MODULE 2

Basic Component of Computer

Components of Computer refer to physical and the non-physical part of the system. A computer
system can be divided into hardware, software and humanware
The Hardware
The hardware refers to the physical components and the devices which make up the visible
computer. It can be divided into two: Central Processing Unit (CPU) and the Peripherals. The
CPU is responsible for all processing that the computer does while the peripherals are
responsible for feeding data into the system and for collecting information from the system.
The CPU consists of Main storage, ALU and Control Unit. The main storage is used for
storing data to be processed as well as the instructions for processing them. The ALU is the unit
for arithmetic and logical operations. The control unit ensures the smooth operation of the other
hardware units. It fetches instruction, decode (interprets) the instruction and issues commands to
the units responsible for executing the instructions.

The peripherals are in three categories: Input devices, Output devices and auxiliary storage
devices.

The input device is used for supplying data and instructions to the computer. Examples are
terminal Keyboard, Mouse, Joystick, Microphone, Scanner, Webcam, etc.

Output device is used for obtaining result (information) from the computer. Examples are
Printers, Video Display Unit (VDU), loudspeaker, projector etc,

Auxiliary Storage Devices are used for storing information on a long-term basis. Examples are
hard disk, flash disk, magnetic tape, memory card, solid state drive SDD etc.

A simple model of the hardware part of a computer system is shown below:

Peripherals

Input
Unit Auxiliary Output
Storage Unit
Unit

Main Memory

Central
Processing Arithmetic
Unit and Logic
Unit

Control Unit
Figure 2.1: Hardware part of a computer system

1.1 The Software

Software are basically referred to as programs. A program consists of sequence of instructions
required to accomplish well-defined tasks. Examples of such tasks include:
1. Finding the average score of a student
2. Computing the net pay of an employee
3. Solving a set of simultaneous linear equations
It is the software that enables the hardware to be put into effective use. There are two main
categories of software – System software and Application software.

3.3.1 System Software

System software are programs commonly written by computer manufacturers, which have direct
effect on the control, performance and ease of usage of the computer system. Examples are
Operating System, Language Translators, Utilities and Service Programs, and Database
Management Systems (DBMS).

Operating System is a collection of program modules which form an interface between the
computer hardware and the computer user. Its main function is to ensure a judicious and
efficient utilization of all the system resources (such as the processor, memory, peripherals and
other system data) as well as to provide programming convenience for the user. Examples are
Unix, Linux, Windows, Macintosh, and Disk Operating system.

Language Translators are programs which translate programs written in non-machine

languages such as FORTRAN, C, Pascal, and BASIC into the machine language equivalent.
Example of language translators are assemblers, interpreters, compilers and preprocessor.

 Assemblers: This is a program that converts program written in assembly language (low
level language) into machine language equivalent.

 Interpreter: This is a program that converts program written in high level language
(HLL) into its machine language (ML) equivalent one line at a time. Language like
BASIC is normally interpreted.

 Compiler: This is a program that translates program written in high level language
(HLL) into machine language (ML) equivalent all at once. Compilers are normally called
 by the names of the high-level language they translate. For instance, COBOL compiler,
FORTRAN compiler etc.

 Preprocessor: This is a language translator that takes a program in one HLL and
produces equivalent program in another HLL. For example, there are many preprocessors
to map structured version of FORTRAN into conventional FORTRAN.

Database Management System (DBMS) is a complex program that is used for creation,
storage, retrieving, securing and maintenance of a database. A database can be described as an
organized collection of related data relevant to the operations of a particular organization. The
data are stored usually in a central location and can be accessed by different authorized users.

Linker is a program that takes several object files and libraries as input and produces one
executable object file.

Loader is a program that places an executable object file into memory and makes them ready for
execution. Both linker and loader are provided by the operating system.

Utility and Service Programs

These are programs which provide facilities for performing common computing tasks of a
routine nature. The following are some of the examples of commonly used utility programs:
 Sort Utility: This is used for arranging records of a file in a specified sequence
(alphabetic, numerical or chronological) of a particular data item within the records. The
data item is referred to as the sort key.

 Merge Utility: This is used to combine two or more already ordered files together to
produce a single file.

 Copy Utility: This is used mainly for transferring data from a storage medium to the
other, for example from disk to tape.

 Debugging Facilities: These are used for detecting and correcting errors in program.

 Text Editors: These provide facilities for creation and amendment of program from the
terminal.

 Benchmark Program: This is a standardized collection of programs that are used to

evaluate hardware and software. For example, a benchmark might be used to compare the
performance of two different computers on identical tasks, assess the comparative
performance of two operating systems etc.

Application Software
These are programs written by a user to solve individual application problem. They do not have
any effect on the efficiency of the computer system. An example is a program to calculate the
grade point average of all the 100L students. Application software can be divided into two
namely: Application Package and User’s Application Program. When application programs
are written in a very generalized and standardized nature such that they can be adopted by a
number of different organizations or persons to solve similar problem, they are called
Application Packages. There are a number of micro-computer based packages. These include
word processors (such as Ms-word, WordPerfect, WordStar); Database packages (such as
Oracle, Ms-access, Sybase, SQL Server, and Informix); Spreadsheet packages (such as Lotus 1-
2-3 and Ms-Excel); Graphic packages (such as CorelDraw, Fireworks, Photoshop etc), and
Statistical packages (such as SPSS). User’s Application Program is a program written by the
user to solve specific problem which is not generalized in nature. Examples include writing a
program to find the roots of quadratic equation, payroll application program, and program to
compute students’ results.

The Human-ware
Although, the computer system is automatic in the sense that once initiated, it can, without
human intervention, continue to work on its own under the control of stored sequence of
instructions (program), however, it is not automatic in the sense that it has to be initiated by a
human being, and the instructions specifying the operations to be carried out on the input data
are given by human being. Therefore, apart from the hardware and software, the third element
that can be identified in a computer system is the human-ware. This term refers to the people
that work with the computer system. The components of the human-ware in a computer system
include the system analyst, the programmer, data entry operator, end users etc.

Organizational Structure of a Typical Computer Installation

The following diagram shows the organizational structure of a typical computer installation

DPM

System Development Operations Team

System Analysts Programmers Operators Control Clerks

Data Entry Operator

Figure 2.2: Organizational Structure of a typical computer installation

Data Processing Manager (DPM) supervises every other persons that work with him and is
answerable directly to the management of the organization in which he works.

A System Analyst is a person that understudies an existing system in operation in order to

ascertain whether or not computerization of the system is necessary and/or cost-effective. When
found necessary, he designs a computerized procedure and specifies the functions of the various
programs needed to implement the system.

A Programmer is the person that writes the sequence of instructions to be carried out by the
computer in order to accomplish a well-defined task. The instructions are given in computer
programming languages.
A data entry operator is the person that enters data into the system via keyboard or any input
device attached to a terminal. There are other ancillary staffs that perform other functions such as
controlling access to the computer room, controlling the flow of jobs in and out of the computer
room.

An end-user is one for whom a computerized system is being implemented. The end-user
interacts with the computerized system in their day-to-day operations of the organization. For
example a cashier in the bank who receives cash from customers or pays money to customers
interacts with the banking information system.