between RAM and ROM
What is the use of Cache memory ?
Data Capturing, Storage, and Retrieval
Learning Objective
Students will be able to

Discuss about Data processing, storage and retrieval.

Explain Data deletion and recovery.
Data Capturing, Storage, and Retrieval
To process the data, we need to first input or capture the data.
This is followed by its storage in a file or a database so that it can be used in the future.
Whenever data is to be processed; it is first retrieved from the file/database so that we can
perform further actions on it.
Data Capturing, Storage, and Retrieval

(A) Data Capturing

It involves the process of gathering data from different sources in digital form. Data may be
captured using, keyboard, bar code readers (Used at shopping outlets), remote sensors on earth
orbiting satellites etc. comments/posts over multiple social media are also captured as data.
Sometimes, heterogeneity among data sources makes data capturing a complex task.
(B) Data Storage
It is the process of storing the captured data for processing later. Now-a-days data is being
produced at a very high rate, and therefore data storage has become a challenging task. However,
the decrease in the cost of digital storage devices has helped n simplifying this task.
Data keeps on increasing with time. Hence, the storage devices also require to be upgraded
periodically. In large organisations, computers with larger and faster storage called data servers
are deployed to store vast amount of data. Such dedicated computers help in processing data
efficiently. However, the cost (both hardware and software) of setting up a data server as well as
its maintenance is high, especially for small organisations.
(C) Data Retrieval

It involves fetching data from the storage devices, for its processing as per the user requirement.
As databases grow, the challenges involved in search and retrieval of the data in acceptable time,
also increase. Minimising data access time is crucial for faster data processing.
Data Deletion and Recovery

One of the biggest threats associated with digital data is its deletion. The storage devices can
malfunction or crash down resulting in the deletion of the stored data. Users can accidentally
erase data from storage devices, or a hacker/malware can delete the digital data intentionally.

Deleting digitally stored data means changing the details of data at bit level, which can be very
time-consuming. Therefore, when any data is simply deleted, its address entry is marked as free,
and that much space is shown as empty to the user, without actually deleting the data.
In case data gets deleted accidentally or corrupted, there arises a need to recover the data.
Recovery of the data is possible only if the contents/memory space marked as deleted have not
been overwritten by some other data.
Data recovery is a process of retrieving deleted, corrupted and lost data from secondary storage
devices.
There are usually two security concerns associated with data. One is its deletion by some
unauthorised person or software. These concerns can be avoided by limiting access to the
computer system and using passwords for user accounts and files, wherever possible. There is
also an option of encrypting files to protect them from unwanted modification.
The other concern is related to unwanted recovery of data by unauthorised user/software. Many a
times, we discard our old, broken or malfunctioning storage devices without taking care to delete
data.
We assume that the contents of deleted files are permanently removed. However, if these storage
devices fall into the hands of mischief-mongers, they can easily recover data from such devices;
this poses a threat to data confidentiality. This concern can be mitigated by using proper tools to
delete or shred data before disposing off any old or faulty storage device.
AFL

What do you mean by data recovery?

The biggest threat associated with digital data is _______.
Large organisations use ___________ for storing large amount of data.
What is the security threats involved when we throw away electronic gadgets that are non-
functional?
Software
Learning objectives
Students will be able to understand
The concept and usage of software
Classification of software
The terms like Proprietary, Free and Open Source Software, Freeware
Software
Set of instructions to operate a hardware is called as software
The software comprises of set of instructions which on execution deliver the desired outcome.
It cannot be touched or viewed physically
Examples: Ubuntu, Windows 7/10, LibreOffice Writer, Microsoft Word, VLC Player, Paint and
LibreOffice Draw
Hardcopy v/s Softcopy
A document or image stored on the hard disk or pen drive is referred to as a “Softcopy”.
Once printed, the document or an image is called a “Hardcopy”.
Needs of software
It make computer hardware useful and operational
Make the hardware components communicate with each other
It acts as an interface between human users and the hardware
Types of software
System Software
Application software
1. System software
It provide basic functionality to operate a computer
It directly interact with hardware
Knows how to operate and use different hardware components of a computer
It provides services directly to the end user, or to some other software.
Examples : Operating systems, system utilities, device drivers, etc.
Operating system
An operating system is a program that act as an interface between the user and hardware of the
computer
It a system software that operates the computer.
An operating system is the most basic system software, without which other software cannot
work.
It manages other application programs
It provide access and security to the users of the system.
An OS is the first program to be executed on a computer after the BIOS
Example: Windows, Linux, Macintosh, Ubuntu, Fedora, Android, iOS, etc.
Need for an Operating System
User Interface – OS is the way to interact with the user
Program execution – OS loads necessary programs into the memory for its functioning
Resource Allocation – OS controls and allocates the system resources like CPU time,
memory(RAM) etc.
Manipulation of File System – OS manages the method in which the information is stored on and
retrieved from hard disk
I/O Operations – handles all input output operations
Error Detection – performs error detection and handling
OS controls the various hardware & software resources and allocated them to the users/programs
System Utilities
Software used for maintenance and configuration of the computer system is called system utility.
Some system utilities are shipped with the operating system
Example: disk defragmentation tool, formatting utility, system restore utility, etc.
Another set of utilities are those which are not shipped with the operating system but are required
to improve the performance of the system,
Example: anti-virus software, disk cleaner tool, disk compression software, etc.
Device Drivers
Purpose of a device driver is to ensure proper functioning of device.
Everyday new devices are being added to a computer system.
Each device has diverse characteristics
Operating system cannot manage all the existing and new devices
The responsibility for overall control, operation, and management of a particular device at the
hardware level is assigned to its device driver.
The device driver acts as an interface between the device and the operating system.
2. Application Software
It is software that performs specific tasks for user
It works on top of the system
Two categories of application software
General purpose software
Customised application software
General purpose software
It is developed for generic applications
Can be used by end users as per their requirements.
Example:
Spreadsheet tool LibreOffice Calc.
Adobe Photoshop
GIMP
Mozilla web browser
iTunes
Customised Software
These are custom or tailor-made application software
They are developed to meet the requirements of a specific organisation or an individual.
They are better suited to the needs of an individual or an organisation, as per special
requirements.
It is similar to buying a piece of cloth with specific colour and fabric and get it stitched as
desired.
Examples : websites, school management software, accounting software, etc.
Proprietary, Free and Open Source Software, Freeware
Proprietary software
When software to be used has to be purchased from the vendor who has the copyright of the
software, then it is a proprietary software.
Examples: Microsoft Windows, Tally, Quickheal etc.
Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)
It allow public to freely use these software along with source code
It’s aim is to improve further with each other’s help
Eg: the source code of operating system Ubuntu is freely accessible
Eg: Python, Libreoffice, Openoffice, Mozilla Firefox
Freeware
These software are freely available for use but source code may not be available.
Examples: Skype, Adobe Reader etc.
AFL
What is the use of Operating system ?
Distinguish between Application and system software.
Discuss about the following concepts
Proprietary software
Free and Open Source Software
Freeware
Output devices, Buses, Data, Information
Learning objective
Students will be able to understand
The working of various output devices like printer, monitor, etc.
The use of buses
The difference between Data and Information
The components of Von Neumann Architecture
Output Devices
Visual Display unit (VDU)/ Monitor
CRT , LCD , Plasma
Printers – Impact , Non-impact
Dot matrix, Inkjet , Laser printer
Speaker
Plotters
Visual Display Unit
Popular name is monitor , used to the display output

CRT (cathode ray tube) and Liquid Crystal Display(LCD)

CRT vs LCD ?
CRT Monitor

LCD Monitor
Types of printers
Impact – there is a mechanical contact between printer head and paper. Eg . Dot Matrix Printer

Non-impact printers – no mechanical contact between printer head and paper. Eg. Inkjet printer,
Laser printer
Dotmatrix printer
Dotmatrix printer (Serial printer) prints one character at a time.
This printer prints character by striking an ink-ribbon against the paper and hence termed as
impact printer.
Low operating cost , used to generate carbon copies
Printer is noisy
Inkjet/Deskjet Printer
Inkjet printer uses the technique of spreading dry ink on paper
The ink is stored in the form of cartridges
Generates high quality prints, used in small offices and homes
Laser Printer
Laser technology is used to produce printed documents

Very fast

Very high quality prints

Speaker –is an output device that generates sound as an output

Plotter – is an output device used for producing good quality images and drawings
It support printing of large-sized papers (engineering drawings)
Used in CAD(Computer Aided Design)
Communication Bus
A communication bus is a collection of wires that transfer data between computer components
It usually transmits binary numbers one bit per wire
Three types of buses
Address bus – is used to specify address of data/memory location and stores address in
MAR(Memory Address Register)
Data bus – carries data in binary form from one component to another
Control bus – carries instructions to perform operations such as Read from/Write to memory and
its associated input-output operations.
Data Vs Information
Data class 11 , Arun, 2

Information Arun is a class 11 student with rollnumber 2

Information Processing Cycle

Basic Components of a Computer System
Software , Hardware

IPO cycle

Von Neumann Architecture

Program counter - holds the memory address of the next instruction to be fetched from primary
memory
Memory address register (MAR) - holds the address of the current instruction that is to be
fetched from memory, or the address in memory to which data is to be transferred
Memory data register (MDR) - holds the contents found at the address held in the MAR, or data
which is to be transferred to primary memory
Accumulator (ACC) – holds the data being processed and the results of processing
AFL
Draw neat diagram for Von Neumann Architecture.
Distinguish between Data & Information.
List three types of buses. Explain it’s use.
Distinguish between Impact and Non-impact printers.