COMPUTER APPLICATION

CHAPTER - 01
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS

Compiled by: Workineh N.

1
 1.1 Introduction - Definition

►A computer is an electronic device that:

Accepts data and instructions (INPUT)

Processes the data according to the instructions (PROCESS)

Stores the data and the results of processing (information) (STORAGE)

Displays the information (OUTPUT)

►The term computer is derived from the Latin word ‘compute’ which means to
calculate.

2
 1.2 Application Areas of Computers
►Computers are applied in almost all areas, including:
Business – E.g. payroll calculations, sales analysis, financial forecasting, managing
employees database, etc.)
Banking – E.g. like online accounting facility, ATM machines, etc)
Insurance - to maintain a database of all clients with information showing
procedure to continue with policies, starting date of the policies, next due
installment of a policy, maturity date, interests due, survival benefits, bonus, etc.
Education – E.g. Computer Based Education, which involves control, delivery, and
evaluation of learning; assisting in searching information.
Marketing – E.g. advertising, home shopping, etc.
Health Care – E.g. diagnostic system, patient-monitoring system, pharma
information system, surgery, etc.
3
 1.2 Application Areas of Computers (Cont’d)
Engineering Design – Examples include:
• Structural Engineering - stress and strain analysis for design of ships, buildings,
bridges, airplanes, etc.
• Industrial Engineering - design, implementation and improvement of integrated
systems of people, materials and equipments.
• Architectural Engineering - planning towns, designing buildings, determining a
range of buildings on a site using both 2D and 3D drawings.
Military – e.g. missile control, military communication, military operation and
planning, smart weapons, etc.
Communication – E.g. E-mail, Chatting, FTP, Telnet, Video-conferencing, etc.
Government - E.g. Budgets, Sales tax, Income tax, Male/Female ratio,
Computerization of voters lists, Computerization of driving licensing system,
Computerization of PAN card, Weather forecasting, etc.
4
 1.3 Definition of ICT

►ICT – Information and Communication Technology

►It is a merge of two technologies:

Information Technology – storage and processing of data using computers.

Communication Technology – high speed transmission of data (messages).

►ICT also refers to the merger of audio-visual and telephone networks with computer
networks through a single cabling or link.

5
 1.4 Characteristics of computers
A computers has the following characteristics:
Automatic - once started on a job, they carry on until the job is finished, normally
without any human intervention.
Speed - A computer is a very fast device and capable of performing several billion
simple arithmetic operations per second.
Accuracy - The accuracy of a computer is consistently high
Diligence - Unlike human beings, a computer is free from boredom, tiredness, lack
of concentration, etc
Versatility - A computer is capable of performing almost any task.
Power of Remembering - A computer can store and recall huge amount of
information because of its secondary storage capability.
No I.Q - A computer is not a magical device. It can only perform tasks that a
human being can. The difference is speed and accuracy.
No Feelings - Computers are devoid of emotion. They cannot make judgments on
their own. 6
 1.5 Types of Computers
Computers are classified based on different criteria: application(purpose),
the type of data they process and their size(functionality).

7
 1.5 Types of Computers (cont’d)
► Based on their purposes:
1. General-purpose – used for a variety of tasks.
 We need only appropriate software to perform a particular task.
 E.g. the PCs in wide use in our labs and Internet cafés

2. Special-purpose
 are specifically designed to perform one particular task.
 E.g a computer that guides a missile

8
 Types of Computers (cont’d)
►Based on the data they handle:
1. Analog computers
 process analog data such as time, temperature, speed,
current, chemical composition of petroleum products
 By analog, we mean continuously varying quantity.
 Eg:- Scientific and Engineering purpose

2. Digital computers
 process digital data.
 Digital data assume one of two values, 1 (high) or 0 (low).

3. Hybrid computers
 exhibit features of analog and digital computers.
 Use analog components for differential calculation and digital memory, digital components 9
 Types of Computers (cont’d)
►Based on the size or function
1. Super computers
Most powerful and expensive
Used for problems requiring complex operations (e.g.
tracking spaceship, weather)
Eg:-CRAY and CYBER

2. Mainframe computers
Capable of great processing speeds and data storage
Not as powerful as supercomputers
Housed in special rooms with special power and
environmental control.
They are used as e-commerce servers handling
transactions over the Internet 10
 Types of Computers (cont’d)

3. Minicomputers
Known as midrange digital computers
able to process and store less data than a mainframe but more
than a microcomputer.
perform the tasks that a mainframe can, but on a reduced scale
Used by departments of large companies
4. Microcomputers
Cheap, smallest and least powerful digital computer
Widely used and designed for individual use, businesses
Four types
• Desktop
• Notebook or laptop
• Tablet PC and Handheld
11
 Types of Computers (cont’d)

5. Workstation Computers
Powerful single-user Computer
used for tasks that require a great deal of number-crunching power, such as product
design and computer animation.
Used as Network and Internet Server

12
 CHAPTER-02

DATA REPRESENTATION

13
 2.1 Number System
►It defines a set of values used to represent the quantity, and other special characters.
►There are two types number systems:
1. Non-Positional Number Systems
Special symbols or characters are used to indicate the values.
difficult to perform arithmetic with such a numbers as it has no symbol for zero
No value given to position.
E.g. Roman number system, Geez number system.
2. Positional Number Systems
 indicates the value of each digit in a number used by Symbol and the symbol’s
position(called digits).
 have a base or radix.
 The base or radix tells the number of symbols used in the system 14
 2.2 Number System (Cont’d)
 There are four positional number systems
1. Decimal number systems

2. Binary number systems

3. Octal number systems

4. Hexadecimal number systems

Number System Radix Value Set of Digits Example
Decimal r = 10 (0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9) (25)10
Binary r=2 (0,1) (11001)2
Octal r=8 (0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7) (31)8
Hexadecimal r = 16 (0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,AB,C,D,E,F) (19)16 15
 2.3 Conversion between Number Systems
►Internally computers use binary numbers for data representation
whereas externally it uses decimal numbers.
►However, any number can be converted from one system to another:
1. Conversion of Decimal to Binary - To convert from decimal to
binary:- Q R
Divide the number by 2 and record the remainder. 2 36
 Divide the quotient by 2 and record the remainder. 2 18 0
Keep on dividing the quotient by 2, and each time 2 9 0
record the remainder until you get 1 as a quotient. 2 4 1
2 2 0
The binary number becomes the last quotient (1) followed
1 0
by the remainders in reverse order (last remainder written first)
E.g. Convert 36 decimal into binary. Thus 36 = (100100)2. 16
 Number system conversion (cont’d)
►Conversion of Binary to Decimal:
Multiply each binary digit by its positional value
Add all the products

17
 2.4 Unit of Data Representation
►When data is stored, processed, or communicated within the computer system, it is
“packed” in units.
►Every data in computers is represented by a string of binary digits (0 and 1).
►Common data units are the following:
1. Bit (BInary digiT) – the smallest unit and computers use binary number system.
• Each binary digit (bit) is represented by an on (1) or off (0) state of a switch
2. Byte – basic unit of information in a computer.
• Is the largest unit and contains 8 bits
• It represents 28 (= 256) possible combinations.
• Combinations can represent letters, numbers, and symbols such as +,-,? Etc
• Computer’s memory processing, storage, and communication use the byte as a
unit of measurement.
18
 Unit of Data Representation
►indicate the size of memory like 128,000 bytes or 128K bytes
1KB (Kilobyte)= 210 = 1024 B
1MB (Megabyte) = 210 KB=220 B
1GB (Gigabyte) = 210 MB = 220 KB = 230 B
1TB (terabyte) = 210 GB = 220 MB = 230 KB = 240 B
3. Word – refers to the number of bits that a computer processes at a time
conveyed even faster by sending more than one byte at a time, two bytes, or four
bytes.
Generally, word length is given in bits, (8 bits, 16 bits, or 32 bits).
The larger word length a computer has, the more powerful it is.
Thus, a computer with a word length 64 bits is faster than with 32 bits, 32 bit is
faster than 16 bits, etc.

19
 2.5 Binary Coding
►There are a lot of ways to represent numeric, alphanumeric and special characters in
computer’s internal storage area.
►commonly used coding standards:
1. BCD - Binary Coded Decimal
• to code decimal numbers(0-9) by combining their binary codes of each digit by
four bits .
• Represents only of 16 (=24) alpha-numeric characters
• Eg:- 256 is represented as 0010 0101 0110
2 5 6
2. ASCII – American Standard Code for Information Interchange.
• basis for the internal coding scheme of most computer system.
• A 7-bit representation of 128 (=27) alpha-numeric characters
• Extended ASCII – an 8-bit representation of 256 (=28) characters
• Mostly used with PCs
20
 Binary Coding (Cont’d)
Character B8 B7 B6 B5 B4 B3 B2 B1
Example ? 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1
+ 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1
1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1
F 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0
H 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0

Where B1 stands for bit 1,

B2 stands for bit 2, And so on.
With the ASCII code table, all eight bits (called a byte) are needed to represent a single
character.
3. EBCDIC - Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code
• An 8-bit representation of 256 (=28) characters
• provides a unique code for each decimal value 0 to 9, each upper case and lower case letter and special
characters
• Mostly used with large scale computers.
• 4. Unicode
• standardized to accommodate special symbols such as Greek characters α, β, γ etc.
• uses 16 bits to represent each character or symbol. ( 2 16 combinations)
21
• Virtually every character of every language can be represented by using this code.
 Quiz
Answer the following accordingly.
1. Which of the following is hexadecimal number system?
A. (0101) B. (A8B7) C. (1111) D. (0011) E. All
2. All of the following are octal number system except ___
A. (7801) B. (236) C. (0011) D. (3411) E. None
3. Which of the following is the correct way of number system representation?
A. (0120)2 B. (087F)8 C. (23C8)10 D. (ABC)16 E. None

4. Convert 89 to Binary number system.

5. Convert (0110111)2 to decimal number system
22
 CHAPTER-03

COMPUTER SYSTEM

23
 3.1. Computer System Components
►It is a group of hardware components and associated software, designed and
assembled to perform a specific function or group of functions
►It is a complete, working computer that includes not only the computer, but also any
software and peripheral devices that are necessary to make the computer function.
►A complete computer system includes four distinct parts: Hardware, Software, Data
and Users.
1. Data – raw facts to be processed by computer.
Includes numbers, text, images, audio or video
All data are represented as strings of bits.
Data is processed to produce information.
2. Users – people operating the computers.
24
 Computer System Components (cont’d)
3. Hardware – Physical components that you can touch or feel. It consists of:
The system unit which houses the motherboard, microprocessor, power supply,
memory, etc.
The keyboard, monitor, and mouth.
Other peripheral devices like printer, digital camera, scanner, LCD projector, etc.

4. Software or program - is a set of detailed instructions that tell the computer what to
do.
 A software may come in different media, but at the time of running, it is loaded onto
memory.
 A program is a sequence of instructions stored in the memory of the computer system.
 A processor fetches an instruction from memory, decodes it and then executes the required
operation.
 When an instruction has been executed the next instruction is fetched, decoded and
executed, etc. 25
 3.2 Computer Hardware
3.2.1 A physical setup of a computer

• When you look at a computer Monitor System Unit

externally, it simply consists CD-ROM
of: Drive
• the system unit
Floppy Disk
• the most common Drive
peripheral devices, namely
• monitor,
• keyboard,
• mouse and
• (optionally) printer Mouse
Keyboard

26
 System Unit
►System unit houses the major components of the computer.

27
 Expansion Slots and Cards
►Expansion cards are small circuit boards that are used to upgrade a computer
functionality.
►These include: enhanced graphics cards, modems, networking cards, sound cards, etc.
►Expansion cards are inserted into expansion slots in the motherboard.
►Expansion slots – a socket on the motherboard where expansion cards can be plugged
into.
►Types of expansion slots:
1. PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) is a local bus system that allows devices to
be inserted quickly and easily (plug–and–play compatible).
 Most of the computers today come with PCI slots and cards.

2. AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)

specifically designed to deal with graphics adapters
Older PCs used AGP; newer ones use PCI express. 28
 Computer Hardware (Cont’d)

3. USB (Universal Serial Bus) defines a class of hardware that makes it easy to add serial
devices to your computer.
• It provides an instant, no-hassle way to connect a new digital joystick, a scanner, a set
of digital speakers, a digital camera or a PC telephone to their computer.
• To install a USB device, plug the cord from the
device into any USB Port on your computer.

4. PCI Express (or PCIe)

• The best type of expansion slot to
have in your PC
• It is the fastest and most efficient
slot.
• Types: 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x and 32x
has much greater bandwidth than
29
basic PCI.
 Computer Hardware (Cont’d)

CPU
(Central Processing Unit)
Motherboard

30
 Computer Hardware (Cont’d)

SIMM
(Single Inline Memory Module)

Power Supply

HDD
(Hard Disk Drive)
31
 Power Supply
►Power supply converts mains AC to low-voltage regulated DC
power for the internal components of a computer.
►It also lowers the voltage level
►In Ethiopia, the normal household voltage is 220V/50Hz AC.
►The capacity of a power supply is measured in watts (W).
►A power supply of 150–200 W is large enough for most
computers.

32
 Computer Ports
• Computer Port is an interface between the computer and other computers or peripheral
devices.

33
3.2.2 Operational Setup of a Computer

34
 1. Processor or Central Processing Unit (CPU)
►The computing part of the computer
►It is referred to as the brain of the computer
►It controls and manipulates the data to produce information.
►It has three main parts:
1. Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU) – perform actual arithmetic and logical operations
• The data and instructions, stored in the primary storage prior to processing are transferred as
and when needed to the ALU
2. Control Unit (CU) – directs the operations of the entire system.
• Fetch, decode and execute instructions
• It acts as a central nervous system.
3. Registers – special purpose, high speed temporary memory units.
• hold data, instructions, addresses and intermediate results.
• hold the information that the CPU is currently working on.
• E.g. Program Counter, Instruction Register, Accumulator, Memory Address Register,
Memory Buffer Register and Data Register 35
 2. Input Unit

►is an electronic device that allows the user to feed information (data) or command into
the computer for analysis, storage, and to give commands to the computer
E.g. keyboard, mouse, joystick, light pen, track ball, scanner, graphic tablet,
optical character reader, bar code reader, etc.

1. Keyboard
Is the standard input device.

Looks like the traditional typewriter, with some additional keys for performing
additional functions.
The number of keys in a typical keyboard varies from 82 keys to 108 keys. 36
 Input Unit (Cont’d)

►The keys in a keyboard consist of:

a. Alphanumeric keys – used for typing, similar to that of a typewriter.

b. Numeric keypad – found at the right side of the keyboard, it is used for entering
numbers and moving the pointer.

c. Function keys – these are the twelve function keys, F1 – F12, at the first row of
the keyboard. They may be programmed to perform different tasks.

d. Modifier keys – include keys like Alt, Ctrl and Shift.

e. Cursor movement keys – found between the alphanumeric keys and numeric
keypad, they are used to move the cursor. 37
 Input Unit (Cont’d)
2. Pointing Devices - is used to communicate with the computer by
pointing to location on the monitor screen.
 They do not require keying of characters, instead the user can move a
cursor on the screen and perform move, click or drag operations.
 Examples, mouse, trackball, joystick, light pen and touch screen.
i. The mouse
Most popular pointing device.
Used to control the position of cursor on screen.
A ball at its base senses the movement of mouse and sends
corresponding signals to CPU when the mouse buttons are
pressed.
It has two buttons called left and right button and a wheel is
present between the buttons.
Faster than the keyboard to move the cursor 38
 Pointing Devices(Cont…)
►Based on technology they use mouse can be mechanical or optical mouse:
►A mechanical mouse - uses a rubber ball at the bottom surface, which
rotates as the mouse is moved along a flat surface to move the cursor.
►An optical mouse - uses a light beam instead of a rotating ball to move
the cursor.
►Some of the common mouse actions are pointing, click, Right-click,
Double-click, Drag and drop.
ii. Joystick
a pointing device used to move cursor position on a monitor screen.
mainly used in Computer Aided Designing (CAD) and playing
computer games.
iii. Light Pen
a pointing device similar to a pen.
used to select a displayed menu item or draw pictures on the monitor. 39
 Pointing Devices(Cont…)
iv. Track ball
is similar to a mouse except the ball is on top where it can be
moved with the thumb or finger.
mostly used in notebook or laptop computer, instead of a mouse.
pointer can be moved by moving fingers on the ball.
v. Touch pad (or touchpad)
found in most portable computers.
operated by using your finger and dragging it across a flat
surface
vi. Touch screen – is a type of display screen device that is placed on
the computer monitor in order to allow the direct selection or
activation of the computer when somebody touches the screen.
40
 Input Unit (Cont’d)
3. Scanner
works more like a photocopy machine.
captures images from the source which are then converted into the
digital form.
4. Digitizer
also known as Tablet or Graphics Tablet, it converts analog
information into digital form.
E.g. a signal from the television or camera.
5. Speech Recognition:
is the technology that converts speech spoken by humans into digital
signals.
It is more generally called as sound recognition.

41
 Input Unit (Cont’d)
6. Microphone
to input sound that is then stored in digital form.
7. Optical Character Reader (OCR)
used to read a printed text, convert it into a machine
readable code and stores the text on the system
memory.
8. Bar code reader
scans a bar code image, converts it into an
alphanumeric value which is then fed to the
computer.

42
 3. Output Unit
►Are peripheral devices through which processed data is made available for humans.
►Convert machine readable information into human readable form.
►Output from such devices takes one of two forms:
Softcopy - form of output which is shown on a display screen or in audio or voice
form
• E.g. monitor display, audio output, projector display
Hardcopy - printed form of output.
• E.g. printed material using printers, plotters or microfilms
►Based on the hard copy and soft copy outputs, the output devices are classified into two
types:
 Hard copy output devices – e.g. printers
 soft copy output devices – e.g. monitors
43
 Output Unit
. Output Devices

Hard Copy Soft Copy

Printers Plotters Microfilm Monitors Audio Projectors

Response

44
 Output Unit (Cont’d)
1. Monitor
Also called visual display unit (VDU), it displays the information produced by
the video card.
►Based on the color they produce, they can be categorized into three types.
a. Monochrome - one color text/image on single color background, i.e. white on
blue, or green on black.
b. Grayscale – shades of gray on a white background.
c. Color – can display different colors, from 16 to more than 16 million colors.

►Based on the technology used to make computer monitors, they can be broadly
categorized into three types.
a. CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)
b. LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
c. LED (Light-Emitting Diodes) 45
 Monitor(Cont’d)

►CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) Monitors

Electrons are fired at phosphor dots on the screen.

The dots are grouped into picture elements called pixels, which glow
when struck by electrons.
In color CRT monitors, each pixel contains a red, green and blue dot.
These glow at varying intensities to produce color images.
They are highly reliable and efficient, capable of generating a resolution
of up to 2048 x 1536 pixels, thereby providing a clear picture quality.

46
 Monitor(Cont’d)
►LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) Monitors

Made of two layers of a polarizing material with a liquid crystal solution in between.

An electrical signal makes the crystals line up in a way as to regulate the light going
through.
all crystals lined up means no light gets through and hence black screen displayed

A color LCD screen uses groups of 3 color cells.

They are compact and lightweight.

They consume less electrical power than CRT.

47
 Monitor(Cont’d)
►Things to be considered while comparing monitors:
Size - the diagonal measurement of its face in inches. 17” – 22” monitors are
common.
Resolution - number of pixels on the screen (important especially for graphics, page
layout and CAD).
• Common resolutions include:
• VGA (Video Graphics Array):640 x 480 pixels
• SVGA (Super VGA): 800 x 600 pixels
• XGA (extended VGA): 1024 x 768 pixels
• SXGA: 1280 x 1024 pixels
Refresh rate - Shows how often the picture is redrawn on the monitor.
• With low rate, picture will flicker. So, high refresh rate is desirable.
• 60 times per second is tolerable at low resolutions for most people.
48
• 75 times per second or more is better and is necessary for high resolutions.
 Monitor(Cont’d)

Aspect Ratio
• Ratio of horizontal pixels to vertical pixels; typical values are 16:10 or 16:9

Contrast ratio
• Difference in brightness from the brightest to the darkest; typical contrast ratio is 1000:1

Dot (pixel) pitch

• Space between the pixels (or dots) that make up the images on your computer monitor.

• The smaller the pixel pitch, the better the image quality will be on your screen.

49
 Output Unit (Cont’d)
2. Video Adapter Cards
convert information from the CPU into a format used by the monitor and the monitor
displays the information sent to it by the video adapter card.
can be built into the motherboard but, in most cases, it is installed as an expansion
card.
video adapter card specifications are similar to those of the monitor
video adapter cards come with their own memory, separate from the computer’s main
memory.
Amount of video memory determines the maximum number of colors that can be
displayed at a given resolution.
3. Printers – are used to produce “hard copy” of documents, programs and data.
 Use serial communication, parallel communication or USB printers to transfer information
from the PC to the printer.
 In serial communication, data is transferred one bit at a time 50
 Printer(Cont’d)
►Based on the printing method(the actual forming of characters) used, printers are
categorized as impact printers and non-impact printers.
Impact printers strike an inked ribbon, pressing ink from the ribbon onto the
paper. E.g. Dot-matrix
Non-impact printers use different methods to place ink on paper. E.g. Inkjet
►Dot-matrix printers
A class of impact printers.
uses a matrix of pins to create printed dots arranged to form characters on a piece of
paper.
a print head mechanism pushes each pin into the ribbon, which then strikes the
paper.
Speed expressed in cps (characters per second) & vary between 180cps & 400cps
The original dot-matrix print heads had 7 pins, while newer, letter-quality print 51
 Output Unit (Cont’d)
These printers produce a lot of noise, inexpensive, very slow (50 – 500 cps), Has
low resolution (150 – 300dpi).
It can make carbon copies, It has long life and Do not support color printing.
►Ink Jet Printers
Are Non-impact printers
Works by spraying ionized ink at a sheet of paper.
Magnetized plates in the ink's path direct the ink onto the paper in the desired
shapes.
Capable of producing high quality print; typical resolution being 600 dpi, although
some newer models offer higher resolutions.
Speed measured in ppm (pages per minute)

52
 Printer(Cont’d)
These printers produce good print quality, produce low noise, are available for black
and color, are slow compared with Laser printers.
►Laser(Light Amplification by Simulated Emission of Radiation) Printers
The most advanced technology.
Laser beam forms an image of the characters.
The laser beam hits a drum and alters the electrical charge on the drum wherever it
hits.
The drum is rolled through a reservoir of toner, which is picked up by the charged
portions of the drum.
Finally, the toner is transferred to the paper through a combination of heat and
pressure.
High quality printout (600 dpi or more)
High speed (10 ppm or more) 53
 Output Unit (Cont’d)
►Factors to be considered while selecting printers include:
speed (measured in PPM or CPS),
quality (measured in dots per inch – dpi),
initial cost,
cost of operation and
special features like support for color and large page formats.
►Other output devices include:
PC projector - connects to a PC and is used to project images on a large screen
Plotter -
Speaker
Braille embosser

54
 4. Storage Unit
►Used to store inputted data and instructions, intermediate results, and final results
►Storage unit comprises of two types: primary and Secondary Storage
1. Primary Storage– known as main memory and stores data and program code
needed by the CPU. It is fast but limited capacity. It consists of:
a. RAM (Random Access Memory)
• stores data and programs needed by processor
• Temporary and volatile
• Expensive, and made from semiconductors
b. ROM (read Only Memory)
• Permanent and non-volatile
• contains minimum instructions that the computer needs to get started

55
 Storage Unit (Cont’d)
Secondary – bulk but slow.
• It is not directly accessible by processor
• Permanent storage
• Examples include:
• Floppy disks
• Hard disks
• Magnetic tape
• Compact disks
• DVDs
• Flash disks

56
 Storage Unit (Cont’d)
Hard disk drive (HDD)
• Internal or external
• Rigid rotating disks (platters), stacked on a
spindle.
• Platters rotate at high speed, Read/Write heads
move back and forth recording/ reading
magnetic information on both sides of the
platters.
• Hard disk has to be formatted before use.
• Formatting creates these areas:
• Boot sector
• File Allocation Table (FAT)
• Root Folder
• Data Area 57
 Storage Unit (Cont’d)
Floppy disk
• Slower and lower capacity than HDD
• Thin, flexible disk inside a protective plastic
cover. Write-protect
Window

• Removable media
• Write-protect window 3 ½”, 1.44MB Diskette

• Mainly used to carry private data/info from

place to place
• Now, it is obsolete

58
 Storage Unit (Cont’d)
Magnetic Tape
• Used to backup files from HDD
• Very slow, but low cost
• Tapes need to be formatted before use
• Backup files are not directly read from tap; they need to be
restored to HDD
CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory)
• Can only read to CD-ROM
• Use optical technology
• First CD-ROMs (1X) transferred at the rate of 150MB/s
• 2X CD-ROMS can transfer at the rate of 300MB/s, etc.
• They have storage capacity of about 650MB
59
 Storage Unit (Cont’d)
►CD-R (CD-Recordable)
allows to write to and read from a Compact Disc, but not erase
or change what you record.
►CD-RW (CD-Read/Write)
Rewritable CD
►DVD (Digital Video/Versatile Disc)
Higher storage capacities than other CDs
Can store up to 17GB

60
 The Bus System
►A bus is a subsystem that transfers data between
computer components inside a computer.
►Three types of buses:
• Data bus- transfer data from CPU to other components and
vise versa
• Address bus - transfer the address of the ongoing executable
data or instruction.
• Control bus - sends control signal over each executable code
and data

61
The Bus System (cont’d)

62
 3.3 Computer Performance
►Computer performance is affected by:
Registers – The size of the registers (or word size), determines
the amount of data which the computer can work at one time.
Larger size means faster
RAM – the larger the RAM size, the faster the computer.
System clock – the faster the clock speed, the faster the
computer.
Bus width – the larger the bus width, the faster the computer.
Cache memory – holds the most recent data and instructions
that have been loaded by the CPU. The larger the cache size, the
faster the computer.
63
 4. Computer Software

►Program controls the processing activity of computers.

►Collectively programs are called software.
►A blending of software and hardware gives life to a computer system.
►There are two categories of software:
System software – essential for the computer to function; it helps the computer
manage its own tasks and devices.
Application software – enables user perform specific tasks.

64
 Computer Software (cont’d)
Computer software

System software Application Software

System development
System management

Operating Utilities High level Low level

system Device programming
driver
programming
language language

65
 Computer Software (cont’d)
►System software consists of:
Operating system, whose tasks are:
• Process management - creation, deletion, suspension, resumption, scheduling and
synchronization of processes.
• Memory management - allocation and de-allocation of memory space as required.
• File management - creation and deletion of files and directories. It also organizes,
stores, retrieves, names and protects all the files.
• Device management - manages all the devices of the computer system such as monitor,
printer, disk etc.
• Security management - protects system resources and information against destruction
and unauthorized use.
• User interface - provides the interface between the user and the hardware.

66
 Computer Software (cont’d)
Device Drivers
• responsible for proper functioning of devices.
• part of the operating system or separate software
• acts like a translator between the device and programs that use the device.
System Utilities
• help users in system maintenance tasks and in performing tasks of routine nature.
These include:
• Formatting
• Defragmenting
• Compressing
• Backing up
• Scanning for viruses, etc.

67
 Computer Software (cont’d)
System Development Programs
• allow to write and construct programs.
• Programming language – allows to write programs. They are divided into three
categories: machine language, assembly language and high level language.
• Language translator – convert programs written in programming language into machine
language.
• Assembler
• Interpreter
• Compiler
• Linker - links together several object modules and libraries to form a single, coherent
program (executable)
• Loader - responsible for loading and relocation of the executable program in the main
memory.

68
 Computer Software (cont’d)
►Application Software is used to accomplish specific tasks rather
than just managing a computer system.
►There exist different types of application software:
Word processor - a computerized typewriter.
• permits the electronic creation, editing formatting, filing and printing of text.
• E.g. Microsoft word

69
 Computer Software (cont’d)
►Spreadsheet – electronic worksheet.
Arranged into rows and columns, the intersection of which is called a cell.
You can enter data into cells and
• make calculations by using formulae and built-in functions,
• draw different types of graphs,
• perform what-if analysis, and
• make decisions.
E.g. Microsoft Excel, Lotus 1-2-3

70
 Computer Software (cont’d)
►Database Management Systems
An application software that enables users:
• create a database,
• maintain it (add, delete and update its records),
• organize data in desired fashion, and
• selectively retrieve useful information from it
E.g. MS Access, Oracle, etc.
►Graphics Software
Used in creating, editing, displaying, and printing graphs, diagrams,
charts, and images
E.g. Corel Draw, paint, AutoCAD, etc.

71
 Relationship Between Hardware and Software

Application layer executes on the system software layer, which lies on the hardware layer.

Application Software

System Software

Hardware

72
 5. Computer Care and Safety

To keep your computer running smoothly and to

ensure that it has a long and productive life, follow
the following tips.
►Keeping your system free of dust, dirt and liquids.
Never spray your monitor screen with glass cleaner.
Instead, spray a lint-free cloth lightly with glass cleaner,
and then clean the screen.
Clean keyboards, computer case vents, or around disk
drive openings using canned air or small computer-
specific vacuum cleaners.
73
 Computer Care and Safety (Cont’d)
Clean the rubber ball inside the bottom of a mouse
occasionally.
Never try to remove the cover on your computer to
clean inside. Instead, take it to an authorized service
technician for cleaning.
Keep all liquids and food items away from your
computer.
Wipe off the keyboard keys with a soft cloth
dampened with rubbing alcohol.
Wash your hands before using the computer to avoid
"sticky keys."
74
 Computer Care and Safety (Cont’d)
►Keep the computer away from heat sources (like
radiators and heat registers).
►Never use your computer during a storm. Also use surge
arresters.
►Protect your computer from viruses/worms.
Install, use and regularly update virus software
Never open an email attachment unless you know and trust the
person who sent it.
Do not accept downloads from Internet sites that you don't
know and trust.

75
 Computer Care and Safety (Cont’d)
►Avoid installing several programs one right after
the other.
try installing one program, then use your computer
long enough to see how your system responds to the
installation before loading the next program.
►Keep CDs away from dust, liquids, or other
damaging or corrosive substances.
If you have problems with CDs, buy a CD cleaner and
read the instructions carefully.

76
 6. Data Communications and Computer Networks
►Data communication - the exchange of data
between two devices.
►It deals with:
the transfer of data,
the method of transfer, and
the preservation of the data during the transfer.

77
 Data communication & Computer Networks (cont’d)
►Five basic components:
Message – data to be sent.
Sender – sending device like a computer
Receiver – receiving device like a computer
Media – physical path followed by data.
Protocol – rules governing the communication.
►Data transmission modes
Simplex – unidirectional.
Half duplex – bidirectional, at different times.
Full duplex – bidirectional and at the same time.

78
 Data communication & Computer Networks (cont’d)
►Bandwidth – rate at which data is transmitted
►Expressed in bits per second (bps). Other units include
Kilobits per second (1 Kbps = 103 bps)
Megabits per second (1 Mbps = 106 bps)
Gigabits per second (1 Gbps = 109 bps)
Terabits per second (1 Tbps = 1012 bps)
►Narrow band – slow rates (<256 Kbps)
►Broadband – high rates (>=256 Kbps)

79
 Transmission Media
►Two broad categories: guided and unguided.
►In guided media, cable is used to guide the data flow.
►In unguided media, no cable exists to guide the data flow
►Guided media may be copper or optical fiber cables.

80
 Transmission Media (cont’d)
►For data communication, we use the following copper cables:

– Coaxial cable – consists of a single copper conductor at

its center, an outer braided metal shield and a plastic
layer insulation in-between.
• Two types of coaxial cable are:
– ThinNet (or 10Base2) – where the 2 refers to the max segment length, Coaxial cable
which is 185m (200m)
– ThinNet cables use BNC connectors
– ThickNet (or 10Bas5) – where the 5 refers to the max segment length,
BNC Connector
which is 500m
– In both cases, the 10 refers to the max. transmission rate, which is
10Mbps
81
 Transmission Media (cont’d)
Twisted Pair Cable – made of two or more
pairs of insulated copper wires twisted
together.
May be unshielded or shielded (UTP/STP).
• UTP is the most popular and is generally the best
option for most networking.
• It is cheap, easy to wok with and supports high
transmission rate.
• Currently, Cat5 (100MBps), Cat6 (1Gbps) and Cat 7
(10Gbps) are in use
• It uses RJ-45 connectors

82
 Transmission Media (cont’d)
• STP has shield to protect data from EMI and RFI.
• It is suitable for environments with electrical
interference.
• The extra shielding can make the cables quite
bulky.

83
 Transmission Media (cont’d)
►Optical fiber cables are also used in data communications.
Much longer distance than copper cables.
Support higher transmission rate.
Immune to interference.

Connectors
84
 Transmission Media (cont’d)
Summary for guided media
Specification Cable Type Maximum length
10BaseT Unshielded Twisted Pair 100 meters
100 meters
100BaseT Unshielded Twisted Pair
10Base2 Thin Coaxial 185 meters
10Base5 Thick Coaxial 500 meters
10BaseF Fiber Optic 2000 meters

85
 Transmission Media (cont’d)
►Unguided media are used where guided media cannot be used.
►They may use:
Infra-red
• For short distances, with no obstacle
Radio wave
• For medium distances, say 100m
Micro wave
• For longer distances
• Terrestrial or satellite communication

86
 Networking Devices
►Networking devices inter-connect end devices.

• They include:
– Network Interface Card (NIC)
• Inserted into the computer expansion slot.
• provides physical, electrical, and electronic connections to the
network media.
– Repeater
• extend the maximum reach of a network.
• receive signals on one port, amplify them, and repeat them out
on the other port
– Hub
• Multiport repeater
• Central device in a star topology network 87
 Networking Devices
Bridge
• separates a single network into two
segments.
• improve network performance
Switch
• high-performance, multi-interface bridges.
• filter transmission of data into unintended
segments.
Router
• connects multiple networks into an
internetwork.
• can decide how best to get network data
to its destination. 88
 Computer Network
►A computer network is a connection of two or
more computers to share information and
resources.
►Based on the area they cover, networks may be
classified as:
Local Area Network (LAN) – a single room, building
or campus.
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) – spans a city.
Wide Area Network (WAN) – spans more than one
city.
89
 Computer Networks (cont’d)
►WANs differ from LANs in the following ways:
• WANs cover greater distance.
• WAN speeds are slower.
• WAN connections can be on demand or permanent; LAN
connections are permanent.
• Media used by WANs are typically public while those used
by LANs are private.

90
 Computer Networks (cont’d)
►Based on security and access, networks are classified into peer-to-
peer and client/server networks .
Peer-to-peer networks
• All computers are equal
• No dedicated client or server
• Security is not centralized
• Network is not scalable; good only for <= 10 computers
• No specialized network operating system is required.

91
 Computer Networks (cont’d)
Client/Server Networks
• Dedicated servers to provide services/resources
• Security is centralized
• Network is scalable; can have hundred of computers
• Specialized network operating system is required.

92
 Computer Networks (cont’d)
►Advantages of networks include:
Speed – info. Can be transported at high speed.
Cost – software can be shared.
Security – centrally-stored software are more secure.
Centralized software management is possible.
Resources can be shared.
Communication is enhanced.
Workgroup computing is possible.

93
 Computer Networks (cont’d)
►Disadvantages of networks include:
Installation cost could be high.
Requires administrative expertise and tme.
In the event that central devices like server fail, the entire system fails.
Cables may break.

94
 Computer Networks (cont’d)
►Network Topology - the physical configuration of computers,
cables and network devices.
►Common configurations include the bus, star ring and mesh
topologies.
Bus topology
• all computers are connected to a single cable.
• cable is terminated at its ends to avoid signal bouncing.
• Data on the cable is seen by all computers, but only that to which it is addressed will
pick it and respond to.

95
 Computer Networks (cont’d)
Advantages of a Bus Topology
• Easy to connect a computer or peripheral.
• Requires less cable.
Disadvantages of a Bus Topology
• Entire network shuts down if there is a break in the main cable.
• Difficult to identify the problem if the entire network shuts down.
• Network can slow down in heavy traffic.

96
 Computer Networks (cont’d)
Star Topology
• Each computer is connected to a central device (hub) by a separate
cable.
• All data are transmitted through the central device.

– Advantages
• Easy to install and wire.
• No disruptions to the network when connecting or removing devices.
• Easy to detect faults and to remove parts.
• Failure of one computer does not affect the rest of the network

– Disadvantages
• Requires more cable length than a linear topology.
• If the hub or concentrator fails, nodes attached are disabled.
• More expensive than linear bus topologies because of the cost of the concentrators. 97
 Computer Networks (cont’d)
Ring Topology
• Computers are connected to form a ring.
• Data moves down a one-way path from one computer and if the next computer is
the recipient it accepts the data; otherwise it amplifies it and sends it to the next
computer down the path.
• Any break disrupts the entire network.
Advantages of a Ring Topology
• System provides equal access for all computers.
• Performance is even despite many users.
Disadvantages of a Ring Topology
• Failure of one computer can impact the rest of the network.
• Problems are hard to isolate.
• Network reconfiguration disrupts operation.

98
 Computer Networks (cont’d)
Mesh Topology
• Each computer is directly connected to every other computer.
• It uses several cabling. For n computers,
½ n(n-1) cables are required.
• Mesh topology is rarely used, and then only in a WAN environment.
Advantages of a Mesh Topology
• System provides increased redundancy and reliability as well as ease of troubleshooting.
Disadvantages of a Mesh Topology
• System is expensive to install because it uses a lot of cabling.

99
 Computer Networks (cont’d)
►Considerations When Choosing a Topology:
Money
• A linear bus topology is the least expensive to install a network.
Length of cable needed
• The linear bus network uses shorter lengths of cable.
Future growth
• With a star topology, expanding a network is easily done by adding another
concentrator.
Cable type
• The most common cable is the UTP, which is most often used with star topologies.

100
 Computer Networks (cont’d)
►Media Access – shared media requires that some rules be in place for
devices to effectively use the media.
Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD)
• Used in Ethernet networks.
• Computers can send data only when the media is idle, can detect collision and back off in
that event.
Token Passing
• Used in ring topology.
• A special frame called frame circulates in the ring; when it passes through a computer
that wants to send data, it will be held by that computer until it is over with sending its
data. When the computer finishes sending its data, it releases the token which then again
circulates.

101
 7. The Internet

Global Interconnection of networks and computers

No owner of Internet; only standards bodies
Internet access is through ISP (Internet Service Provider)
Internet access technologies include:
• Non-permanent (dial-up) connection
• Uses MODEM and telephone lines
• Permanent – connection, which includes:
• DSL (digital subscriber line – using telephone lines)
• Coaxial cable
• Fiber-optic
• Wireless

102
 The Internet (cont’d)

►To establish dial-up connection, you need:

An account with an ISP
A telephone connection
Modem (MOdulator/DEModulator)
Communication software (e.g. Internet browsers such as Internet Explorer
and Mozilla Firefox)
►Advantages of dial-up connection:
Is not costly to connect
It flexible
 Small monthly payment
►Disadvantage
Low speed and connection set-up time
103
 The Internet (cont’d)
►Advantages of the permanent connection
Faster speed
Fixed monthly payment
►Disadvantages of the permanent connection
Higher cost than dial-up
Not flexible, except for the wireless

104
 Internet Protocols
►Protocol – set of rules that govern the communication between
computers in a network.
►In the Internet, there exist a set of protocols organized in a
layered architecture.
►The set of protocols is called “Protocol suite”.
►The Protocol Suite in the Internet is TCP/IP (Transport Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol)

105
 Internet Applications

►Some of the applications running on the Internet include:

The World Wide Web (WWW)
Electronic Mail (e-Mail)
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
Telnet
Chat and Instant Messaging
Internet Telephony
Video Conferencing
Etc.

106
 Internet Applications (cont’d)

►The World Wide Web (WWW)

A vast collection of documents stored Web Servers
Web pages contain
• Different types of documents: text, image, audio, video
• Links to other web pages
Hypertext Mark-up language (HTML) is used to design a web document
It uses the HTTP (Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol)
The web is interactive – you can fill up forms on-line, run applications, select
options

107
 Internet Applications (cont’d)

Web browser – program than runs on the computer

requesting for web content (e.g. Internet Explorer) or
the computer itself.
Web server – program that runs on the computer that
hosts the web page (e.g. IIS or Apache) or the computer
itself.
URL (Uniform Resource Locater) – shows the exact
location of a web content/resource.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/U/URL.html

Protocol Host Domain Path

108
 Internet Applications (cont’d)

►To use a web browser:

Get connected to the Internet.
Start the Wed browser application.
Type the URL in the address box, or
Type the address of one of the webs that have
searching facilities, e.g. www.google.com and then
type in a search text/phrase search for box and press
Enter.
Use the hyperlinks to jump to other pages.

109
 Internet Applications (cont’d)

►E-Mail (Electronic Mail)

One of the most widely used Internet applications.
Used to send/receive messages electronically
• can transmit text, images, audio and video clips.
Allows users to send a message to just one user or a group of users. Large
documents can be attached.
Users can read, print, forward, answer or delete a message.
Itl is much cheaper and faster in comparison to other communication
services.
Each E-mail user is assigned a unique address, which is used by the e-mail
network to deliver the message.
You need to have e-mail account with e-mail service provider
E-mail addresses are of the format:
110
• User_name@provider_name, e.g. [email protected]
 Internet Applications (cont’d)

►FTP (File Transfer Protocol

allows a user to transfer data/files between computers on the
Internet.
Provides commands that allow users to manage files.
►Telnet
Allows you to log into computers on the Internet and then enter
commands which will be executed as if you were entering them
directly on the server.
To use Telnet to connect to remote computer, you must know its
address.
• E.g. Telnet 140.147.254.3
111
 Internet Applications (cont’d)

►Usenet News
►It is a global electronic bulletin board system in which
millions of computer users exchange information on a vast
range of topics.
►Usenet messages are stored on central computers, and
users must connect to these computers to read or download
the messages posted to these groups.
►There are thousands of Usenet newsgroups. These range
from academic to recreational topics. Serious computer-
related work takes place in Usenet discussions.
112
 Internet Applications (cont’d)

►Chat
 It is a way of talking online in realtime with many people at once.
 Some chat rooms are available via the Web, such as Yahoo! Chat, while others require a
separate software program for chatting with other users.
 Online chat rooms allow multiple users to join in a conversation and see what all the other
people are typing.
 Many chat rooms focus on a particular topic or interest.
►Instant Messaging
 IM is a way of communicating online with a select group of people, usually individually.
 To instant message someone, you need to know his or her screen name.
►IRC
 Kind of group chatting
 Provides a way of communicating in real time with people from all over the world. It
consists of various separate networks (or "nets") of IRC servers, machines that allow users
to connect to IRC. 113
 Internet Applications (cont’d)

►Internet Telephony
Uses the Internet for telephone conversation
For users who have free, or fixed-price Internet access,
Internet telephony software essentially provides free
telephone calls anywhere in the world.
To date, however, Internet telephony does not offer the
same quality of telephone service as direct telephone
connections.
Skype is a popular Internet Telephone application

114
 Internet Applications (cont’d)
►Video Conferencing
Allow two or more locations to communicate by simultaneous
two-way video and audio transmissions.
Differs from videophone calls in that it's designed to serve a
conference or multiple locations rather than individuals.
Applications include teaching/learning
►Teleconferencing
Allow two or more locations to communicate by simultaneous
two-way audio transmissions.

115