Information and Communication

Technologies (ICT)

Introduction to Computer Systems

Architecture of Computer Systems
 Lecture 2
 Last week: The role of ICT in key sectors of the
development of society. Standards in the field of ICT:
 Definition of ICT. The subject of ICT and its objectives. The
role of ICT in key sectors of the development of society.
Standards in the field of ICT
 Overview of Today’s Lecture
– Overview of computer systems (Types of computers)
– Evolution of computer systems (computer architecture)
– Architecture and components of computer systems
– Application of computer systems
– Representation of data in computer systems
 The development of computer architecture

 Computer Architecture this term answers the

question how is a computer designed? rather
than how does the computer work?

2
 The development of computer architecture

 An alternative definition of computer

architecture is the components or
attributes of the computer that are visible
to the assembler language programmer

3
Here are a few more general terms used with computers:

 “Software” refers to how the computer is used

 “Hardware” refers to how the computer is constructed (its
physical building blocks)
 The general term “computing” refers to problem solving on
computers by means of programming
 The computer itself is a machine that performs tasks and
solves problems by storing and manipulating information
 Information stored in computers is digital (it consists of
discrete digits)
 The development of computer architecture
 Computers consist of many components, From the point of
view of organization, the computer is divided into three
components:
 Processor
The processor (or central processing unit, CPU) is the main
part of the computer
 Memory
The memory is a passive component. It simply stores the
information written in it
 Input/Output (I/O) processor
The function of the I/O processor is to interface the computer
to the outside world

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Relations between Computer components

Computer installation

Computer I/O devices

Memory Processor I/O processor

Control unit

ALU

Registers

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 History of computers

 The history of computers begins with the people's

need to calculate and keep records
 From ancient times, people have working to invent
a computing device to assist them in calculating
and processing data

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 History of computers
All the data processing equipment can be categorized under three types:-

1- Mechanical devices: Which are hand-operated such as the

"ABACUS" and the "Slide rule"
2- Electro-mechanical devices: Which are powered by an
electric motor and use switches and relays, e.g. "Card reader"
and "Card stored"
3- Electronic devices: Which have such components as
"Transistors, Circuits, Chips", e.g. "Modern Computer"
 History of computers
We outline historical evolution of the computer in three stages:

1- The dark (earliest) ages:(3000 B.C.E – 1890 C.E)

2- The middle ages: (1890 – 1944)
3- The modern ages: (1944 till now)

B.C.E (Before the Common Era)

C.E (Common Era (Current))

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 History of computers
1- The Dark Ages: (3000 B.C.E – 1890 C.E)
This stage refers to the period in which only
manual "Mechanical devices" were used:

* ABACUS

Date of development:
3000 B.C.E (5000 years ago)
Place: China
Function: Arithmetic calculation
 History of computers
* Napier's Bones

Date: 1617
Place: Scotland
Inventor: John Napier
Function: Multiplication and Division

11
 History of computers
* Slide Rule
Date: 1632
Place: England
Inventor: William Oughtred
Components: Two movable rules
Function: Multiplication and Division
 History of computers
* Pascal Arithmetic Machine
Date: 1642
Place: France Blasé Pascal

Inventor: Blasé Pascal

Function: All the arithmetic
operations but it required
considerable manual effort for
Multiplication and Division
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 History of computers

* Jacquard Loom

Date: 1801
Place: France
Inventor: Joseph Marie Jacquard
Components: Loom, threads and
control cards (punched cards)
 History of computers

* Babbage's Analytical Engine

Date: 1833
Place: England/ Cambridge University
Inventor: Charles Babbage/Professor of mathematics

Charles Babbage
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 History of computers

Components: The organization of the engine was

remarkably similar to that of the modern digital computer

Major innovation:
 Arithmetic unit
 Punched-card input
 Printing unit and control system
 Storage unit (1000 numbers of 50 decimal digits each)
 History of computers

* Ada Lovelace
Birth: 10/Dec./1815 in London, England
Death: 27/Nov./1852 in London, England
Nationality: British
 History of computers

Noun: Computer program in punched cards

Invention: Computer programming in 1843
Inventor: Augusta Ada Lovelace
Definition: In computer science, a sequence of
instructions that a computer can interpret and
execute; "the program required several
hundred lines of code"

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 History of computers

* Boolean Logic

In 1854, George BOOLE, a

British mathematician
performed a mathematical
system named "Boolean
Logic", that is the
mathematics of variables
with values that can be
only "True" or "False"
 History of computers

2- The middle ages: (1890 – 1944)

The major feature of this stage was the use of
"Electro-Mechanical Device" to process data
recorded on punched cards.

** Punched-card Tabulating Machine

Date: 1890
Place: USA Bureau Census
Inventor: Dr. Herman Hollerith
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 History of computers
Major innovation: a punched device for recording
information by punching holes on cards

Punched-card Tabulating Machine

 History of computers

** The Simultaneous Punching Machine

Date: 1910
Place: USA Bureau Census
Inventor: James Power
Major innovation:
Punched card
An earlier card-punched
equipment to cheek and
correct data before it was actually punched onto cards
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 History of computers

** ABC (Atanasoff Berry Computer)

Date: 1938
Place: Iowa State College
Inventor: Dr. John Vincent Atanasoff and Clifford Berry
Major innovation: a special purpose computer
 History of computers

3- The Modern Ages: (1944 till now)

The major feature of this stage was the use of
"Computers" to process data and storage.

*** MARK 1
Date: 1944
Type: The first electro-mechanical computer
"automatically performing of arithmetical and
logical operations"
Inventor: IBM Company/ Howard G. Aiken,
Professor of Math's at Harvard University
Size: 50 foot long, 8 foot high
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 History of computers
Speed:
3 additions per second
1 multiplication in 5 seconds
1 division in 12 seconds
50 Foot

8 Foot
 History of computers

*** ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer)

Date: 1946
Type: The first electronics digital computer
"automatically performing of arithmetical and
logical operations"
Inventor: Dr. John Mauchly in USA
Weight: 30 Ton

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 History of computers
Speed:
5000 additions per second
350 multiplications per second
40 divisions per second

ENIA
C
 History of computers
Generations of Computer

First Generation of Computer (1946-1959)

Second Generation of Computers (1959-

1964)

Third Generation of Computers (1965-

1970)

Fourth Generation of Computers (1971-

1981)
 History of computers
Generations of Computer

First Generation of Computer (1946-1959)

Main Features
 Major Innovation: Vacuum Tubes
 Main Memory: Punched Cards
 Input Output Devices: Punched cards and papers
 Languages: Low level machine language
 Operating System: No operating system, human operators to
set switches
 Size: Main frame for example ENIAC, EDVAC, UNIVAC
 History of computers

Advantages of First Generation

1. Vacuum tubes were used as electronic
component.
2. Electronic digital computers were developed
for the first time.
3. These computers were the fastest calculating
devices of their time.
4. Computations were performed in millisecond.
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 History of computers

Disadvantages of First Generation

1. Too large in size
2. They were unreliable
3. Induce a large amount of heat due to
the vacuum tubes
4. Not portable
5. Limited commercial use
 History of computers

Vacuum Tube

UNIVAC

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 History of computers

Second Generation of Computers (1959-1964)

Main Features
 Major Innovation: Transistors as main component
 Main Memory: RAM and ROM
 External Storage: Magnetic tapes and Magnetic Disk
 Input Output Devices: Magnetic tapes and Magnetic
Disk
 Languages: Assembly language, some high level
languages for Example BASIC, COBOL, FORTRAN
 Operating System: Human handles punched card
 Size: Mainframe for example IBM-1400, NCR-300,
IBM-1600, UNIVAC-III, etc…
 History of computers

Advantages of Second Generation

1. Smaller in size as compares to 1st generation

2. Much more reliable
3. Less heat generated
4. Computation was performing in micro second
5. Less hardware and maintenance problem
6. Could be used for commercial use
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 History of computers

Disadvantages of Second Generation

1. Very costly for commercial use

2. It still required frequent maintenance
3. Frequent cooling also required

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 History of computers

Transistor

IBM-1600
 History of computers

Third Generation of Computers (1965-1970)

Main Features
 Major Innovation: Integrated circuit (ICs) as basic
electronic component (SSIC and MSIC)
 Main Memory: PROM and DRAM
 External Storage: Improve disk (Floppy Disk)
 Input and Output Devices: Keyboard for input,
monitor for output
 Languages: More high level languages
 Operating System: Complete operating systems
were introduced
 Size: Mainframe and Mini Computer, for example:
IBM SYSTEM /360, ICH-360, HONEY WELL-316, etc…
 History of computers

Advantages of Third Generation

1. Smaller in size as compared to second

generation
2. More reliable
3. Portable
4. Less electricity consumption
5. Heat generation was rare
6. General purpose computer
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 History of computers

Disadvantages of Third Generation

1. Air conditioning was required in many
cases due to ICs

2. Very advance technology was required

to make the ICs
 History of computers

Integrated Circuit
(ICs)

Computer
in 3rd Generation
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 History of computers

Fourth Generation of Computers (1971-1981)

Main Features
 Major Innovation: LSIC and VLSIC (Micro
Processor)
 Main Memory: EPROM and SRAM
 External Storage: Floppy Disk and Hard Disk
 Input and Output Devices: Monitor for output
 Languages: Languages and application
software
 Operating System: MS-DOS and PC-DOS
 Size: Microcomputer e.g. IBM-PC, Apple
Macintosh etc..
 History of computers

Advantages of Fourth Generation

1. Smaller in size and much reliable
2. No cooling system required in many cases
3. Much faster computation
4. Portable and cheap
5. The heat generated was negligible
6. Totally general purpose computer

Disadvantages of Fourth Generation

1. Very advanced technology was required to
fabricate to the ICs
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 History of computers
Computer
In 4th Generation

Apple II -1977

VLSI
Very large scale integrated
circuit
 History of computers

Fifth Generation (1981-Onward)

Main Features
Major Innovations: ULSIC (Ultra large scale integrated
circuit)
Main Memory: EEPROM, SIMM and DIMM
External Storage: Modified magnetic and Optical disks
Input/output Devices: Keyboard, Pointing Device,
Scanner as input and Monitor as main output
Languages: AI (Artificial Intelligence) Expert systems
Operating System: GUI based e.g. Windows (95, 98,
2000, NT, XP, Vista, Seven, Eight, and Ten)
Size: Very small in size example: Laptop, Note book,
Digital Diary, Palmtop and Pocket PC
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 History of computers
Advantages of 5th Generation
1. Very large storage capacity
2. Long bit processor builds
3. Artificial Intelligence Language developed

Computer Lab. In
1985

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 History of computers
Computer
In 1990

Computer
In 1995
 History of computers

2005

2010 2012

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 Types of Сomputers

 Supercomputers...are used to process very large

amounts of information including processing information
to predict hurricanes, satellite images and navigation, and
process military war scenarios
 Mainframes...are used by government and businesses to
process very large amounts of information
 Mini-Computers...are similar to mainframes...they are
used by business and government to process large
amounts of information
 Personal Computers (PC)…
 Types of Computers

 Personal Computers (Continued)

Personal Computers...also known as PC’s...are smaller

and less powerful than the others. They are used in
homes, schools, and small businesses.

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 Types of Сomputers

Workstation
Supercomputer

Palmtop Computer

Laptop Computer Personal Data Assistant

 Types of Computers

There are 3 main types of PCs

 Desktop
 Portable (Notebook/Laptop)
When portable (notebook/laptop) computers were first
created they were HUGE. The creators of the portable
(notebook/laptop) computer dreamed that one day it would
be the size a notebook or pocket dictionary. With today’s
technology, we have been able to accomplish this goal and
more..
 Hand-Held

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The basic components of a computer

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Computer

Today’s Computer
Computer

Computer Model

Input: keyboard, mouse, scanner, punch cards

Processing: CPU executes the computer program
Output: monitor, printer, fax machine
Storage: hard drive, optical media, diskettes,
magnetic tape
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Components

Computer Components
Components

Computer Components
CPU
Mother Board
Memory
Hard Disk
Display
Keyboard
Mouse
Power Supply
Network Interface

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CPU

CPU
CPU – Central Processing Unit (Microprocessor)
consists of three parts:
Control Unit
• Execute programs/instructions: the machine language
• Move data from one memory location to another
• Communicate between other parts of a PC
Arithmetic Logic Unit
• Arithmetic operations: add, subtract, multiply, divide
• Logic operations: and, or, xor
• Floating point operations: real number manipulation
Registers
 CPU speed is influenced by several factors:
Clock speed: Megahertz, Gigahertz
Word size : 32-bit or 64-bit word sizes
Cache: Level 1, Level 2 caches
Instruction set size
Single Core/Multi Core
CPU

CPU
Desktop Processor: Intel (Pentium) Core 2
Duo/Quad, AMD Athelon (Dual/Quad Core)
Mobile Processor: Intel (Centrino 2) Core 2 Duo,
AMD Turion (Dual Core)
Server Processor: Intel Xeon Quad Core, AMD
Optron Quad Core, RISC (Reduced Instruction Set
Computer): IBM Power PC, SUN SPARC ..
Atom Processor

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Memory

MEMORY
ROM: For BIOS (Basic Input Output System)
CMOS RAM: Battery-backed memory used to store
system specific parameters required by the system
BIOS to boot. It also stores the system clock
information.
Cache: Static RAM attached to the CPU and used for
storing current data. L1, L2, L3 Cache
RAM: Dynamic RAM and used for storing Data and
programs which disappear after task
completed or power turned off
Size: ex. 512MB, 2 GB ..
Speed: ex. 533MHz, 667 MHz ..
Type: ex. DDR2/3 SDRAM (Double Data Rate Synchronous RAM)
Packaging: DIMM, SIMM…
Hard Disk

HARD DISK
Magnetic storage device. It
stores data by magnetizing
particles on a disk.
Used to store operating
system, application
software, utilities and data.
Metal, plastic, or glass
platter(s)
2 magnetic surfaces/platter
1 or more platters per
spindle
3,600 – 15,000 rpm
1 head/platter
Head(s) move in and out

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Hard Disk

HOW DATA IS ORGANIZED ON DISK

Tracks-
Circular areas of the disk
Length of a track one
circumference of disk
Over 1000 on a hard disk
Data first written to outer
most track
Sectors-
Divides tracks sections
Cylinders-
Logical groupings of the
same track on each disk
surface in a disk unit
Clusters-
Groups of sectors used by
operating system
64 sectors in one cluster
Data stored in blocks
(pages) of .5 to 8 KB
Mother Board

MOTHER BOARD
A motherboard (sometimes known as
the system board, baseboard) is the
main printed circuit board found in general
purpose microcomputers and other expandable
systems. It holds and allows communication
between many of the crucial electronic
components of a system, such as the central
processing unit (CPU) and memory, and
provides connectors for other peripherals.

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Mother Board

MOTHER BOARD
Holds CPU, memory, PCI bays, etc

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CD/DVD

CD/DVD Drive
CD (Compact Disk)
Capacity is 700 to 800 MB
Optical storage device. Data is read from CD by a laser.
Stores data as light and dark spots on the disk surface.
They have an unlimited life-span.
RO & RW CDs
I/O Rate is Nx where 1x is 150KB/s, Read & Write speeds are not
same, upto 52x speeds available
DVD (Digital Video Disk)
4.7 GB
RO & RW DVDs
I/O Rate is Nx where 1x is 1.35MB/s, Read & Write speeds are not
same, upto 20x speeds available
Blu Ray
Upto 50 GB
User Blue Laser
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Adapters

Adaptors (Expansion Cards)

Adapter - a device, device or part designed to connect
devices that do not have a direct connection
method.
Adapters (Often Integrated on Motherboard)
Video
Sound
Network Interface Card (NIC)
Modem
TV Tuner

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Power Supply

Power Supply
A power supply is an electrical device that supplies
electric power to an electrical load. The primary
function of a power supply is to convert electric
current from a source to the correct voltage, current,
and frequency to power the load.
SMPS (Switched Mode Power Supply)
AC mains input is converted to DC voltage which
feeds the Motherboard, drives and other devices.
ATX (Advanced Technology Extended)
Generally 90 - 250 watts
Display

DISPLAY
CRT ( Cathode Ray Tube)
Electron Gun & Florescent Screen
Single Gun for Monochrome and 3 Guns for Colour Screen
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
About blocking light when not needed
TFT LCD (Thin Film Transistor LCD)
19” in Desktop and 15” in Laptops
Power Consumption
CRT – 110 watt
LCD – 30-40 watt
Colour Depth: 65,000 colours, 24 million colours
Resolution: 1024x768, 1280x1024, 1600x1200
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Keyboard

KEYBOARD
101-key Enhanced keyboard
104-key Windows keyboard, 3 more keys.
Press the Key - Detect the position on the key matrix
(16 bytes)
Mouse

MOUSE
Mechanical
Use two rollers (one vertical and one horizontal) to track
motion
Rolled by the Track ball
Optical
Use a tiny camera to tracking the motion
LED (red light beamer)
IntelliMouse
Extra wheel
I/O Ports

I/O Ports
Parallel port
Parallel because it can move a whole byte at a time
Mainly used for connection to a printer
Serial port (Com port)
One bit at a time -- Uses thin cable
Universal serial bus (USB) replaces those
4 wires (2 for power & 2 for communication)
Upto 60 MB/s
USB Pen Drives, Printers, External Disks, Drives etc.
Printers

Printers
LaserJet (Mono & Colour)
Inkjet
Dot Matrix
Line
3D

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The memory chips. Microchips processors and tires
Memory Overview
 Types of Memory:
– RAM (Random Access Memory) is volatile memory found on
the motherboard and stores the operating system, the software
applications, and the data being used by all of the software.
– ROM (Read Only Memory) is a non-volatile type of memory
that keeps data in chips even when the computer is shut off.
 Types of RAM:
– DRAM (Dynamic RAM) is less expensive, but slower than
SRAM. It requires periodic refreshing of the electrical charges
holding the 1s and 0s.
– SRAM (Static RAM) is faster but more expensive than DRAM.
It is also known as cache memory or L2 cache.
 Memory Overview
 Memory Terms:
– Refreshing – Periodically rewriting information to the memory
chip.
– Nanosecond – A billionth of a second.
– Pipelining – The process by which microprocessors and
memory obtain computer software instructions in a timely
fashion.
– Cache Memory – also known as SRAM – can be found on the
motherboard, but normally is found inside the CPU. Cache
memory holds the most frequently used data so the CPU does
not return to the slower DRAM chips to obtain the data.

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 Memory Physical Packaging
 Types of Memory Packaging:
– DIP (Dual In-line Package) – A chip that has a row of legs
running down each side.
– SIMM (Single In-line Memory Module) – Available in 30-pin
and 72-pin configurations.
– DIMM (Dual In-line Memory Module) – 168-pin configuration
and used in Pentium, Pentium Pro, Pentium II or Pentium III
motherboards.
– DDR DIMM – 184-pin configuration and used in AMD Athlon
computers, Pentium 4 computers, and high-end servers.
– RIMM – Type of memory module used on video adapters and
future motherboards.
 Memory Physical Packaging
 Methods of Error Checking:
– Parity – A method for checking the accuracy of data going in or
out of the memory chips.
– Non-parity – Memory chips that do not use any error checking.
– ECC (Error Correcting Code) – Uses a mathematical
algorithm to detect up to four-bit memory errors and correct
one-bit memory errors.
 A computer system that uses parity must have parity
memory installed.

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Presentation of data in computer memory

 In order to understand how data is processed by

computers it is necessary to understand

– what is data

– how is data represented in computers

– how is data manipulated and processed

86
 Bits, Bytes, Words ...
 The basic units of data are organized as follows
– bit
• this is the fundamental unit of data
• 2-state switch values: 0/1 (e.g. true/false; off/on)
– byte
• a group of 8 bits taken as a single unit
• the smallest unit of memory that is addressable
– word
• the size of the (data) bus, all bits simultaneously
transferred
• Pentium I, II, III 32 bits (4 bytes)
• Pentium IV 64 bits (8 bytes)
– other units are used, such as blocks, strings, and so on
• these are considered non-standard application structures
 Size terminology
 The following prefix terms are used to denote timing interval
size (seconds):
– 10-3 milli
– 10-6 micro
– 10-9 nano
– 10-12 pico
– 10-15 femto
 The following prefix terms are used to denote storage device
size (bytes):
– 210 kilo (1024)
– 220 mega ( ~ 106 )
– 230 giga ( ~ 109 )
– 240 tera ( ~ 1012 )
– 250 peta ( ~ 1015 )
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 Why Binary?

 Early computer design was decimal

– Mark I and ENIAC
 John von Neumann proposed binary data
processing (1945)
– Simplified computer design
– Used for both instructions and data
 Natural relationship between
on/off switches and On Off
calculation using Boolean logic True False
Yes No
1 0
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 Counting and Arithmetic
 Decimal or base 10 number system
– Origin: counting on the fingers
– “Digit” from the Latin word digitus meaning “finger”
 Base: the number of different digits including
zero in the number system
– Example: Base 10 has 10 digits, 0 through 9
 Binary or base 2
 Bit (binary digit): 2 digits, 0 and 1
 Octal or base 8: 8 digits, 0 through 7
 Hexadecimal or base 16:
16 digits, 0 through F
– Examples: 1010 = A16; 1110 = B16

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The Von Neumann architecture

108
109
Structure of von Neumann machine
Basic principles of computer operation
 User view of Computer Systems

Applications
e.g. Word, Netscape, etc

Operating
System – - the
user interface

Software that
controls the
hardware
devices

127
 How Programs Are Run
 The operating system presents an interface to the user
(e.g. Windows Desktop)
 The user double clicks on an icon to run a program (e.g.
Microsoft Word)
– The operating system copies the program (or at least the first part
of it) from the hard disk into main memory
– The CPU runs the instructions in the program, and presents the
initial Word screen
 Within Word, the user uses the menu to open a document
– The application software (Word) asks the Operating System to
open the file.
– The Operating System communicates with the hardware to open
the file on the hard disk.

128
 Questions:
1. The name of the first computer
2. Components of computer
3. Main memory or Internal memory
4. External memory or Secondary memory
5. Examples of Input devices
6. Examples of Output devices
7. Principles of von Neumann
8. Motherboard is
9. Devices are located on Motherboard
10. Adapter is
11. Types of printer
List of required textbooks and additional resources
Required Textbook:
 Brown G., Sargent B., and Watson D. Cambridge IGCSE ICT. -

London: Hodder Education Group, 2015. -439 p. [BW]

 Williams, B. K. and Sawyer, S. Using information technology: A

practical introduction to computers & communications.- New

York: McGraw-Hil., - 8th ed. 2010. -563 p. [WS]

Alternative Textbook:
 Watson, D. and Williams, H. – Cambridge IGCSE Computer

Science: Hodder Edu.; 3 ed. 2015.-278 p. [W]

Additional resources:
 Evans, V. Information technology. Books 1-3: English for

specific purposes .- 5th impr.- Newbury: Express Publishing,

2014.- 40 p. [E]
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